No News is Bad News

As you can see from this picture, I enjoy certain quaint, old-timey things like having milk delivered and receiving the print edition of the Times Union.

Oh, wait… sorry, the newspaper hasn’t actually arrived yet. Even though it’s 7:25am on Saturday and I’m like, on my tenth cup of coffee.

Sitting at the kitchen table with the computer is OK, but it’s just not the same as starting the morning with some ink smeared on your fingers. Note to self: consider switching to decaf.

20 thoughts on “No News is Bad News

  1. I used to have a carrier who dropped it off before 4:30.

    I was able to look at the paper before my slow, early morning runs. The exercise type of runs, not the other kind of runs.

  2. If you threaten to cancel your subscription a time or two, you may get a positive result… as in a carrier change. I’ve noted that, depending on who you talk to, you get different answers on when the paper is supposed to be delivered by. I liked it better when the paper got delivered by some kid on the street, but that’s me.

    The milkman’s a different story. He’s there when he’s supposed to be there. Every week, like clockwork, for over 20 years.

  3. Really, milk deliveries? I remember as a small lad, when Normanskill Dairy had a big complex on Hudson Ave. in Albany and they were still using some horse draw wagons (along with Freihofer’s Bread) to make deliveries. They were also using trucks if I recall and the horses day’s were numbered. 1950 – 51 or so? It was my job to put out the empties and leave a note from my mother for the milkman.
    That doesn’t sound right, let me rephrase that.
    I would leave a note, explaining how many quarts of milk and other dairy products to leave.

  4. Check the name on Rob’s box. It does indeed. Whole, low-fat, and outrageous chocolate, plus egg nog at Christmas that a spoo stands up in.

  5. rob, im with you on this one as well, as my carrier also enjoys sleeping late on weekends, some weekdays too. atleast you get delivery to your door,
    i play roulette every morning walking down the driveway guessing whether or not the paper is there…really $ucks in the winter..these days Im lucky if its here before 7am during the week and 9am on weekends, maybe its a glenmont thing?

  6. I get my milk from the same place as you.

    Susan, our newspaper delivery person, is EXCELLENT.

  7. No disrespect intended to the carriers as a group. That’s a difficult and thankless task that most of us could not handle, considering the hours and working conditions.

  8. We used to get milk deliveries in Selkirk when I was a wee one. I remember the metal box near the front door, and trying to figure out how milk got in there all by itself. I think it came from Heath’s – not sure.

    I do remember going to Heath’s for a school field trip and I held my nose in the barn.

    I’m sure I’m not the only one wishing that good old stink was still around here.

  9. Papers lose more customers to bad delivery than bad journalism. When The Missus was covering business in the Manhattan Beach-Hermosa Beach area for the Copley daily there, Disney’s affiliated construction arm built a huge studio on Rosecrans Blvd, and one of the honchos asked her about getting deliveries of the paper there. Circulation told her they didn’t have a route there so they couldn’t do it.

    Major studio wants papers. Circulation says no can do. Paper sold five years later to vultures. All too common.

  10. Way back in the days when I worked in TU circulation, repeated late delivery, or delivery not where the customer wanted it, was usually an invitation to early retirement from the paper delivery business.

  11. Holy Cow – so I am not the only one! I have called about my late or missing paper so often that I now get this recording when I use their automated system…”we see that you have had delivery problems in the past…please hold for the next customer service representative” who then proceeds to apologize profusely, offer me credit, tell me they are firing the carrier, etc. etc. The ‘guarantee’ is 6 a.m on weekends, 7 on Saturday and 8 on Sunday. I must have finally gotten through because this weekend’s papers were both there before I got up and I get up early on weekends. I love how the TU raised their price a dollar a week, and the service got lousier. Too bad there is no other paper we can threaten to buy instead!

  12. So I might be late on this, But I don’t think you all know how horrible it is to Deliver the Times Union the money is just barely enough to cover gas on a normal car while half the time you need something bigger at least a Mini-Van to fit the papers. The company gets them there later and later and still want it there on time. The moved the Depot to god knows where near Wolf Rd. it just gets more and more out of control. And also just so you know the carriers get paid about 30 cents per paper weekdays, and if they get a complaint Times Union CHARGES them $1.00. sounds fair right. anyway I need my rest since I have to Deliver these useless things for my mother this weekend.

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