Ever since the snow fell right before Christmas, the weather conditions down where I live have pretty much been ideal for a winter wonderland but not so for a Paperboy. I do not think that the city in which I live feels like it is very important to plow the roads. If they do plow anything, it is only in areas that the city might feel a law suit might emerge from. Such as, the road in front of the City Building and around the corner to where the Elementary School is at. If anything else gets plowed, the locals usually will take care of what they can with tractors or 4 wheelers or anything else they can resurrect from behind the stables.
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As a carrier, it is my responsibility to get the customer their newspaper. However, delivering in somewhat unpleasant driving conditions it is not always possible to deliver to the customers satisfaction. It is utterly impossible to satisfy some customers even on a clear summers morning. There are those that wish to have their paper delivered to them on a silver platter with a cup of coffee and a dozen Krispy Kreme's finest...and if I have time, they would have me stick around to give them a foot massage and draw a bath...ugh...
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So, I guess what I am getting at, is some people can just be a pain in the arse. And when the weather gets really bad, the expectations become even greater. I can only do, what I can do. I can only do my best even though my best may not be good enough. Not only do the expectations of a few customers become greater, but so does the expectations of the higher muckety mucks at the Newspaper.
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The Newspaper, wants to guarantee customer satisfaction at any cost. They do not care if there is another 12 inches of fresh snow on top of the 12 inches of chunky ice on undriveable roads. They do not care if it is a white out. They do not care if it is 12 below zero and our vehicles do not want to start. They do not care the dangers that fall into the lap of the Carriers as long as the paper gets delivered...to the customer...on time. It is an absolute joke. This is why there is such a high turn over rate with Newspaper carriers.
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If a carrier slips on the ice...who pays for the Chiropractor.
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If a carrier slides of the road into a ditch...who pays for the Tow Trucks?
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If a carrier catches pneumonia...who pays for the visit to the Doctor and Medicine?
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If a carrier crashes into something...who pays for the damages?
(car insurance does not cover paper delivery accidents)
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The answer...the carrier pays for it all. Yet we are expected to go above and beyond. I'd think the paper would be a little understanding when the weather is bad. But they are not. Do I sound a bit bitter? I am. During the past few weeks, I've been getting up and doing my best under the circumstances, yet there have been a few (maybe 20 out of 450 customers) that have called the paper complaining about their service. I understand...I am the one delivering. They have pushed the right buttons of the higher muckety mucks, that the individual at the Newspaper over the carriers has found it necessary to relieve me from one of my paper routes feeling like I can not take care of the customers good enough. They can bite me...I hope they are reading this. I have been ready to drop one of my routes for sometime, but wanted to do it on my terms. I guess it is time...or is it.
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This is the kicker...they want me to continue to deliver until a suitable replacement can be found. I am an idiot that will do it too, for the money. (I will do just about anything for money.) But then again, I am the idiot that has done it for two and a half years. I am the idiot who had a Hernia and showed up the next day on time. I am the idiot who had second and third degree burns on my face from a chemical burn, and I was still there the next day to deliver papers. My dedication to better my financial situation has turned me into an idiot. I am reliable and carry a smile even on the worst of days, but if the Newspaper can not cut me some slack through a couple of snowstorms...c'mon.
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Anyway, when the day comes when a replacement takes over one of my routes, I will probably get 10 more hours of sleep a week. It might be enough to spring me into something bigger and greater...we'll see what happens...blah, blah, blah...just had to vent. My apologies.
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