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Just to get the Newspaper theme rolling.  How many ex Newspaper delivery persons (have to be a bit non specific gender these days) are out there ?  I worked for Fourboys at top shops in Clifton. Chap

my younger brother had all three of themevery week i had bunty judy and diana for girls so i got to read all six. but ofcourse my brother did not of course want to read mine but mum being an avid read

Most of us enterprising kids must had done a paper round or a butchers delivery. I delivered papers for Parkers on Peveril/Lake St for a while. Christmas time was great but it was quite a hard thing t

There were several shops in that stretch of Alfreton Road. If my memory serves me correct there was a drycleaners at the corner of Radford Blvd/Alfreton Road, then a newsagents - cobblers - then the Co-op (I think). Other shops included a cake shop - an electrics.tv shop called R Searcy - a cafe - can't recall the others until the filling station at the corner with Churchfield Lane.

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The Co-Op that I used was towards Canning Circus on the opposite side to Forest Rd, Hoace Rogers bikes were a bit further up on the opposite side. Another interesting shop, but a bit later and further up on the same side as the Co-Op was a sports shop run by Archie Stinchcombe, a Canadian of Panthers fame. I bought a s/h pair of CCM Prolite hockey ice skates from him.

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I HAD to do me me 'Errands' for Mam on a sat morning to earn my pocket money',that was Greengrocers,the Coop and the Butchers,and it was the latter i dreaded,she always told me either a nice bit of Beef (sometimes Lamb) about 5 bob'

the times she unwrapped it and shouted 'ITS SCRAG END TEK IT BACK'

#49 teks yer back don't it benj? worra bout tryin ter read the bill wi blood on it, the joints shuffled about a bit on them bike carriers. me an my mate used ter race each other he wokked fer a grocery store at bottom a foxhill, i think it might av been Maypole but not quite sure. them bikes

took a bit a gerrin used to when yer turned a corner the front carrier never moved. happy days

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Happy days indeed Karlton,i mentioned on another thread,i was the 'Granville' for Marsdens on Bestwood est,and i used to race the Butchers lad round the estate,his name was Dave Clarke,he later kept the Bestwood Miners welfare for many years,funny thing is i still see him and we often remenis about those far off days.

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Just to get the Newspaper theme rolling.  How many ex Newspaper delivery persons (have to be a bit non specific gender these days) are out there ?  I worked for Fourboys at top shops in Clifton. Chap named Barson was the manager.   Hours were a bit unsociable arrive before 06.00hrs (?) to check your papers but couldn't start until the legal time  (Any idea's).  In the evening it was a matter of arriving early as there was an unofficial queue as to who got their papers first.  Evening Post was Yellow, Nott'm News pinkish, but not many of these. quicker you got your papers  the sooner you you finished.  After a month or so you knew your round off by heart.

 

The winter of 1962 was a bit of a money spinner. Owing to the country being covered in snow with roads and railways blocked the newspaper trains often didn't turn up on time or at all. Neither did some of the less hardy delivery personnel, which meant you could pick up an extra round or two. Morning papers were being delivered with the evening ones got to be a bit of a joke at times.  It was hard going tramping through the snow and ice, but financially rewarding.

 

Normally everything ran fairly smooth. Sunday papers were a bit of a nightmare, manual handling regulations didn't exist and the weight of the bag easily exceeded that of whats acceptable these days.   Sunday papers with supplements Times and Observer. More than a challenge to shove through the letter box.   Easy way was to split them and put each section through, no way you could fold them and hole in one.   Torn papers would result in the customer running off to Barson, which resulted of a financial penalty, and a rollicking. Luckily only a few houses on my round took these,

 

Kept you fit though. First part of my round was Tattons Garage, then the COOP rear door, the flats over the shops one of which had a very large German Shepard dog. If he was in the yard he would take the paper from you. If the flat door was open he would take it to his owner, If it wasn't he'd destroy the paper. No dog in the yard it was safe to enter although it was like stepping through a mine field.  One bad step and you were ankle deep in Alsatian muck, Big dog!.  Then over the wall to the next flat. Round to the front of the shops, next was the Hairdressers, you shouted "paper" then threw it up the stairs.  After that the round was fairly mundane.

Had to pack it in eventually, after getting into the school team I had to choose between playing football for school or papers.  Mr Barson wasn't too chuffed when he said you couldn't have time off and you did. School matches were often played after school and club matches on Saturdays.  Mr Barson could be very loud when he wanted to be.  I resigned.

 

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The trick I found with Sunday papers with supplements was to raise the door knocker, jam the paper in vertical and knock to let the customer know. I have to say though in my time the supplements didn't go to the silly extremes they do today. This was of course conditional on the whether there was an Xmas box. No pressy then ease the paper in 'open end' first, try not to rip it but make sure it's well and truly jammed. If they rip it getting it out it 'aint my fault is it?

 My round was for the Allens the Clifton Village paper shop delivering round the Thistledown Rd area.

 

Always carried the bag in winter, he friction from the movement meant the papers warmed up making quite an effective hand warmer. Summer time and Sunday the strap was shortened and mounted on my bike pannier fashion. Second round on Sunday was to collect the weeks money and sell sweet,s cigarettes and chocolate. All for the princely  sum of 7/6 a week.

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Hi Brew,

You don't get many Paper delivery story's.  Remember Allens in the village back in the day.   My Dad /Mam used to get theirs from George Parkers on Sandham Walk. 

The doors back then weren't UPVC and the letter boxes always seemed to have an hefty spring you had to push against.     Good tip re the warmth from the bag.  Can't remember what

Mr Barson at Fourbouys paid.

Be good to get other Paperlads/Girls experiences.

Did you deliver any any magazines in sealed brown paper bags? There were a couple of rounds at Fourbouys that did, Motoring Mags?

Cheers

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1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

   My Dad /Mam used to get theirs from George Parkers on Sandham Walk. 

 

That was the newsagents nearest to us - a 2 minute walk.

 

I did a paper round for that shop in 1969-70 when the manager was Neville Barnett. 

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2 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Did you deliver any any magazines in sealed brown paper bags? There were a couple of rounds at Fourbouys that did, Motoring Mags?

 

There was one to a customer who was the only Daily Worker reader on my round. In my innocence it never even occurred to me to ask what the magazine was about. I'm not quite so innocent now..  ;)

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So what were the daily worker then Brew?  I always and still do, ask my missus to look for the Pig breeders weekly ! Told her it were nearly always on the top shelf.  :rolleyes:

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The Daily Worker was a communist newspaper in the 50's/60's. I think it morphed into The Morning Star some years ago..

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Communist paper Barrie,,the day it was launched late 50s,,i was given a bleddy great free bundle to deliver on my normal round,,i knew even then that communism wasn't right,,even for us poor people,,hence they didn't get delivered,, dumped em,,, lol

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