My first REAL job was with the RMN. I started on my 13th birthday.
My best friend, Bobby Simonson, had contacted them about a carrier route, and the guy asked if he knew anyone else who might be interested. Bobby gave them my name, and I started on my 13th birthday.
At first, it was fun. I rode my 10-speed no matter what the weather. Bobby’s dad modified his BMX bike and put his bags over the handlebars so he would not have to wear them over his shoulders. Much better design. I was super jealous.
I remember the first day I was delivering…it was cold. There was a lady on the route waiting for her paper. She was older, but very nice. She asked me in for some hot cocoa. I turned her down, fearing the worst. I could have trusted her. Turns out she was the nicest lady in the neighborhood. She always kept her rubber bands and returned them to me.
Then I got a motorcycle and rode it for deliveries, even though I was not 16. Sure made it faster! I had the small half of the neighborhood (Bobby got first pick) so it did not take too long.
I never did like collecting, though… I would often put it off, telling my dad that nobody was home after visiting only a house or two. Far from the truth, most people were home if I would go, but I did not want to go.
I can’t remember his name, but the district manager who hired us was eventually replaced. The new guy was not as lenient about failure to collect on time and, after 3 years of delivery, I was let go.
Not everything about delivering the news was bad. I do remember some good times. One time, for example, there was a subscription drive and for every new subscriber we got to sign up, we got a bag of Jolly Ranchers, either 1 or 3 pounds, I don’t recall. Never had I been so motivated! I must have signed up 10 people! I kept those Jolly Ranchers as long as I could stand them, but in the end, threw a large portion of them away. I still can’t eat very many of them.
I also enjoyed the cash that came from the job. A daily subscription cost $7.25/month. $2 of that was mine! I earned $70 – $100 per month. Probably explains my large collection of 80’s CDs. I also remember buying 2 CB walkie talkies. Not sure why I got them. One time Bobby and I were messing around and some guy got on and thought we were girls. We convinced them to “meet” us, and had them come to the corner near our neighborhood where we could see them from our back yard. Probably not the smartest thing we ever did.
As I got older, I delivered the Post as a substitute for creepy JD across the street and then helped Dad & Kathy with their routes. Subbing paid great, but I still hated it.
I grew to hate newspapers, but I’ll always remember the good things about them. It makes me sad to hear the News is closing. It was a HUGE part of my life.