My husband and I were paper carriers for 7 years, and now that we are no longer carriers, I can write the article I’ve wanted to write for years, but didn’t because I didn’t want people saying I was writing it to get more tips at Christmas time. So here goes…
How much thought have you given to your paper carrier, and the service they do for you? Does your carrier give you great service throughout the year? Is your paper always on time, delivered courteously, and always extra care given to insure the paper did not get wet. Does your carrier smile when you are out during their delivery, and ask how you are?
I know there are many carriers that do a horrible job, but I also know that there are a lot do fabulous jobs, and would bend over backwards to take care of their customers. Remember I was a carrier, and my husband and I took great pride in our work, and took care of our customers, and our customers showed their appreciation for all our hard work by tipping us. Many tipped monthly, with a bigger tip at Christmas time, but most tipped only at Christmas. Our average Christmas tip was $20.00, but many of our customers gave us $50.00, and one even gave us $100.00!
The above tips may sound extreme to many, but think about it this way. Paper carries must buy all of their supplies, they are not supplied by the paper company. The rubber bands that are used, plastic bags, billing envelopes, all these items are paid for by your paper carrier, not the paper office! For those who pay their carrier monthly for their subscription, when you don’t pay your bill, your carrier has to pay it for you, they get no credit for non paying customers.
Paper carriers are not employed by the paper company, they are independent contractors, working for themselves, any supplies, or outstanding debts, come out of the carriers pocket, not the paper offices.
Now let’s look at exactly what a carrier does each day to bring you that paper…
Auto cost – A motor carrier has the cost of brakes, tires, gas, and any other car repairs needed. Brakes generally last about 3 – 6 months. Tires last about 6 – 12 months on the passenger side, maybe a little longer. Gas is a huge cost, especially now that gas prices are so high. Think about how much you pay a month for your paper, now think about how much gas cost. Yeah, carriers lose a lot on gas.
Paper supplies, bags and rubber bands – Bags and bands are another expense the carrier must pay for. Bags cost about $1.30 per clip of 100 bags. When it is raining, a really good carrier will bag every paper they deliver, if they have 300 customers as we did, that is almost $4.00 a day just for bags! Rubber bands are much cheaper, they run about $1.50 for a bag of between 300 – 1200, the size of your paper determines the rubber band size.
Daily delivery and off time – Your carrier delivers your paper 6 – 7 days per week, never having a day off, no paid holidays, vacations, nothing. They deliver in the snow, the cold, the rain, even down pours. They deal with other motorist being rude and not paying attention. They deal with cranky customers, and they work in most cases, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with no time off ever, doing a job most people would not even consider doing! Could you imagine never having any time off? If you missed a day you no longer had a job, unless you hired someone to do your route for you, and paid them, sometimes more than you were making.
This is the life of a paper carrier, they don’t have a life, they live for the paper company, and they do it, in many cases because they are disabled, and the system failed them, so they have to deliver papers because although it is an every day job, it is only a few hours a day job, for close to the same pay they could make working at McDonald’s for 40 hours a week.
What can you do for your carrier? – Tip them! First and foremost, tip them, and if you are in a position to tip them really well, do so, they deserve it, and they will give you the best service you could ever dream of. If you live where it gets cold in the winter, give them some gloves. In the summer when it is hot, a cold drink can be a great relief from the heat.
So next week after the turkey is put away and you start working on your Christmas cards, be sure to include one for your paper carrier, along with a check that shows how much you appreciate all their hard work throughout the year. Help your carrier have a nice Christmas, remember while you are off work on Christmas day, your carrier is making sure you have a paper to read when you get up. Thank them for always being there with your paper every day of the year.
