There were 2 in our town growing up. They were gone by late 1990’s when paper shut its doors for good.
Anyone know when paperboys ceased to exist?
- Thread starter 53' Stude
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My town had a morning and afternoon paper. Kids (not me) would sling papers before and after school. My friend had two paper routes. I'd occasionally accompany him when it was time to collect from his customers. This was in the early 80s.
I had a "friend" who slung papers early in the morning out of her car. That was the late 90s. She made decent money for a few hours of work.
I had a "friend" who slung papers early in the morning out of her car. That was the late 90s. She made decent money for a few hours of work.
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The story of my childhood, from age 11 up to around 15-6 days a week, on my bike, even in the coldest & snowiest winters we had in my lifetime (1977 & 1978). I never made more than $50 A MONTH, and ~$25 a month in winter. Even when there was enough snow that I had to push my bike & couldn’t ride it! I did win Carrier of the Year for the Cincinnati Post twice, though.
I had one probably as late as 2006? Had the Charlotte Observer delivered.
I was one back in the late 80s/ early 90s. On a bike, 37 papers, be done by 5pm weekdays, 8am weekends. I got some cool yard sale finds when my customers were setting up. Stereo equipment, film enlarger, etc.
My sister in law did it a few years ago. She used a car, early in the morning. The printing press did half a dozen publications and the distribution was shared, so she had a fairly complicated list of who-got-what.
My sister in law did it a few years ago. She used a car, early in the morning. The printing press did half a dozen publications and the distribution was shared, so she had a fairly complicated list of who-got-what.
I had a morning route and subbed for another. And had an afternoon route before that. And helped with others.
Had a friend in elementary school who did it on a bicycle. Was really weird too because he was directed to just give one to almost everyone in the neighborhood, with or without a subscription. But he would also collect the subscription fee once a month. I think those days took him longer.
But these days, if someone has a subscription to a newspaper, it's probably delivered by an adult in a car. I've even seen it where they might be a team with a driver and another tossing newspapers out the window. When we had a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, there would be someone in a car who would come to our door and drop the copy on our doormat.
But these days, if someone has a subscription to a newspaper, it's probably delivered by an adult in a car. I've even seen it where they might be a team with a driver and another tossing newspapers out the window. When we had a subscription to the Wall Street Journal, there would be someone in a car who would come to our door and drop the copy on our doormat.
Still have them here in the Bronx New York
They must have gone away around the same time as the Milkman and Piano Lady
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
For me I was 2004ish when we lived in a subdivision. Had a rural carrier deliver the paper from 2004-2010, until the paper got ridiculously expensive for what you got. Now I don't know anyone who has the local newspaper delivered to their home. Its kind of sad.
We have the Seattle times delivered on Sunday only. The wife reads the Arts & Home sections, along with the Parade magazine, and I read the Front, Local, Business, and Opinion sections. The carrier delivers it by car, and it is thrown onto the apron of my driveway.
I believe that there are a few foot carriers left in towns/city around here. The motor carriers are still at it, but their routes have shrunk dramatically. The cost is crazy and goes up several times a year. Our local paper was formidable for a very long time, but cut back staff beginning in the 90's. It started running red ink with the loss end covered by one of the extended family owners, a billionaire. He tired of the few million a year to cover losses and declared bankruptcy in 2019. Sole bidder was a notorious CO. publication collector and dismantler that turned it into a 20 page paper prepared by about 3 or 4 people. Nearly no reporter beats, zero proofreading and no pay raises for life. Sad to me as a lifelong paper lover, but that's the reality. I believe that their circulation is about a third of what it had once been.
JHZR2
Staff member
A friend in middle/high school had a SAHM. To earn a bit of money, she woukd deliver papers early in the morning. She did this until at least the late 90s. They had a Plymouth voyager, and they would pull the seats out so she could fit the papers.
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I was one in the 90s as a young teen and it was pure child exploitation. I got paid 10 cents per paper and was worked to the bone because I was delivering to condos, which required labeling each paper beforehand and getting off my bike to go into every lobby.
Bitter old people with nothing better to do than abuse a kid would literally wait for me to enter the lobby to yell at me if I ever arrived at a different time than they were used to still within the allotted multi-hour window. They would routinely lie and lodge complaints against a 13 year old kid with a flat tire on his bike who was 20 mins “late” because he had to walk that day or help his sister with homework after school. Good riddance to that industry and those horrible people.
Bitter old people with nothing better to do than abuse a kid would literally wait for me to enter the lobby to yell at me if I ever arrived at a different time than they were used to still within the allotted multi-hour window. They would routinely lie and lodge complaints against a 13 year old kid with a flat tire on his bike who was 20 mins “late” because he had to walk that day or help his sister with homework after school. Good riddance to that industry and those horrible people.
Around 2010 here...
That's upper class.
In the late 60's, we also had Charles Chips.
It was a small truck where the driver would drop-off large cans of potato chips or pretzels.
Can't really make a living do that today.
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