Among the things Pioneer Press subscribers could always count on: no matter the weather, the paper would be at their doorstep. Then owned by Knight Ridder, the Press built a massive marketing campaign around it in the ’90s. Subscribe to the Press, or walk to the end of the driveway in your underwear to get the competition’s paper. If the carriers didn’t get it to the front door, Knight Ridder would charge them $1 per complaint. They were that serious.
“Enjoy the luxury of guaranteed delivery to your door — for just pennies a day!” the postcard being sent to homes in the East Metro this week says, outlining a new 35-cent-per-week charge for top-step delivery. Subscribers are being charged $1.52 a month, unless they opt out and choose the free in-the-bushes delivery plan.