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So about a week ago, my district sales manager called me in for a meeting. Basically, my first route had too few customers and wasn't being profitable. Either they could eliminate the route, or add-on to it to double its size. I chose the latter option.
Today, I got hit with the merge. Let me count the headaches.
Confusing the dog
This one's just kinda fun. With the merge, I now deliver to my own apartment complex. I live less than a block from the drop-site. I almost go down to pick up the papers and head straight back home now; I just have a couple stops in between. So the dog (my copilot on the routes) was really confused when we went back home almost immediately and I pulled into my own parking space (my space is at the end, so it's nice to turn around in), and then left again after I delivered the paper. Messing with the dog is fun.
Odd-numbered apartments
First off, they were white numbers on a very light brown trim, and so they were hard to read in the dark. Furthermore, the first floor numbers started weirdly in the middle of the building. It was something like this, except about 3x as long, and there were two buildings each laid out in this manner (top line is second floor, bottom line first floor):
11 10 09 08 07 06 05
12 13 14 01 02 03 04
Just with the way it was laid out...augh, it made no sense. I think one of the prereqs to designing apartment layouts in this neighborhood is to be a crack addict, based on the clusterfucks I've seen. (this one is not close to the worse I've seen, though.)
MC Escher Lane
So, I'm looking for an address. We'll say it's 808. I'm going down the road.
800...802...806...804 (WTF?)...810...816
Whoa whoa whoa wait. Where the hell is 808? Back up and try again.
802....806....804...810...816
Gah! Okay, there's a cluster of mailboxes, let's see if there's any clues.
Aha, there's a mailbox that says 808....AND 816? One mailbox, two numbers. Well, perhaps they recently renumbered the lots?
So we delivered to 816, which was down a shared lane with 810. We left, and started to find the next address...
Oh, look, THERE'S 808! It's AFTER 816. Go figure.
Go back, grab the paper, redeliver it to the right address, make a note in the directions that this block is fubared as far as numbering goes.
The address that wasn't
So, I'm trying to find 1234 ABC street. On my instructions, under the comments for the address, it says "Right side cluster". That's it. Okay. Let's see if we can figure this out.
There is no cluster of houses. There IS a mailbox cluster, which has a mailbox for 1234 ABC street. There is a house behind this cluster. I'm a little hesitant, because while there's a walkway leading to this house from the mailbox cluster, the driveway is on DEF street. So I get out and wander around. There is NO house number anywhere on this house. Nothing by the door, nothing by the driveway, nothing on the utility meter. Huh. But, there's no other house there, and the instructions did mention a "cluster" which could refer to the mailboxes so...I went ahead and delivered there, and made a note to check it out later.
Two hours later I'm home, and I check this address, and I just laugh madly. The house I delivered to, with the driveway on DEF street, was a DEF street address. 1234 ABC street? I had to turn on DEF street and go past the house I delivered to. There is absolutely nothing linking the lot marked 1234 ABC street to ABC street. It's completely separate from ABC street. But when I go into CityIQ, I see the number right there, 1234, and when I click on it for more detail, I see it's listed as an ABC street address.
At least I know for tomorrow. But seriously, WTF?!?! It's not on ABC street at all! And of course, the directions I got didn't tell me this, either. "Right side cluster"...yeah, nothing there about it NOT being on the street the address says it's supposed to be on!
Today, I got hit with the merge. Let me count the headaches.
Confusing the dog
This one's just kinda fun. With the merge, I now deliver to my own apartment complex. I live less than a block from the drop-site. I almost go down to pick up the papers and head straight back home now; I just have a couple stops in between. So the dog (my copilot on the routes) was really confused when we went back home almost immediately and I pulled into my own parking space (my space is at the end, so it's nice to turn around in), and then left again after I delivered the paper. Messing with the dog is fun.
Odd-numbered apartments
First off, they were white numbers on a very light brown trim, and so they were hard to read in the dark. Furthermore, the first floor numbers started weirdly in the middle of the building. It was something like this, except about 3x as long, and there were two buildings each laid out in this manner (top line is second floor, bottom line first floor):
11 10 09 08 07 06 05
12 13 14 01 02 03 04
Just with the way it was laid out...augh, it made no sense. I think one of the prereqs to designing apartment layouts in this neighborhood is to be a crack addict, based on the clusterfucks I've seen. (this one is not close to the worse I've seen, though.)
MC Escher Lane
So, I'm looking for an address. We'll say it's 808. I'm going down the road.
800...802...806...804 (WTF?)...810...816
Whoa whoa whoa wait. Where the hell is 808? Back up and try again.
802....806....804...810...816
Gah! Okay, there's a cluster of mailboxes, let's see if there's any clues.
Aha, there's a mailbox that says 808....AND 816? One mailbox, two numbers. Well, perhaps they recently renumbered the lots?
So we delivered to 816, which was down a shared lane with 810. We left, and started to find the next address...
Oh, look, THERE'S 808! It's AFTER 816. Go figure.
Go back, grab the paper, redeliver it to the right address, make a note in the directions that this block is fubared as far as numbering goes.The address that wasn't
So, I'm trying to find 1234 ABC street. On my instructions, under the comments for the address, it says "Right side cluster". That's it. Okay. Let's see if we can figure this out.
There is no cluster of houses. There IS a mailbox cluster, which has a mailbox for 1234 ABC street. There is a house behind this cluster. I'm a little hesitant, because while there's a walkway leading to this house from the mailbox cluster, the driveway is on DEF street. So I get out and wander around. There is NO house number anywhere on this house. Nothing by the door, nothing by the driveway, nothing on the utility meter. Huh. But, there's no other house there, and the instructions did mention a "cluster" which could refer to the mailboxes so...I went ahead and delivered there, and made a note to check it out later.
Two hours later I'm home, and I check this address, and I just laugh madly. The house I delivered to, with the driveway on DEF street, was a DEF street address. 1234 ABC street? I had to turn on DEF street and go past the house I delivered to. There is absolutely nothing linking the lot marked 1234 ABC street to ABC street. It's completely separate from ABC street. But when I go into CityIQ, I see the number right there, 1234, and when I click on it for more detail, I see it's listed as an ABC street address.
At least I know for tomorrow. But seriously, WTF?!?! It's not on ABC street at all! And of course, the directions I got didn't tell me this, either. "Right side cluster"...yeah, nothing there about it NOT being on the street the address says it's supposed to be on!
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