How does paper delivery work?
Leisure World. As soon as the News Office opens, the phone starts to ring.
One person wants their paper placed on their patio table instead of the ground, as it’s too hard for them to bend over and pick it up. Another person is going on vacation and needs their delivery stopped for three weeks exactly. In one building, a particularly strong breeze has blown a few newspapers onto a greenbelt—those papers will need rubber bands next week.
“I have this service-minded personality,” Pomeroy said. “The paper has to be in the right place or I don’t feel right, and I think somehow my carriers pick that up from me. It’s not like I have instructions on how to deliver papers, but the carriers all seem to have that sort of service mindset.”
Though no carrier is required to meet every request, many fulfill them willingly, even enthusiastically.
“Dan is a treasure of personalized customer service in this world of automation. He sets the tone for his carriers, making resident satisfaction a top priority,” said Communications Director Ruth Osborn, who started working in Leisure World just two years after Pomeroy. “We are so lucky to have him.”
Gathered for a photo on Sept. 31, carriers talked amongst themselves. Topics of discussion include the locations of hidden sprinkler systems and how to spot late evening spider webs. Each is an expert of their route’s unique terrain.
“My biggest enemy is the freezing gusts of wind. It makes me appreciate the mail carrier so much,” said carrier Siriporn Higgins. “But we learn to work with the heat; wearing hats, sunscreen, insect repellent, a light color top that breathes, and walking in the shade when we can. We own raincoats, waterproof boots and goggles.”
These carriers know who will be waiting outside for their paper at the crack of dawn, who’s out of town, which dogs are nice and which should be avoided, which buildings have long entryways and the best strategies for hauling hundreds of newspapers at a time.
Pomeroy, who has delivered to every Mutual at one point or another, is on hand to provide tips.
In 40 years, he’s only fired one carrier: a young man, hired at the recommendation of a colleague, who had a eureka moment: delivery would be much faster if he drove his car straight onto the greenbelt. He made it onto the greenbelt, but didn’t get very far. He was fired immediately.
These days, Pomeroy can be found distributing bundles of newspapers on Wednesday afternoons and rolling around in his news cart: a sight enjoyed by a portion of Mutual 15, where he maintains a weekly delivery route.
“I’ll keep doing it as long as it’s fun,” he said.
When he drops off papers at the News Office, Pomeroy remarks on advertising and asks if the LW Weekly will go up to 36 pages anytime soon. They’re heavier, he notes, but they’re also easier to aim than a 28-pager.
The young would-be Olympian hasn’t left him.
Papers arrive at the Amphitheater every Wednesday at an undetermined time. Once they arrive, Pomeroy sends out a text and carriers begin trickling into the Amphitheater to pick up their stacks. Carriers then have until 8:30 a.m. Thursday to deliver the papers to the Mutuals on their assigned route. Later in the morning, a carrier delivers replacements to any unit missing a paper.
