Paper route business

**homesteadmamma** · 05-14-2004, 01:29 PM

I recently took on 2 paper routes. One I started yesterday, the second one I will start on Sunday. The area supervisor was here this morning and we talked about making this into a business. She is now looking at getting flyers for me as well, which would be pure profit as they give 7¢ per flyer. We use to deliver flyers when we lived in Wpg. and only made 31/2¢ per flyer. And after a specific amount of flyers, it goes up to 10¢ a flyer. When we delivered flyers in Winnipeg, we had to sort them all and put into an ad bag. Here everything is already done for you and wrapped already.

She also talked about delivering the papers to specific towns and will be letting us know as soon as a route becomes available.

Were also looking at a couple other areas.

Has anyone ever made a paper route into a small business. If so, how long did you last with it. I can't believe the $$ I'll be getting doing these 2 routes and after I've been doing them for 3 months, I get a $50.00 bonus for each route. She also gives extra $$ because its hard to get paper carriers here.

**guest2** · 05-14-2004, 07:27 PM

I have no idea what paper carriers here make. It would be good to look into though for my kids.

**PrairieRose** · 05-15-2004, 10:07 AM

Wow Cj it sounds like a pretty good deal. We've never done that but I know people who have and say that it was a very good deal for them.

**Michelle** · 05-15-2004, 10:55 AM

Wow, that's good money for paper routes--I don't know what they make around here, but I didn't think it was that much.

Good luck with it.

**homesteadmamma** · 05-15-2004, 11:35 AM

Michelle, thats only for flyers. For delivering the Brandon Sun, its over $200 per month.

**Michelle** · 05-15-2004, 11:40 AM

Then I'd say it's fantastic money

**AmyBoz** · 05-15-2004, 11:54 AM

Wow! That's great money! We'll be seeing you van/tax debt go down, down, DOWN!!! (As if it wasn't impressively going down enough as is!)

**dz_blonde_girl** · 05-15-2004, 12:40 PM

We gross aroud $1500 a month delivering papers 7 days a week. We do 83 home deliveries Mon - Sat and almost 200 on Sunday, plus one convenience store and one rack (paper box).

OK, now consider the expenses. We have to pay for all the bags (to protect the papers from the weather) and all the rubber bands. We put around 550 miles on our vehicles every week, and our weekly fuel bill, just for the route is between $75 - $80. Stops, starts and turning around frequently are hard on your gas milage, brakes and transmission. We dirve a lot of gravel and it chews up our tires. We buy an average of 1 new tire a month.

There is more time involved than one mighnt think as well. With some practice you can fold and rubber band or bag your weekday papers while you drive, otherwise it takes about 45 minutes to prepare the 83 papers for delivery and 2 1/2 hours to deliver them. It takes almost 2 hours to prepare the, I think its 185, 3 part Sunday paper and another 7 hours to deliver them all.

It's still a good job, but if your considering it you should have all the facts. Getting the extra coupon inserts is a major bonus for me!

**simplemom** · 05-15-2004, 08:12 PM

Wow! That great CJ!

Actually, I had not confessed to you all yet.....you know I told you all about Francois taking on a paper route in march?....Well:

I thought it was also a good idea to make money....and I asked the lady who comes to our home to collect and she said most carriers are adults, since it's so early in day--5 am...so with Francois, we start doing 3 runs of newspaper each week--67 each day and 92 on saterdays. This gave us about $75-80 a week. Francois kept the first run to himself and the other two, we split in two---but since 2 weeks, he has only been doing it on week-ends, since he was getting very tired and was too sleepy in school....SO;

With my cousin, we do the runs each day, except week-ends.

And starting monday, we will have a 4th run, making a total of 105 each morning and 134 newspapers on week-ends!

I still have yet to give a letter to all clients saying we are the new carriers and if they wish give us a tip, I would leave an envelope once a month for those who pay directly to the newspaper. Many do give tips, so this will add to our revenu.

Anyways, I think it's a great way to make extra money without disturbing my family life. It takes about 1 hour each morning, well maybe next week, it will a bit longer, but I leave at 5h00 and I am home at about 6h30 am. I split the revenu with my cousin, but still, I apreciate the extra money.

When school finishes, Francois will pick up his first run and leave me the rest...he might be doing some work on a farm this summer, too, like Mathieu...

And you know what else?.....I love the stillness, the calm, the birds singing early in the morning, seeing a beautiful sunrise.....all is quiet and it feels good...

edited to add: oh yes...and I like the idea that I exercise and I am being paid for it.

and we deliver La Presse.

**Mom23boys** · 05-17-2004, 11:08 PM

Good luck in your new adventure CJ! It sounds like a great extra income.

**forestdale** · 05-18-2004, 12:23 AM

It sounds like a nice little money earner. Congratulations CJ, Karen and Lucie.

When we all lived upstate, my step son and dil ran a small publishing business printing telephone books and flyers for various town businesses. They had dil's sister doing the deliveries on a motor scooter. She whized around town on that thing really fast which meant they only employed her and not two delivery people. Scooter deliveries are common here, even the mail is delivered by scooter-equiped mail people.