Leicester Mercury..............

[Free Falling Foxes]

Me and my wife did someones 'Leicester Mail' freebie paper round for one week over christmas.

There were 7 leaflets to be placed in the paper, then into the trolley & then finally delivered to just under 200 houses. We really worked hard & fast and got it all completed in 2 hours. We had done the round before so were familiar with it.

The pay was collected the following week........just under £12.

Well that's £3/hr when you consider it was 4 'man-hours' of work.

I know alot of children do these rounds - I think it's exploitation. However, a significant amount of adults do them too. What about the minimum wage?

The final irony is, if you are an adult, you should delare these earnings too so you'll get taxed.

FFF

[stez]

Me and my wife did someones 'Leicester Mail' freebie paper round for one week over christmas.

There were 7 leaflets to be placed in the paper, then into the trolley & then finally delivered to just under 200 houses. We really worked hard & fast and got it all completed in 2 hours. We had done the round before so were familiar with it.

The pay was collected the following week........just under £12.

Well that's £3/hr when you consider it was 4 'man-hours' of work.

I know alot of children do these rounds - I think it's exploitation. However, a significant amount of adults do them too. What about the minimum wage?

The final irony is, if you are an adult, you should delare these earnings too so you'll get taxed.

FFF

bloody hell, i was on £3.20 a week for 6 days paper rounding when i was a kid, and i had the biggest round, so the most money.

[cisono]

Me and my wife did someones 'Leicester Mail' freebie paper round for one week over christmas.

There were 7 leaflets to be placed in the paper, then into the trolley & then finally delivered to just under 200 houses. We really worked hard & fast and got it all completed in 2 hours. We had done the round before so were familiar with it.

The pay was collected the following week........just under £12.

Well that's £3/hr when you consider it was 4 'man-hours' of work.

I know alot of children do these rounds - I think it's exploitation. However, a significant amount of adults do them too. What about the minimum wage?

The final irony is, if you are an adult, you should delare these earnings too so you'll get taxed.

FFF

That is better than what I earned in the 2005-6 tax year

when I worked many hours and my net profit was NIL.

[JoeyB]

my paper round was utter crap i got paid £4 for doing the free paper and i had 151 houses to do. it took 1 1/2 hours

[cisono]

my paper round was utter crap i got paid £4 for doing the free paper and i had 151 houses to do. it took 1 1/2 hours

I never did a paper round as such when I was a kid.

The priest would expect me to deliver a weekly paper to about 50 houses for free.

Also, once a month, I would have to go round asking for money for the church (most people would hide inside the home and not bother opening the door). Again, we never got anything for it...

well... to be precise I did get a very bad flu once, after doing three different rounds on a very windy and rainy day

[Dr The Singh]

I never did a paper round as such when I was a kid.

The priest would expect me to deliver a weekly paper to about 50 houses for free.

Also, once a month, I would have to go round asking for money for the church (most people would hide inside the home and not bother opening the door). Again, we never got anything for it...

well... to be precise I did get a very bad flu once, after doing three different rounds on a very windy and rainy day

You see adults doing paper rounds, there must be better paid jobs????

[Jonbluefox9]

You see adults doing paper rounds, there must be better paid jobs????

Yeah, that require some qualifications. I don't think an adult would do a paper round if there was an alternative. They're probably just doing it for a bit of extra money anyway.

[Floating Fox]

Yeah, that require some qualifications. I don't think an adult would do a paper round if there was an alternative. They're probably just doing it for a bit of extra money anyway.

Is 5-10 quid going to make much difference though

[Manwell Pablo]

Yeah, that require some qualifications. I don't think an adult would do a paper round if there was an alternative. They're probably just doing it for a bit of extra money anyway.

I think it's more of a way of keeping fit, while earning a extra tenner for adults.

although the ones that do it in the car?? whats the point?

[davieG]

Is 5-10 quid going to make much difference though

If you're a pensioner it all adds up plus as Manwell says it keeps you fit and is cheaper than Living Well.

Not that it applies to me of course, although come the summer I might get a bit desperate

[stez]

If you're a pensioner it all adds up plus as Manwell says it keeps you fit and is cheaper than Living Well.

Not that it applies to me of course, although come the summer I might get a bit desperate

go ferrit davieG

[davieG]

go ferrit davieG

Surrey & Hants - bit of a long trek on my BMX that would be!

[stez]

Surrey & Hants - bit of a long trek on my BMX that would be!

i dunno! young 'en today. i'd done my morning round in surrey and hants, walked to school (in syston) gone back to surrey at morning break to do the butchers deliveriesw, back to school, hants at dinner for the bakers deliveries, back to school, and a paper round after school in glasgow. you don't know you're born!

[Guest Gist]

I used to love doing my round and got quite a bit from it.

I was on £35 a week doing 2 morning rounds from monday-saturday and then a round on a sunday.

[davieG]

i dunno! young 'en today. i'd done my morning round in surrey and hants, walked to school (in syston) gone back to surrey at morning break to do the butchers deliveriesw, back to school, hants at dinner for the bakers deliveries, back to school, and a paper round after school in glasgow. you don't know you're born!

I know I've been spoilt rotten, lovely isn't it!

[stez]

I know I've been spoilt rotten, lovely isn't it!

i wouldn't know

[Thracian]

Yeah, that require some qualifications. I don't think an adult would do a paper round if there was an alternative. They're probably just doing it for a bit of extra money anyway.

It's scandalous really. Hardly the case of major players setting a social example.

But some older people would do paper rounds for pin money, exercise, and the feeling of doing something useful for the community. Points which those who profit are happy to exploit.

The truth is that the ridiculous pre-occupation with paper qualifications has sidelined a lot of older people from respectable work and many get depressed because they are increasingly pressured out of the loop.

Of course they could re-qualify but to what end?. Who the hell would employ people of 60-odd when they have ethnic quotas to fill, when they could emply young people with more years ahead of them or people who would present a far more attracitve face to the public.

I don't personally give a shit. I've never needed or wanted anyone to hold my hand and consider a great deal of the education I've ever received as pretty uninspiring so I certainly wouldn't fancy turning up at school again.

But there's an army of people who are sure getting fed up with the increasing limitations imposed on their lives due to factors like insurance, health clearance, excessive costs, the obsession with formal qualifications, positive discrimination, ageist attitudes and so on.

The world is becoming an unnecessarily officious battlefield.

[Jonbluefox9]

It's scandalous really. Hardly the case of major players setting a social example.

But some older people would do paper rounds for pin money, exercise, and the feeling of doing something useful for the community. Points which those who profit are happy to exploit.

The truth is that the ridiculous pre-occupation with paper qualifications has sidelined a lot of older people from respectable work and many get depressed because they are increasingly pressured out of the loop.

Of course they could re-qualify but to what end?. Who the hell would employ people of 60-odd when they have ethnic quotas to fill, when they could emply young people with more years ahead of them or people who would present a far more attracitve face to the public.

I don't personally give a shit. I've never needed or wanted anyone to hold my hand and consider a great deal of the education I've ever received as pretty uninspiring so I certainly wouldn't fancy turning up at school again.

But there's an army of people who are sure getting fed up with the increasing limitations imposed on their lives due to factors like insurance, health clearance, excessive costs, the obsession with formal qualifications, positive discrimination, ageist attitudes and so on.

The world is becoming an unnecessarily officious battlefield.

I do feel sorry for older people who are told they are not qualified to do a job despite doing it for 25+years. My Dad was given the chop at work and had to go through a course to learn something different at the same place of work. He'd been there so long that he really had no other option. He couldn't get a job elsewhere because he has very few qualifications, if any, so he was forced to take a reduction in pay and work in a different area. It's hearing things like this that has made me stay on at school to do A Levels eventhough I don't think any of them hold a great deal of relevance to anything I want to do when I'm older. I'm not enjoying them, just seem like a necessity so I can say I've done them. It's a shame.

[Scow]

I used to do a paper round for The Mail. A free paper full of top notch content and the occasional freebie. I would get paid a basic of £5 a week, with adverts providing a top up bonus.

One week the paper were offering a free mini supply of Werther's Originals. So I kept them all for myself.

The paper round was taken off me - but not for denying the public their quota of toffee.

I used to be lazy on my round - 200 houses was just too much. Afterall, why would anyone be too fussed about missing a free paper?

Anyhow, my ploy to complete the round in record time involved putting the 'surplus' papers down the drains. What a rebel.

Someone reported me after seeing me do it. Yer bastard.

[Geo V]

Crazy wages!

It is 2007 and there are easier ways of making a living or even getting extra money. My mates mum (who must be about 60) goes to car boot sales and junk stores and stuff and buys things for pennies and sells them on ebay. She reckons she makes over a grand a month and its only a hobby. My sister is a married mum of 3 and does this mystery shopping thing on the side where she has to spy on a shop, buy something and then gets her wage (around £30-50 each "assignment" and gets reimbursed the cost of the goods which you keep). Paper deliveries and leaflet drops are slave labour. Cheeky buggers at that money!!!!!!!

[the_bowman]

I deliver the Ashby Mail(which is a leicester mercury paper) and I get £5 a week. That is for 120 sumthin houses, with an average of 4 leaflets, sometimes as many as 8, a 2 foot high stack! Whereas i do another ones, about the same amount, a 10inch high stack, no leaflets for £20.64 a month. Which is the better deal i wonder???

[vanfox12]

It's scandalous really. Hardly the case of major players setting a social example.

But some older people would do paper rounds for pin money, exercise, and the feeling of doing something useful for the community. Points which those who profit are happy to exploit.

The truth is that the ridiculous pre-occupation with paper qualifications has sidelined a lot of older people from respectable work and many get depressed because they are increasingly pressured out of the loop.

Of course they could re-qualify but to what end?. Who the hell would employ people of 60-odd when they have ethnic quotas to fill, when they could emply young people with more years ahead of them or people who would present a far more attracitve face to the public.

I don't personally give a shit. I've never needed or wanted anyone to hold my hand and consider a great deal of the education I've ever received as pretty uninspiring so I certainly wouldn't fancy turning up at school again.

But there's an army of people who are sure getting fed up with the increasing limitations imposed on their lives due to factors like insurance, health clearance, excessive costs, the obsession with formal qualifications, positive discrimination, ageist attitudes and so on.

The world is becoming an unnecessarily officious battlefield.

But its not just older people who are having this problem,people in their 40's and even 30's are being turned down for jobs because of this. Someone i know at work who is in his 30's has just been made redundant and he's been doing an accountancy course in the Evenings at college and he's applied for Dozens of jobs and had a handful of interviews but not much luck otherwise.

[cisono]

I deliver the Ashby Mail(which is a leicester mercury paper) and I get £5 a week. That is for 120 sumthin houses, with an average of 4 leaflets, sometimes as many as 8, a 2 foot high stack! Whereas i do another ones, about the same amount, a 10inch high stack, no leaflets for £20.64 a month. Which is the better deal i wonder???

How long does it take you to do 120 houses?

I may have a leafletting job for you

[Cobbo]

How long does it take you to do 120 houses?

I may have a leafletting job for you

littering

[cisono]

littering

agreed, at times the two coincide ...