David's Blog

Delivery Week

This is what we've all been waiting for... delivery week!
About one more week until I am done and home.

Delivery week is another crazy Southwestern experience in the long line of crazy experiences. Fortunately this particular part of the experience is much more pleasant than the selling phase of Soutwestern. Of course, because it is more pleasant we get less sleep. I have to be out delivering from 7AM til anywhere from 10PM (like last night) 'til midnight like I'll be doing on Wednesday night.

The pleasant part of this is getting to see all the cool families again; driving from one specific, known place to another, which means more time in the car listening to whatever you like; being invited into houses all day, which means A/C all day; getting to see which of your weak orders came through and which didn't; and breaks / free time planned right into your schedule.

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Here's the Schedule:
7AM to 9AM -- Deliveries to eight familes
9AM to 11AM -- Deliveries to eight familes
11AM to 1PM -- Banking and Clean-up
1PM to 3PM -- Deliveries to eight familes
3PM to 5PM -- Deliveries to eight familes
5PM to 7PM -- Clean-up, new selling (Catch up with any families that you missed during the day)
7PM to 10PM -- Deliveries to eight familes and Clean-up

Now, that means you deliver to at least forty families a day. Yesterday I had 43 deliveries scheduled and made 27 successful deliveries. I reported 27 though, becase two that I missed were customers that paid in full. I just need to drop those books off later on this evening.
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One of the weirdest things about delivering yesterday was revisiting Sand Mountain and all the areas I worked for the first four to six weeks of my summer. I saw places where I had felt some very deep emotions. Different memories would pour back into me as I drove past areas I knew far too well. The whole thing was really surreal. It was as close to seeing your life flash before your eyes as I have gotten. Four weeks (I haven't delivered to the area of Sand Mountain that made up weeks 3 and 4) flashed before my eyes.

I drove by so many houses, and I could remember knocking on so many of their doors. I'd remember the responses, whether or not they even invited me in, I'd even remember some of their names and kid's names. The whole thing was crazy. I am kinda excited about going up there again this afternoon to see the area I covered weeks 3 and 4.

Posted by David at August 10, 2004 02:01 PM