Let me tell you a little story


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Posted by Clint Dixon on Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 5:06PM :

In Reply to: November PWA posted by Doc Dave on Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 11:00AM :

Some years ago, I would typically receive my Advertiser 6 to 8 weeks after it was mailed. Remember that I only live 95 miles from Gordon, and probably not much farther from where it was being mailed at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It seems that there were not enough of us subscribers living in Illinois to warrant sorting the Advertisers into more than one bag for our entire state. This bag was apparently destined for the Chicago area, which is located at the furthest extreme other side of the state from where I live. It is kind of like the Northern California verses Southern California thing only here in the Midwest. Chicago can slide into the lake, present company excluded of course!

So, Cedar Rapids would send my advertiser to Chicago. Chicago would receive my Advertiser and, after a few weeks of apparent confusion, would say something like, "Where the heck is Reynolds? We don't have no Reynolds in Cook County (Chicago and its suburbs). Why is this Advertiser being sent to us every month? Someone made a mistake, we had better send this thing back to Iowa!" So my copy of the Advertiser would be on its way back to Iowa. But it did not go back to Cedar Rapids where the problem originated. I was being sent to the big shots in Des Moines because this problem apparently needed some pretty sharp, take control, minds to figure out where Reynolds Illinois is.

So, Chicago would send my Advertiser to Des Moines. Des Moines would receive my Advertiser and, after a few weeks of apparent confusion, would say something like, "Why the heck is this Advertiser being sent to us every month? Someone made a mistake; it needs to go to Illinois! We think Reynolds is somewhere near Rock Island. Let's send it there, as they have some pretty sharp minds and should be able to figure it out."

So, Des Moines would send my Advertiser to Rock Island. Rock Island would receive my Advertiser and say something like, "Oh Reynolds. That is 20 miles out in the cornfields. We may have a truck going out there in a few weeks after the show melts, the mud dries up, gasoline becomes available to the area, and we fill a bag large enough to warrant the special trip. (Why is this Advertiser being sent to us every month anyway?)“

After a few weeks of apparent confusion, Rock Island would send my Advertiser to Reynolds. Reynolds would receive my Advertiser and say something like, "Oh. Second class mail. We have important things to do. Why do they keep sending this stuff to us every month? We may have time to get to that bag in a week or so."

Now, you may thing I am sounding bitter over all of this. Well yes, I guess I am because that was about the time that I was trying real hard to get a job with the Post Office. Taking all of the tests, etc. All the while my Advertiser was traveling back and forth on Interstate 80, not 20 miles from me, where I could have flagged down the truck several times on its trips by. There were a few times when I would receive a later addition before an earlier addition. I.E.: the July issue got here before the June issue. I am glad I never took a job at the Post Office. I would probably not have fit in. (with all of those sharp minds, you know). Trying to set up a trace from my end got me no where. Gordon was very good. He went out of his way to address the problem at his end and convinced someone to flag my issues so that they were sorted into a different bag.

Anyway, that was 15 – 20 years ago. Things are better now. Gasoline has finally become available to the area, along with phone service and electricity. I hear that they are even thinking about spreading gravel chips on the roads. I may not have to use four wheel drive in the POWER-WAGONS in order to go into town now. (I don’t think it will ever catch on though.) ;^)

Junior




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