Delivering phonebooks/yellow pages

silversurferet

Are you given specific instructions for delivery? Our neighbourhood just had delivery around 7 pm last night....tripped over mine on footpath and tripped up neighbours also dumped at end of footpath! Strewn all over place rather than put on doorsteps and one even left at Community Hall!
Same I am told around village.
Shame because I'm sure most deliverers aren't so slapdash.

HeavensDevil

silversurferet wrote: »

Are you given specific instructions for delivery? Our neighbourhood just had delivery around 7 pm last night....tripped over mine on footpath and tripped up neighbours also dumped at end of footpath! Strewn all over place rather than put on doorsteps and one even left at Community Hall!
Same I am told around village.
Shame because I'm sure most deliverers aren't so slapdash.

Deary me, that's not on at all! If its Yellow Pages, I wouldn't blame you for complaining to Deya! They are supposed to be put through letterboxes. If the letterbox is too small, they are supposed to ring the doorbell and hand over to the resident. On failing that, put it in a safe location where passers by can't see it (because if they see one, they might think/know the resident's on holiday, then you could have a break-in on your hands).

custardy

HeavensDevil wrote: »

Deary me, that's not on at all! If its Yellow Pages, I wouldn't blame you for complaining to Deya! They are supposed to be put through letterboxes. If the letterbox is too small, they are supposed to ring the doorbell and hand over to the resident. On failing that, put it in a safe location where passers by can't see it (because if they see one, they might think/know the resident's on holiday, then you could have a break-in on your hands).

however looking at some of the allocated times given
no surprise

[Deleted User]

I've delivered Yellow Pages several times now and after each experience I've said 'never again!' largely because I live in a rural area and always get rural routes to do (often not including my own immediate area and often totally unknown to me and needing a very long drive to get to the start of the route). As other people have said, finding houses, taking the car down very long and badly pot-holed tracks that i wouldn't dream of negotiating otherwise but have to in case there is a dwelling/several dwellings at the end of it all adds to the time taken. I often get out and walk but never know how many books I need to take with me and although they are nice and light in their new format it gets very tiring at the end of a long hot day/week. It is certainly NOT worth doing for the money (given petrol wasted on going round in circles finding places) even though they give a component for petrol costs in the more rural routes. I know I use a massive amount of petrol more than the allowance, in fact I an bemused at how they calculate this allowance, it seems like a figure plucked out of the air.

Each year I see the ad in the papers and vow not to apply but I always get a phone call from the organisers begging me to do it because they know 'how reliable' I am blah blah! Yeah, pull the other one. I'm probably down on their lists as a soft touch. I always agree to do it after they've practically begged (and I know how hard it is to get anyone to do the rural routes). I know people who do closely-inhabited town areas and they get finished in a couple of days maximum and often do a couple of routes so it's a good little earner. I invariably need the full time-allowance and it's only because I refuse to be beaten that I carry on searching for difficult places until late in the evening when town deliverers have long packed up for the day.

I've met/know of intelligent and dependable people who have been driven almost to the point of breakdown by the task they've taken on. I know someone who couldn't cope and hid hundreds of books in their attic and falsified the paperwork!. I've twice been phoned at short notice and been asked to take over a couple of routes where the deliverers have been in 'melt-down' mode. When I collected the books from the deliverers' homes they were both in tears. At least i was allowed extra time to get these additional books delivered or otherwise I just couldn't have done it by the deadline in addition to my own routes.

So would I recommend it as a way of earning extra money? Yes if you get a town route where a lot of books can be delivered easily and quickly. But invariably there is no choice in the matter. The organisers seem to allocate the routes on very arbitrary criteria. Also it depends on how skint you (and I) are as 'every little helps' as they say. But it is very little indeed if you have rural routes.

EMPEMPIRES

I have deliverd the yellow pages a few times, they always seem to get me to deliver it , in the school holidays which i normally have off from work for my little ones

I almost always end up , doing the rual routes which take a lot longer than they say they will, mostly because of the long gaps between house and farms , i normally leave the car at the end of the road and walk , otherwise you end up using more petrol then you get paid ,
The real problem with rual routes is other than the cost of petrol is that you cant work until the 8pm cut off time , simply because they are no street lights out there, and when delivering to farms down narrow lanes you real need to be able to see where the farmer keeps his dog . and yes i have been bittern a few times,

The risks, (only a few listed here)

Look out for dogs, i have been bittern a few times. (normally end up buying a new coat after each yellow page delivery)

letterboxes bite too,
so take a few plasters with you,
the metal letter boxes shappern themselves durring the year waiting for your yellow pages to fully open the spring , so they can get you when your least expect it , usally when your tired and in a hurry to get done before it gets dark

Letter boxes is a real danger , i all most went to hosptial with one of my cuts on my finger , i still have the scar to prove it,

why do i do it,

Well i do it to see places near my town which i woundn,t normally see, i have found a few interesting places along the routes , so it can be an intersting days work
I even shop at a few of the bussiness i have found which i would't have otherwise know about

Would i do it again !!

Maybe, every year i think hard about it, its very hard work . for very low wage, (very rarly min wage) plus the cost of petrol , and extra car insurance costs etc,

but it is very good excersie , and you will find some interesting places and people,

I quess it will just depend how busy i am , after all it is only once or twice a year,

A note to employers - if you find someone who has delivered the yellow pages , it might be worth your while employing them , since , its hard work . the routes are checked , and if they have down the route well you might just have found yourself a very hard worker