Saturday, April 23, 2011

Good Old Grit Papers

Good old Grit. I was a Grit paper salesman for a short time as a kid. I thought it was cool at the time but it turned out to be too much work for too little money. I lived way out in the country so the houses weren't exactly close to each other. Imagine riding a bike a half mile up a "holler" to deliver a Grit so you can make that "7 cents clear profit" and hope to get one of those "swell prizes" they give so many of away.

And "easy to sell?" Well, I think most of the ones who bought it just felt sorry for a kid on a bike because I never really saw anyone who seemed to want a copy of Grit.

The great fortune and easy money promised by the ads in my comic books never materialized. I barely made enough to get myself a cold drink on the way home and never saw a prize one... not nary a one! It wasn't long before I decided upon a career change but first there was grade school to deal with...

So remember folks, if you get the idea to make a living as an independent Grit Salesperson try to take something along with you to drink so it doesn't cut out all your profits.

Believe it or not Grit is still around. In fact they have been around for more than 125 years! And now they're even online at http://www.grit.com

Grit now sports a $2.50 cover price and is published bimonthly instead of weekly.

Anyone else sell Grit papers?

1 comment:

  1. I sold Grit Newspapers, but my experience was totally different from yours. It was a profitable and fun adventure for me. Possibly because of the close proximity of stores and a textile mill with many gates just waiting for a barefoot kid to sell Grit! I sold between 200 and 250 papers a week. Not bad profit at a nickel apiece. Plus prizes galore and tips....tippers were great. I began selling in 1964 at the age of nine with the help of my father. I continued to sell until I reached the age of fifteen. I started my own savings account and bought my own bicycle with cash that I earned. Those were very memorable years and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. So sorry you didn't enjoy it.

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