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Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
mikbasile
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 08, 2015 10:50PM
My brother and I had a Chicago Today Paper route, when we were kids. I still have many memories of those days.Our route was from 67th.st. to 69yh.st. and Marshfield and Paulina. We had about 52 people on our route. We had to ride our bikes to a green garage ,on 69th.st between Western ave. and California ave.to pick up our papers. The garage must of been the areas office. A man name Harry was in charge.We would roll up our papers there, with those little green rubber bands.Sunday morning papers were delivered around 6:30 ,and weekdays were delivered after school,around 3;00 o clock. Tuesday night we went out to collect the money. Each stop was a new adventures,we would wait at the front door, on maybe step inside. Each family was different,most vary friendly. One of our favorite stops was Mr. Fogerty. He lived on the second floor, on the south east corner of 68th. and Paulina. It always sounded like he was tumbling down the stairs. The Chicago Today paper closed down around 1972, Papers are delivered from cars,out here in the suburbs. In plastic bags,tossed in the driveway.To bad its not safe anymore,for kids to deliver papers. I would of liked to see my sons work that old route..
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
ambrosemario
(---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: January 09, 2015 12:53PM
I had a Southtown Economist route in the early to mid-sixties. I had over 200 customers, but back then the Southtown was Wednesday's and Sunday's only. I collected once a month. At first the cost was 40 cents per month and most of my customers gave me 50 cents and let me keep the change (this added up quickly. A kid could get a lot done with three or four bucks back then). Unfortunately, Southtown raised the rate to 50 cents and my tips went down to nil!
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
b.a.hoarder
(---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: January 09, 2015 01:42PM
My fondest memory of delivering the Chicago American, forerunner to Chicago Today, was a Southern family with four kids that rented a small home. I could tell that there was not a lot to go around but somehow they always tipped me when I collected for the paper. Sometimes it's the "have nots" that appreciate people the most.Yes, there was a tip but they taught me a much more valuable, long lasting lesson.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 01:43PM by b.a.hoarder.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/09/2015 01:43PM by b.a.hoarder.
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
PKDickman
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 09, 2015 03:18PM
I delivered both the American and the Today. The Today folded much easier.
I learned a lot of things as a paperboy,
including the fact that every mean dog is a sucker for a good right cross.
I learned a lot of things as a paperboy,
including the fact that every mean dog is a sucker for a good right cross.
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
chipandkathy
(24.30.42.---)
Date: January 15, 2015 12:16AM
I delivered newspapers in the late 1960's and was the only girl at our "paper boy" meetings, but I don't ever remember anyone being mean to me. We lived in South Holland and it was 7 days a week...the Tribune, the Sun Times and one other (there were only a few subscriptions to the third paper). I thought it was the American that changed to Today but it may have been the Daily News, difficult to remember.
My younger brother took the route around our house and mine started a few blocks away. I remember hating Sundays because the darn papers were SO BIG! (Especially the Tribune). They delivered the Sunday filler sections on Saturday, otherwise they were delivered every morning at 5:30. We loved getting to read the "funnies" on Saturday. My bike was so loaded down (2 trips on Sunday)! We had an old dining room table set up in our garage to fold the papers on. I can still see my brother leisurely reading the paper, while I was folding papers, loading my bike and pedaling down the driveway as fast as I could (boy did we have different work styles!).
I remember collecting the route, ringing doorbells to sell subscriptions, really nice getting to meet the people on my route...only a couple of houses it was hard to collect from. We gave out Christmas cards to get special bonus tips from our best customers. I even got some extra jobs shoveling drives one winter. Whew!
One morning a big, mean dog was loose and chased me all the way home. No one was outside at that time of the morning. I was afraid to stop and get off my bike, so I had to ride around making a big racket to get someone to open the garage door and rescue me! LOL - a cell phone would have come in handy!
Looking back, what a great job to have. It taught the value of hard work, giving good service, sales skills and so much more. It beat the heck out of babysitting someone else's bratty kids!
Great memories! Thanks for posting this subject.
Kathy
My younger brother took the route around our house and mine started a few blocks away. I remember hating Sundays because the darn papers were SO BIG! (Especially the Tribune). They delivered the Sunday filler sections on Saturday, otherwise they were delivered every morning at 5:30. We loved getting to read the "funnies" on Saturday. My bike was so loaded down (2 trips on Sunday)! We had an old dining room table set up in our garage to fold the papers on. I can still see my brother leisurely reading the paper, while I was folding papers, loading my bike and pedaling down the driveway as fast as I could (boy did we have different work styles!).
I remember collecting the route, ringing doorbells to sell subscriptions, really nice getting to meet the people on my route...only a couple of houses it was hard to collect from. We gave out Christmas cards to get special bonus tips from our best customers. I even got some extra jobs shoveling drives one winter. Whew!
One morning a big, mean dog was loose and chased me all the way home. No one was outside at that time of the morning. I was afraid to stop and get off my bike, so I had to ride around making a big racket to get someone to open the garage door and rescue me! LOL - a cell phone would have come in handy!
Looking back, what a great job to have. It taught the value of hard work, giving good service, sales skills and so much more. It beat the heck out of babysitting someone else's bratty kids!
Great memories! Thanks for posting this subject.
Kathy
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
davey7
(---.dsl.chcgil.ameritech.net)
Date: January 15, 2015 06:35PM
Now the papers are delivered by adults primarily, at least in my neighborhood. Seems to be the case in other areas too, some of my relatives were doing it while their region hit rock bottom, luckily things improved and they were able to move on to higher paying employment after a while.
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
chipandkathy
(24.30.42.---)
Date: January 15, 2015 08:30PM
When they went to billing via mail, it really killed things for paper boys. We were paid so poorly, that the tips were what we counted on.
We used to put the paper on their front porch and on bad weather days, we bagged them. Now they fling them out of cars and hope they land somewhere in the driveway.
Oh well, newspapers are going the way of the buggy whip, so it really doesn't matter.
We used to put the paper on their front porch and on bad weather days, we bagged them. Now they fling them out of cars and hope they land somewhere in the driveway.
Oh well, newspapers are going the way of the buggy whip, so it really doesn't matter.
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
mikbasile
(---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 18, 2016 01:21AM
Jan. 17th. 2016... zero degrees, glad Im not a sunday morning paper boy anymore,,,but we would have got them out in the old days. Right?
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
Jeff_Weiner
(---.sub-70-194-73.myvzw.com)
Date: January 18, 2016 02:31AM
mikbasile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jan. 17th. 2016... zero degrees, glad Im not a
> sunday morning paper boy anymore,,,but we would
> have got them out in the old days. Right?
Yup!
-------------------------------------------------------
> Jan. 17th. 2016... zero degrees, glad Im not a
> sunday morning paper boy anymore,,,but we would
> have got them out in the old days. Right?
Yup!
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
chipandkathy
(---.hsd1.ga.comcast.net)
Date: January 18, 2016 10:51AM
We sure did and without all the drama from the media! Just put on extra layers. It built character.
Re: Chicago Today Newspaper, The adventures of a paper boy
Posted by:
Richard Stachowski
(---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 18, 2016 09:20PM
delivered the back of the yards journal in the late 40'in hermitage from 47th st to 52nd st.
