What One Lesson Did You Learn as a Paperboy?

[tomwed]

I could name many lessons I learned.

But one lesson I learned is how other people live. I would collect on Friday night and Saturday morning. If it was cold out, people would invite me in. I could smell their houses and apartments. See if they were the neat and tidy type. Until I was a paperboy, I didn't think anyone put on their pajamas until it was time to go to bed. I also thought the first thing people did in the morning was get dressed. I was wrong about that too.

I never met any papergirls, so no offense meant.

ps I delivered the Jersey Journal.

[B767drvr]

When in doubt, wrap that rascal! :)



(i.e., put the paper in a plastic bag if rain threatens)

[Bruiser1]

As a .paperboy, it was an enriching opportunity.

It taught me responsibility ,dependability and persistence.

In addition to delivering the papers - you had to collect for them.

If someone didn't pay -that was your profit!

But sometimes there was an unexpected surprise. One lady that didn't always have the payment surprised me at Christmas with a box of Hershey's chocolate bars with payment! My first tip!

[tomwed]

When in doubt, wrap that rascal! :)



(i.e., put the paper in a plastic bag if rain threatens)


I remember some of us using rubber bands to make throwing easier but I don't remember plastic bags. I think in the rain or if it looked like it might rain we had to put the paper behind the storm door or in the mailbox.

[rubicon]

It taught the value of money independence, the necessity for doing a good for my self pride. It taught me how to deal with different kinds of people. It showed me what my father taught me about life not being fair. I had my share of customers who flew the coop without notice leaving me with their bill. It taught me that I needed an education so that I could have some say in how I intended to live. My family struggled in those days and there were many a time when I handed over my collections to my mother so we could eat. I can still feel her embrace.

[DougB]

I learned not to throw the whole bag of papers you don't want to deliver into the canal because you have baseball practice and don't want to be late. They FLOAT !!!!!!

[Walter123]

Tips were a lot better when I got the paper close to the front door. I learned the importance of customer service. Something that seems to be forgotten for the most part these days.

[TheVillageChicken]

I learned that a small steady income from the local paper was a better deal than trying to sell Grit door-to-door.

[Indydealmaker]

I learned to hate 4:00 a.m.

[graciegirl]

I asked Sweetie and he said "Punctuality".

[MikeV]

I learned when you are selling papers on a NYC corner at night and a van pulls up and points a gun at you just give them the money and just keep selling papers.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

My father was a paperboy and he learned to be terrified with dogs. They would often chase him and he lived in fear of their barking and attacks. With a dog lover for a daughter who frequently had a pack of 5 or 6 enormous dogs in her house you can imagine it wasn't easy for him to put his lifelong fears aside and visit me. Ahh, the things we do because we love our children.

[billethkid]

I learned that people with dogs either did not really know their dogs:

After being bitten more times than I can count I always, ALWAYS heard one or the other of these comments from the owner:

>that's the first time he/she has ever done that or

>he/she has never bitten anybody before

99.999999% of the time.

[casita37]

Some of you former paperboys might enjoy reading South of Broad by Pat Conroy. A lot of things contributed to the main character's life, and being a paperboy was a big part of it.

[Buffalo Jim]

Too many lessons to mention but all were very good life lessons which I carried with me my entire life .
I lived in a very small town in a very remote area of Northern , NY along the Canadian Border . I delivered an afternoon paper which came out 6 days a week .
My " profit " was 10 cents per week per customer . I began at age 11 and kept the route until age 17 when I passed it on to my 11 year old brother who at 17 passed it on to our youngest brother who had just turned age 11 . All in the Route was in our family for nearly 20 years .
I learned salesmanship as I grew my customer base from 27 to 45 homes .
I learned " product line extension " by purchasing various products such as Flower and Vegetable seeds and other times through Boys Life Magazine and selling them to my customers .
I learned that other families had their issues as well . Meaning , illness , loss of employment and even death .
I learned that doing a good job led to there opportunities as several of my customers offered me jobs such as lawn-mowing , snow removal and errands . Eventually I was earning more money from the " chores " than I was from the paper route .
Also as I walked my route I learned to compose my school essays and book reports in my head such that when I finished and arrived home all I had to do was put pen to paper to complete those assignments .
Some how I managed to play sports , participate in other school and Church activities and manage my paper route responsibilities . Clearly invaluable life lessons .

[justjim]

I learn what it was like to go to work every day and found out what a commitment delivering newspapers was in a smal Midwest town of 5,000 people.

[JerryP]

Delivered the LI Press in the ENY section of Brooklyn, learned to always; lock bike before going into apartment buildings, beware of dogs, new scripts meant rewards and of course collection day which was Friday was the best day of the week.

[tomwed]

OK---Am I the only rotten apple who that turned in phoney orders? Sometimes my boss was pressured by his boss for new orders. He pressured us to go canvassing. It was a cold sell. Sometimes I would cancel one of my old customers and then turn in a phoney new order for a prize. The prize was usually a trip to Palisades Amusement Park. A few weeks later I would cancel the phoney order and put back into the system the old customer. Everybody was happy. That 's how things worked in Jersey. That's what I learned. :)

[willie72]

As a papergirl, I learned never to give chocolate covered cherries as a Christmas gift. You get way tooooo many. Give a gift of money.

[bkcunningham1]

I could name many lessons I learned.

But one lesson I learned is how other people live. I would collect on Friday night and Saturday morning. If it was cold out, people would invite me in. I could smell their houses and apartments. See if they were the neat and tidy type. Until I was a paperboy, I didn't think anyone put on their pajamas until it was time to go to bed. I also thought the first thing people did in the morning was get dressed. I was wrong about that too.

I never met any papergirls, so no offense meant.

ps I delivered the Jersey Journal.

I love everyone's stories. What a good idea for an interesting and enjoyable thread. I hope the Daily Sun picks up on this thread and turns it into a feature story.

Did you know that 'paperboy' is now slang for someone who reads paper books instead of ebooks?

[Cisco Kid]

That You Can Never Get Up Too Early To Start Your Day.
Today Started @ 4AM.
I always get a jump start on my work to be done.

[tomwed]

As a papergirl, I learned never to give chocolate covered cherries as a Christmas gift. You get way tooooo many. Give a gift of money.

If it wasn't for Christmas tips I would have quit 100 times each year. Everyone would hang in there for the one dollar in an envelope, once a year. That was our Christmas bonus.
Another lesson, I suppose.

[tomwed]

As a papergirl, I learned never to give chocolate covered cherries as a Christmas gift. You get way tooooo many. Give a gift of money.

You are the first papergirl I met. You must have been pretty tough. As you know, you can miss school if you are sick, but the papers must be delivered.

[pookieroo]

I learned to sing Christmas Carols while waiting for my payments on the porch at Christmas time. Get em in the mood, you know? Also, don't throw a Sunday too far, it might just bounce and go through the glass of the storm door (it did, and aside from costing a fortune, made one hell of a noise).