Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What do messengers carry now?

A recent thread about messengers got me thinking: what do bike messengers carry nowadays?

When I was a courier back before the internet, we carried documents that needed signatures, photo samples and negatives, and graphic/print proofs. Now, it seems that ink signatures are no longer needed for a lot of stuff, and photo/graphic design is sent over the internet or ftp sites. And the company I work for uses FedEx to send stuff just across town, because it's so cheap.

So what DO messengers carry now?

Empty boxes and hope

nothing. messengers don't exist anymore. all those messengers you think you see, are simply fakengers waxing nostalgia.

child sex slaves/drugzzzzzz

love notes from congressmen to hookers and little boys.

dc still doesn't have electronic filing in the district and federal courts, so a lot of paper filings. alot of law books between firms and Gtown law library. still the same stuff as the old days, just less volume.

Messages.

Massages.


:D

love notes from congressmen to hookers and little boys.
Nothing more to say.

Drugs.
Ask David Leopold (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2y4hNuqlTs)

"Do you stop for red lights?"
"Never."

Guy didn't package that one too much:)

I use messengers at work to bring plans to clients, or send any documents across town in a day. we just call the service, and either a bike messenger comes, a foot messenger, or a car messenger depending on the distance the package is going. I'm an engineer.

Food stamps.
Just kidding, messengers earn a substantial salary w/ benefits.

Nines.

Large amounts of credit card debt.

hiv

i carry food. lots of it.

The only "messengers" i've ever seen in Athens(college town) worked at Jimmy Johns.

blueprints, restaurant change orders/deposits, inter-office mail, all kinds of design proofs, tons and tons of court reporting crap, jewelry, subpoenas, summons, writ of garnishments, city/county filings, presents during the holidays, tax stuff at this time of the year. the list goes on and on. e filing has not killed us all

I worked at Kinko's in Seattle a while. We used messengers to deliver copies all the time.

happy thoughts and welfare checks. speaking of seattle, I read the other day in the times that we have something like 80 left in our whole city.

happy thoughts and welfare checks. speaking of seattle, I read the other day in the times that we have something like 80 left in our whole city.

Its a dieing breed in the seattle area, such a shame.

Stupid internet making messengers obsolete!

$570 bottles of wine . . .

My GF is a messenger here in Houston...apparently the most lucrative days are "paycheck runs" because you get paid a flat spiff per drop and you can carry lots of them.

Another considerable portion of her workload is very similar...picking up cash deposits at businesses and dropping them at the bank.

When I was a messenger in Houston in 2000 it was that sort of thing, and also a decent amount of medical drops.

rs

...apparently the most lucrative days are "paycheck runs" because you get paid a flat spiff per drop and you can carry lots of them.

haha, i read that as "fat splif"

Yes, that is what I meant. I mistyped :D

Well, uhhh in that case... :)

Guilt and self-loathing.

The heaviest package of all.

Artichokes, and migrant workers.

Not normal, and not sure how recent, but: http://www.howtoavoidthebummerlife.com/weblog/archives/2008/02/messenger_collection.html

Landlord's Notice of Eviction

A spare tube or two, 15mm wrench, pump, maybe a multi-tool.

My GF is a messenger here in Houston...apparently the most lucrative days are "paycheck runs" because you get paid a flat spiff per drop and you can carry lots of them.

Another considerable portion of her workload is very similar...picking up cash deposits at businesses and dropping them at the bank.

When I was a messenger in Houston in 2000 it was that sort of thing, and also a decent amount of medical drops.

rs

I was a messenger in Houston from 90-92. I worked in the med center. Several hospitals used use to run stuff to, and from downtown, and between hospitals. I was approached about the job one Friday night at Alkek. The guy asked me if I had another bike. I used a mountain bike with slicks.

Yep -- for messengering in Houston MTBs all the way.

rs