OP here…wow…I’ve learned a bit on this thread! Guess I’ll buy some gel pens, although I rarely write a check and send it.
I’m still scratching my head though–if they got a PO box due to mail thefts, then why would my mailed check still be at risk?
Oh well…I’m sending a check…unless I happen to see them this Sunday…
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Perhaps some people still put their outgoing in the mailbox on their house for the mail carrier to pick up while delivering incoming mail… but mail / check thieves can steal the outgoing mail just as easily as the mail carrier can pick it up.
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Because mailed checks are often stolen from the blue mail boxes, not from the recipient’s own mail box. So maybe you could at least mail it at the Post Office, not in a blue box.
Also, the gel pens protect you, but don’t help the mail carrier who didn’t get the check–washed or unwashed.
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With a gel pen you’ll know the check was never cashed and can work accordingly. H picked some up for me yesterday. He got the very fine ones assembled in the US. They work just fine so now I’m keeping one next to my checkbook.
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I meant to say the mail recipient, not carrier. Mistyped.
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Our paper guy provided his Venmo in his holiday card. That is fine with me. Every morning I am amazed that someone has gotten up early, in all kinds of weather, to bag or double-bag and deliver our paper. I can’t imagine how much money he makes from this gig, but I am happy to subscribe and keep the paper in business. I much prefer a printed paper to the digital. Sure, I search past articles online, but reading it in hard copy assures that I read the whole thing.
I am still confused about why he doesn’t want to accept checks if they get mailed to a PO Box.
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Low income people may not have bank accounts. They can take the check to the bank on which it is written, but years ago all banks began charging $7-25 to cash a check if the cashee did not have an account. If the check is for $20, they might walk away with $5. And this charge is per check, not per visit. Not to mention if the cashee has 10 checks from 5 different banks, they have to spend quite a bit of time (and $) riding around to cash them all.
BTW, even my credit union charges non-account holders a fee to cash checks written on that credit union. Credit Unions usually have better policies than banks, but apparently that applies only to account holders.
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FWIW, I spent a few years in my 20s working in magazine circulation (eventually as circulation manager before I left the magazine industry) and later spent many years as a p/t consultant for newspaper circulation. In the latter role, I got to know many newspaper carriers personally and know a lot about the work and those that do it.
It’s not a rewarding job, by any measure. Decades ago, the newspaper industry changed all adult carriers from employees to independent contractors. That removed practially all OSHA protections. Newspaper carriers do not receive paid vacation time, sick time, health or auto insurance, retirement benefits, etc. Carriers are 100% responsible for their automobile expenses including gas and repairs. In recent years, the industry has moved to force carriers to pay for the bags to deliver the papers in, which for some carriers can cost as much as 15% of their monthly pay.
In order to take a day off, a carrier must find and hire a substitute driver. The carrier usually has to pay the substitute 1.5-2 times what the carrier actually earns for each day, meaning the carrier not only does not get paid for the time off, but loses extra money. Further, substitute drivers miss deliveries resulting in the subscriber calling in to complain, resulting the newspaper company fining the carrier as much as 30-50 times what the carrier is paid to deliver that one paper. For instance, some companies pay carriers $0.10-$0.20 for each paper delivered, but might institute a fine of $3.00-$5.00 per complaint.
A serious illness/injury almost always results in being fired because there is no way to afford a long term substitute driver. It is not unusual for most carriers to work every single day of the year – for some where the paper comes out every day, that means some carriers are working 365 days a year, on top of their regular jobs. I’ve known many carriers who had not had a day off their routes for three, four, or even five consecutive years. Many work day jobs as food service workers, cleaning workers, and other low-skilled low-paid employment, and are either barely making a living to support their families, or falling behind consistently.
To make matter worse, because many subscribers are cancelling subscriptions (or dying off), carriers are forced to take on extra routes that might double their daily time delivering while resulting in the same net dollars they received a few years ago. Many carriers receive a net pay (after gas, bags and other expenses) of $8-$15/hr … though a minority of carriers might average $15-$20/hr. That’s from a gross monthly pay of $1000-$2000 for most, for working 3-6 hours, 6 or 7 days every week.
The xmas tip time is viewed by most carriers as the carrot at the end of the stick that makes it all worth it. And even then, some carriers total only $2000 (or less) at tip time because for most routes only about 15-20 percent of subscribers bother to tip. Those with routes in affluent neighborhoods might earn twice that in tips. A rare few make a little more in tips. Most holiday tips in non-affluent neighborhoods are about $20-$30. Carriers remember every subscriber who offers a $100+ tip as if it was Rockefeller handing out Wall Street bonuses.
As you might imagine, most carriers have limited education. @gosmom I’m not surprised the letter might have seemed to you to be “annoying” “weird” or even disrespectful. I can assure you that was most likely a result of the carriers lack of education and communication skills than any intent to annoy you. More or less, it was his/her form of begging you to make her/his life a little less difficult. I want to emphasize “her” because at least half of all carriers I’ve met are female, usually single mothers. Another significant percentage of carriers are nearing or beyond retirement age, doing the job to make ends meet while fighting arthritis and other ailments of the elderly.
/off my soapbox 
EDIT: PS, the mail carrier probably seems more cheerful because he has a job with full benefits, days off, better pay, and a bank account to make it easier to cash tip checks.
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Contemplating upping my tip this year (plus glad I gave a good tip when I renewed)… and glad our paper is only printed 5 days per week so all carriers get Sunday and Monday off at least.
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Thank you for your perspective, it’s much appreciated. We do try to tip generously around the holidays, if only to let these people we rely on all year to know we appreciate what they do for us.
The mail carrier is the hard one here, as she can be unreliable (not getting mail for several days in a row). Your post helps me remember that I don’t know all that’s going on in the background.
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You post reminded me of this story. This poor delivery guy was harassed by a sheriff. I remember watching the video a while back and you could hear the frustration in his voice as he’s yelling at the cops that he’s just doing his job and they have no cause to stop him.
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@EconPop , thank you for that. I think my paper delivery person might thank you too!
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@EconPop thanks for your post. Yes, I realize a lot of this…and have been generous in the past especially in light of the cost of gas, etc. I’m going to try and catch them in person on Sunday. I WISH they would have Venmo…how easy would that be!
It’s easier to gift the USPS guy and yes, I know I’m not supposed to do that (my brother is retiring in two weeks from 42 years at USPS)…but our carrier truly goes above and beyond. He keeps an eye on a couple of our elderly neighbors, and lets others know if there are issues…and has caught a porch pirate. A true gem…
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That may be a clue that they don’t have Venmo …again, they may not have a bank….
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Plus, Venmo charges fees… someone with a bank account may prefer bank-sponsored Zelle that does not charge extra fees to transfer money in more situations.
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@EconPop thanks for your perspective. We ended up canceling our print paper subscription many years ago when the delivery was so unreliable, despite repeated complaints. Your perspective helps me understand a little about what might have been going on.
Many years ago, our local paper was delivered by a kid in the neighborhood. I didn’t know him or his family personally, but I knew who they were. Unlike most papers, it was a daily evening paper. I thought it was great seeing this kid riding around the neighborhood on his bike delivering papers every afternoon. I gave him a nice tip at Christmas. He even wrote me a thank you note! One day I was walking my dog and passed by his house. His mom came outside and told me how much my tip meant to her son, saying I was the only person who gave him a tip! If only the professional delivery people were as diligent as he was, I’d still be getting my local paper.
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Yes, it seems like just a generation or two ago when newspaper delivery was mostly junior high to high school students on their bicycles… of course, that was when a large percentage of houses subscribed to the printed newspaper, so newspaper routes were “dense” and easily covered on a bicycle. Now, with fewer houses subscribing to printed newspapers, a newspaper route with the same number of deliveries is “sparse” and therefore much larger, requiring a car to complete the route in a reasonable time.
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Yep, my husband still has shoulder problems from having delivered newspapers every morning rain or shine in high school.
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yes…my husband delivered the newspapers every morning on his bike as well. Was a challenge, living in northern Minnesota in the winter! But! if the thermometer registered -20 below zero, his Dad took pity on him and drove the route. Tough Norwegians!
We had two newspapers delivered (one had no sunday issue). There was a family of boys that had a monopoly on the routes AND the corner across from our church on Sunday mornings. They made a fortune for years.
My brother had a route and when he couldn’t do it on a Sunday I’d do it, but my mother drove me. It wasn’t that long but it was cold! (Wisconsin) I do remember doing it one time near Christmas and there were a lot of tips and little gifts left out for my brother like candies or cookies. I had to give the money to my brother.