[Finance] How big was your paper round?

[Boys 9d]

Can't remember the number of deliveries but earned 7shillings and sixpence for Monday to Friday and 2 shillings and six pence (half a crown) for Sunday. A grand total of 10 shillings (ie. 50 pence in new money). Rounds took me about I hour.

 

[el punal]

Paper round? Pah! That was for pussies. I used to work as a delivery boy for a butcher. Every day after school I would get on my bike and deliver meat to welcoming house wives. The joy in their eyes when I gave them a package was a sight to behold.

 

[Stat Brother]

What the fook is all this 'extra for Sunday' bollox?

 

[Madafwo]

I started when I was 12 doing an early morning round in Westdene and apparently I was too young so I had to have a family member go with me.

Eventually I graduated to an afternoon round delivering the Evening ArseGas around Westdene that then evolved into doing 1 round each for the 3 newsagents in the area, Mill Rise, Eldred Avenue and one for Valley Drive. A few things still stick in my mind about doing the round. All three blokes that ran them used to have a bottle of whisky/whiskey under the counter, and by the time I'd bought sustenance to get me through 3 rounds around Westdene that would be deducted from my weekly pay I'd end up with about £4 at the end of the week from the 3 rounds. I've never been great with money.

I did alright at Christmas though and remember getting enough in tips that I bought a set of 4.1 speakers for my PC and a decent sound card to match which cost well over £150 back in the late 90's.

It was also my first route into the Albion, I used to read the coverage most days while doing the round to keep my abreast of things, not that I really understood most of it back then.

Oh, and I also used to relieve one newsagent of jazz mags on a semi regular basis.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

I think mine was 12s 6d worth of big. Thank god papers were thinner in those days. I was lucky in that I hit the Big Time a few years later and got a chemist's round. Not sure how having a 15 year old lad cycling around delivering drugs would go down these days; these were more innocent times.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Unbelievably I got 'unpacking the fruit and veg' 2 hours every morning, before school, as well as all day Saturday when I was old enough to do the time.

To this day I still have no idea why my parents were so upset about my average CSE's and 1 O-Level.
I was fookin knackered before I even got to school.

Someone has to break it to you after all these years: that wasn't the only reason for your underperformance!

 

[Stat Brother]

Someone has to break it to you after all these years: that wasn't the only reason for your underperformance!

Nah it wasn't.

Big classes I could 'hide' in also takes some blame.

I could coast by doing just enough work to not raise a concern and not being mentals enough to make myself noticed.


Gotta love a 1980's comprehensive education.

That should tee-up some good quality 'you lucky ******* I was thrashed within an inch of my life', stories.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Nah it wasn't.

Big classes I could 'hide' in also takes some blame.

I could coast by doing just enough work to not raise a concern and not being mentals enough to make myself noticed.


Gotta love a 1980's comprehensive education.

That should tee-up some good quality 'you lucky ******* I was thrashed within an inch of my life', stories.

Aye lad, a 1960s Secondary Modern were like the first day on the Somme repeated daily for 5 years......……………..

 

[AmexRuislip]

My first paper round was out of a newsagents in Collington, Bexhill.
I had to travel a fair distance to get there, they weren't the most gracious of people, only paying the minimum to get the job done.
As the round was quite a large one, it was made up with decent christmas tips due to the clientele I was delivering to.
Sundays were a bitch due to being sponsored by the forestry commision, as to the amount of newspapers I was delivering.

I moved closer to home with a decent round out of a newsagents in Turkey Road, where the money was better, even though the round was as big.
As to getting up early at 06:00 and not getting home till 07:45, then off to school for 08:15, I was knackered.

My O'levels suffered as was burning the candles at both ends

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

1970 I did a paper round that covered both sides of the Lewes Rd from Elm Grove to Upper Lewes Rd.
Used to go past the old Police Horse Stables every day.
Got paid half a crown for the week and the same for the weekend.
I'll leave the youngsters to work that out.

 

[theboybilly]

Do people still read physical newspapers, let alone have them delivered?

There's something about opening the Telegraph over breakfast then settling down to (try to) finish the cryptic crossword. Done it for 40 years now

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Love these kinda threads .....

1972-75 in Saltdean, Lustrells Vale newsagents - I lived up near the Spanish Lady so bike was essential.
First drop was Arundel Drive East, down to the Lido, round the corner and all the way up Chichester Drive East, then a few more in Linchmere Ave - probably about 50 in total.
Bike had a carrier on the back so paper-bag was strapped to that.
7 mornings a week - I think this regime helped me with a lifetime of being a) happy to be active, b) the importance of punctuality and c) understanding the "work hard, brings [financial] reward" mantra - these 3 learnings have served me well throughout my life.

Retired in '75 to become a waiter at the Butlins Ocean Hotel [during school holidays], passed the paper-round down to my little sister.

 

[Postman Pat]

Started mid 80's delivering the Entertainer ( competition for The Leader) around Coldean.

Then got a round in the shop, about 30 papers in the morning and 40 in the evening, Wednesday and Thursday argus was awful with job and houses supplements.

The round I had was at the back of Coldean and was bloody scary in winter.

50p a round and pound on Sunday. Used to hate the ********s that had the Sunday Times, but had the smallest letterboxes that meant dissecting the paper.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

1970 I did a paper round that covered both sides of the Lewes Rd from Elm Grove to Upper Lewes Rd.
Used to go past the old Police Horse Stables every day.
Got paid half a crown for the week and the same for the weekend.
I'll leave the youngsters to work that out.

That pay rate sounds lowish even for 1970. were you not a member of the National Union of Paperpersons?

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

A morning round? And you still made Tideway for it’s continental hours start time of 8-ish?

indeed

lived down the Valley Estate

after my round would walk to Tideway cutting across the Union

6ish start if I remember,but I did have a pushbike

straight up Church Hill (could have ridden Le Tour back then )

done 1st & 2nd Avenue (past Gabler's house) Western Road & Hill Crest,probably a bit more

it was the norm back then

 

[East Staffs Gull]

Used to deliver the Advertiser. 700 papers. Had to be delivered in two days (weds and thurs). I was paid 30p per 100. Made me miss the England v Poland WC qualifier.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

That pay rate sounds lowish even for 1970. were you not a member of the National Union of Paperpersons?

The owner originally wanted to pay me in Groats

 

[GREASED WEASEL]

A morning round? And you still made Tideway for it’s continental hours start time of 8-ish?

what year were those times introduced?

pretty sure I was there when they changed (76-80)

 

[AmexRuislip]

The owner originally wanted to pay me in Groats

Sometimes if I didn't get a christmas tip from certain houses, I used to make sure the Sunday rag went in properly, as the letterboxes in those days had that metal pin that sometimes stuck out, which used to get caught on the rag

 

[lawros left foot]

My Mum wouldn’t allow any of her kids (6 of us)to have a paper round, “ Slave Labour”, I can see her point, although I do look now as if I had 5 rounds, in Siberia, and no bike.

Used to go beating for the local shoot on a Saturday, and help out on a farm on Sunday.