When I was a younger my first job was delivering newspapers, which I faithfully put through each letterbox.However in American films, I see a boy riding a bicycle actually throwing newspapers in gardens , porches , whatever.
Is this factual or just Hollywood?

That is a very good question! I've often wondered about that too. Let's hope someone can enlighten us.

I've never seen it, and I've been having a paper delivered to my own home or my parents for nearly fifty years. So, in Alberta and Ontario, where I've lived, no paperboy would get away with that twice.

Whenever I've had the paper delivered here it's always been tossed on the front lawn, but it's too early in the morning for me to see the mode of transport. I always assumed it was from a car. I know at one house I lived at the paperboy would come to the front door each week to see if we wanted the Sunday paper and his Dad was driving him.

So what do they do when it rains? Wrap it in plastic, or throw it in the mailbox?

It's wrapped in plastic foodwrap!

You mean you have to put on some clothes and go outside to get your paper?

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You mean you have to put on some clothes and go outside to get your paper?

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I taught my dog to get the paper. He loved to go get it for me. The paperboy (girl?) always threw our paper in the driveway, and I especially enjoyed having Bear get it when it was early morning, cold, or wet outside so that I didn't have to get dressed.

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You mean you have to put on some clothes and go outside to get your paper?

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It's even worse than that for me now... I live across the road from the newsagent so I don't get the paper delivered anymore. I have to put on some clothes andbrush my hair to get it. The good news is that our local paper is so terrible I don't usually bother - and save myself about $8 a week

While I never delivered papers myself in my youth, I had a brother and some friends who did, and their instructions were to deliver the paper to the front porch, or to a box at the curb, if that is what the customer wanted. That would have been in the early to mid-1970's. Today, our papers are delivered by adults throwing them out of cars, and if you're lucky, it will land somewhere on your property. Usually it can be found on the street or the curb. I had to make a special request to have it delivered to my porch, and it is done begrudgingly by the carrier, and they expect an extra tip in their pay for this. I have done battle with the local newspaper circulation department over this issue for several years. I still believe the standard for paper delivery should be the front porch, or wherever the customer wants it to be delivered.

What really irritates me is when he pushes it into the letterbox with half of it hanging out when it is raining. Somehow he manages to push it all the way through when it is NOT raining! I have spoken to him about it, told him that I would reduce his Christmas tip for each paper he left hanging out - even that didn't work.

Wow, I guess we are spoiled. We get the daily edition of the big city paper (two hour drive away) If it's not here by 7:30 we make a phone call, and someone comes to the house with one within 15 minutes. When it's raining, it comes in a plastic bag with a twist tie. If the deliverer leaves it just lying on the step instead of putting it in the mailbox or between the door and the screen, we make a call and it never happens again with that carrier. Why such a huge difference in the level of service, I wonder?

Same here, agony. I get my newspaper delivered in the mailbox every day before 6.30 pm. If it's not there I'll make a phone call and the delivery boy will get a warning. Which usually means he'll be ringing at my door the next day begging me not to call again.

I still have to go outside to get the paper though, since I live in a flat.

If the delivery guy leaves the paper sticking out of the mailbox, other people will "borrow" my paper. This means the delivery guy's in trouble because I'll complain about not having received my paper, so he never leaves it sticking out.

When I was younger I had a paperround. I would wake up at 5am to be in the shop at 5.30am when the papers are delivered from the presses. Than I would write up the rounds, y'know, put the house humber on the side and the street and place them in the bags waiting for when the paperboys / girls turn up for work. Once that was all done...I'll go on my own round or two depending if someone has not shown up. Done this for five years until I left school. Sunday's are the worst due to the amount of rubbish that comes with the papers and would be the only day in the week that the papers might have to be left at the front door due to the small size of the letterbox.

I can remember the days when the paperboy would be up at a early hour to do his round - it would always get chucked on the front lawn somewhere. That's nearly thirty years ago now and I've worked in a coupel of newsagents since and it seems they're done out of cars now, quicker I guess.

You never see the kids in the afternoon now either with their little leather bag around their waist for the money and the little trolley for the papers and blowing the whislte to let people know they were about.

In the US it is common to have a paper tossed on the driveway, ours usually is bagged and doubled bagged in inclement weather. On country roads you will sometime see mailbox like receptacles with the newspapers name on it, and in those cases the paper will be placed in the box. You will never see a newspaper in a mailbox, though bought and maintained by the customer, the boxes are said to be the property of the US Postal Service. Mail slots can be found in some older homes, but they are rather on the small size and the ad filled newspaperwill not fit.

Most people here have mail slots in their front door, you only need a mailbox at the street if your front door is further than I believe 10 meter away from the street.

Don't people steal papers when they're just lying on the driveway? What happens if you're away for a few days?

Here it is normal to have a slot in your front door for mail and newspapers, if you have a parcel or larger item of mail the postman rings the doorbell. Some, but not many, houses have a pipe for the delivery of the evening newpaper if they are in the countryside and the paper is delivered by car. Where the houses are closer together the local paper is delivered by a boy or girl. Morning papers tend to be by car but are put through the door.

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Don't people steal papers when they're just lying on the driveway? What happens if you're away for a few days?

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Yes, that probably happens, but if your paper's not there for any reason you ring them up to bring you another one.

If you're away for a few days you either get the paper stopped or get your neighbour to collect it for you.

Leau, you were lucky not to have me as your paperboy.I used to read all the comics during my round and was invariably late with the papers

Where I live we have these specific (annoyingly bright yellow) newspaper boxes planted right next to the regular mailbox. I remember well, and fondly, the neighbor kid on his bike tossing the paper years back. I remember, too, if someone had just had surgery or something the paper guy would be sure to get off that bike and make sure the newspaper was in an easy spot to grab. It's kind of different now. I also notice, around here, it isn't really the paper boy anymore. His parents do it for him. He seems like a nice enough kid, though, but I'm wondering if his parents doing his "job" for him is of any benefit.

You are all very lucky. If I want a newspaper (English) I have to ride the minibus to the nearest town, and search the various newsstands to find one. They seem to have about 3 each every day. It would certainly never occur to anyone to have a paper delivered. They are all out of the house by early morning anyway. There are more newspapers per person than any other place, I gather (though not English ones.)

I guess I'm probably the luckiest. Despite living in a flat in Dubai, I still get the newpaper delivered everyday right outside the door, regular as clockwork. And I've never ever had to pay anyone for this, it's just done as part of the newspaper subscription deal.