Paper Routes - They Ain't What They Used to Be

Morning is my best, most productive time of the day.  And now, I’ve got more free time each morning, as the morning Star Tribune never arrives before I leave for work. 

I've learned that our paper carriers are busier than ever.  Before the holidays they sent this note in their holiday card.  The information they shared about their workload was astounding!

"Season’s Greetings! We are your new newspaper carriers … This is our second week delivering your paper(s), … We deliver papers for five routes during the week, and four on Sunday. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, we deliver between 850 and 1000 papers. Please bear with us on delivery times. The harsh winter weather so far is already making it difficult to stay on schedule. We will deliver your newspaper to your door each day. We wish you a Happy Holiday Season, and a wonderful New Year."

That’s crazy!  850 to 1000 newspapers. There’s no way they can deliver that huge number of papers in a timely manner.  When I was a paperboy for the old Minneapolis Star (mid 1970s), my route consisted of about 50 households.  I could deliver all those papers in an hour. Of course back then many more people subscribed to the paper so the routes were dense. I would walk or bike down a block in suburban Richfield (16 houses per block) and only 4 or 5 houses did NOT subscribe to the paper.  Papers were never late - unless there was a problem down at the Star Tribune printing plant, or the weather was horrific. 

Those days are gone.  The routes are no longer as dense as they once were. Rather than covering several blocks in one community, they sprawl for miles. Kids no longer deliver papers. You have to be a licensed driver with hours of time to commit to the task. The current system provides no way for the majority of the subscribers to get their papers “on time” when they have that many households to visit.  Today, there are so few subscribers (about 3 on our block in Roseville), that the poor carriers must drive miles every day, over several communities.

It’s crazy. I wonder if, like some publications, the Star Tribune offers a cheaper package if I subscribe only to the online version (which I already have access to) and agree to cancel home delivery?

Oh well -  more time in the morning for me, and time for new rituals like the comics and crossword over dinner.