2011 was the last year that I strolled from the campsite to a La Presse for a Volkskrant to buy. The newspaper was delivered with a delay of a day. For example, a day later than the rest of the world, I heard that Anders Breivik had murdered 77 young people in Norway and a day later that Amy Winehouse had died.
There were already smartphones, of course, but Wi-Fi was scarce and expensive. There was no digital yet Volkskrant. Paper was still the best option in Bourdeaux, a town in the Drôme.
A lot has changed in eleven years. Now every reader on holiday can already use their smartphone and tablet at five o’clock in the morning. The newspaper is within reach everywhere.
Nevertheless, as soon as I return home, I am attached to paper. In the paper newspaper you never run the risk of being disturbed, as happens continuously on a smartphone or tablet. The paper newspaper is bigger, you can spread it out on the table and let your eyes wander over it.
I am blessed with a very loyal and good newspaper deliverer, so that the newspaper is always waiting for me at seven o’clock. If that’s not the case, I’m upset. Unfortunately, many of our readers have to experience that on a daily basis. Due to a severe shortage of newspaper deliverers, too many readers do not receive the newspaper or do not receive it on time.
New delivery guys recruited
We try to recruit new deliverers in every possible way. A bonus has been offered for every novice delivery person, electric bicycles have been ordered to make delivery easier and since this week the newspaper goes to the printer one hour earlier in the evening so that the deliverers can start an hour earlier. As a result, the newspaper is not only on the mat earlier, but some deliverers can do an extra area.
The hope is that this will be enough to solve the problems, but the labor shortage is great. If you are one of the unlucky ones who do not receive the newspaper or receive it too late, I can do nothing but refer to our digital products. If you log in to volkskrant.nl/service you have the newspaper and the digital edition as well as the latest news and the archive at your fingertips. I would also like to ask you to wait until 9am on Saturdays to call customer service. Then the deliverers have a little more time to put the newspaper in your bus after all.