Paperboy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Paperboy (disambiguation).

A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, a news agent or even an official postal service to deliver newspapers to the homes of subscribers, as assigned by streets and routes. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as a preteen boys, often on a bicycle.

1 History
2 Meaning
- 2.1 Pros
- 2.2 Cons
3 In fiction
4 See also
5 References

[edit] History

The position of paperboy occupies a prominent place in the British folklore because it has long been the first paying job available to youngsters.

Despite that, the number of paperboys in the British Isles has declined greatly since the 1990s. This decline is due partly to the disappearance of afternoon newspapers, whose delivery times worked better for school-aged children than did those of morning papers, which usually must be delivered before 6 a.m. The numbers have also been affected by changing demographics, employment laws and concern about the safety of un-escorted children, all of which have led many newspapers to switch to delivery by adults. Today, they are mainly used by weekly community newspapers and free shopper papers, which still tend to be delivered in the afternoons. Alternatively, sometimes paperboys are only employed once a week to deliver the paper on Sunday.^[1]

Other countries with a tradition of paperboys include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA.

[edit] Meaning

Paper boy is a job pertaining to one who distributes newspapers or a newspaper deliverer.

[edit] Pros

Paper distribution is a fairly inventful job. It consists of mapping out ones territory and using it to your advantage in distributing paper. Very little knowledge is needed. During the holiday season in western countries, a paperboy can make an extra bonus - similar to a postman - by knocking on the doors of subscribers and wishing them a "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays".

[edit] Cons

It is a low-standing job. As most papers are delivered early in the morning it requires the delivery person to get up early, which can also mean braving cold, dark and inhospitable conditions. Some delivery routes also have also moved away form simple 'walking routes' to larger 'driving routes', which requires both a car and a license. 'Driving routes' have become less profitable with the rising price of fuel, since fuel is not paid for by most newspapers. Cons of this profession also include simple pop culture biasm from what one refers to a kiddy profession.