On the road: Distribution coordinator Cindy Kunst looks back on 2019

Posted on by Xpress Staff
RAIN OR SHINE: Every week, Cindy Kunst gets the paper out to all 800 distribution boxes, located in eight western counties. Photo by Thomas Calder

What was the strangest incident you experienced while distributing the paper this year?  

I think the strangest incident would be finding a cache of counterfeit $100 bills stashed behind one of our boxes downtown.

What is the most active distribution box in Buncombe County?

Merrimon Avenue Ingles is our blockbuster location, averaging a pickup rate of over 400 papers per week.

How many new distribution locations did Xpress add in 2019?

We added 35 stops this year. Currently we have a total of 875 locations in nine counties.

What might surprise readers about your job?

I think a lot of people imagine this job like a typical paper route where you are up before dawn to “throw papers.” But instead of individual subscribers, our clients are the people connected to the businesses and locations where we station purple boxes or newspaper racks. Our delivery drivers and I concentrate on keeping our relationships with those folks strong so that their needs are met and, most importantly, our readers can easily find and pick up their free weekly copy of Xpress.

What is distribution’s No. 1 goal for 2020?

Our goal for distribution is the same every year: hone our delivery routes for efficiency while adding new stops that increase our circulation to include as much of the community as we can. If there’s a place you’d like to be able to find a Mountain Xpress but can’t, I’d like to know about it.

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