I still get a newspaper delivered. So does my mom who lives in Peoria and pays for my paper delivery as a gift each Christmas. This week I was visiting and since she hasn’t had her newspaper delivered on time in over two weeks, I decided to go out and buy a Sunday paper for her. Well THAT was interesting.
First stop: CVS. No newspapers. No Peoria Journal Star. No New York Times. Clerk reported, “We don’t get those anymore. Did you try the gas station?”
Second stop: A BP on the corner. “Do you have a newspaper?”
“Nope. Did you try the Walgreens?”
Third stop: Walgreens. “Our papers were all sold off at the crack of dawn,” said the clerk. “I don’t know where else you could get one.” Maybe the gas station across the very busy street?
Wait at two stop lights to get across the street, so about 10 minutes later, I entered the front door of a busy Shell station. “Do you have any newspapers?”
“Oh, yeah, they’re right there,” said the attendant who points from behind the glass bullet proof windows to a spot under the counter in front of him that he cannot see. But I can see it. There are Slim Jims there, but no newspapers. Hmm. “Okay thanks very much.”
I head back outside and ask a couple people heading into that store, maybe for a cup of coffee, a pack of gum or a beer, who knows? “Do you have any idea where a person can buy a newspaper around here?”
Lady: “I don’t know but I can’t seem to get mine delivered these days. Everyone’s on unemployment.”
Man: “Maybe try Tony’s BP down the street?” Been there, done that. “If that don’t work, maybe Kroger.”
Off to Kroger. But I thought, first I’ll try the Starbucks, then the Dunkin’. Strike out. Strike out. OK, but before I get to Kroger, I’ll get smart, and call first.
Kroger has a Peoria Journal Star but no New York Times. Well that’s better than nothing. I head that way. A loooong way away.
I get to Kroger, get the Journal Star. They still have a few left. But they have a whole newsstand full of magazines featuring every celebrity on earth. Including one devoted exclusively to Cher, who is now 75 years old. Well now! Queenager extraordinare!
After exiting the Kroger, I see across ANOTHER very busy street and intersection, a Hy-Vee. I’ll call them.
Gold! They have a New York Times! Success!
I get across the intersection, after what seems like an eternity, and head in for the NYT. The clerk said they get about five copies in every Sunday and I’m lucky they still have one at 8:30 a.m. “You’re late!” she offers helpfully.
After nine stops, I finally managed to round up the Sunday newspapers. I’m thinking, COVID has put the final nail in the coffin of the print newspaper. Guess I’ll just look online next time.
My mom offered, well on Sunday, there’s no new info online. It’s all from Saturday. Guess they don’t want to pay anybody on Saturday to post what’s in the actual Sunday paper. Sigh.
There is a certain pleasure in reading an actual print newspaper on a Sunday. But driving all over town to get a paper is a pain in the @$$.
Yes it’s a sad commentary about newspapers today. My father was a newspaper publisher of a biweekly paper in small-town Iowa. It really was the lifeblood of the community as it carried all local high school sports, community club news, court reports, local grocery ads, etc. etc. My 2Brothers took it over when dad retired and they recently sold it within the last year. The newspaper itself was over 100 years old for that county. It’s still going pretty strong but some readership has dropped as has local advertising. It seems In the more metropolitan areas everyone wants to read online. I still like to hold a newspaper in my hand as well as a good book!