The milkman traditionally delivered milk and other perishable groceries to homes daily, but this role is disappearing due to changes in dairy management. Milkmen drove specialized trucks and interacted with customers, offering additional services in small communities. The advent of refrigeration and commercialization of dairies has led to a shrinking milkman population.
A milkman is someone who delivers milk and sometimes other perishable groceries as well. This occupation has traditionally been dominated by men, although women certainly work in the milk delivery industry. The classic role of the milkman as the one who delivers milk to regional homes on a daily basis is disappearing, due to changes in the way dairy is managed and distributed, although some communities, especially in rural areas, still have milkmen. Most modern milkmen, however, drive larger delivery trucks from dairies to distribution centers and markets, rather than delivering dairy products directly to customers.
Before the widespread use of refrigeration, the milkman would often visit homes each day, filling out standard milk orders which might include other dairy products in addition to milk. Milkmen also sometimes delivered eggs and other basic groceries, and in some cases they also brought ice for ice boxes. Like other delivery workers, milkmen often knew their customers very well and were familiar faces in the community.
Typically, a milkman drives a specialized truck with built-in racks to hold glass milk bottles, along with customer-returned bottles. He or she would stop at each block, sort through customer orders and deliver them to people’s doors while collecting recycled containers from previous deliveries. The milkmen often interacted with the housewives, leading to a number of jokes about the more intimate relationships between housewives and milkmen; these jokes sometimes also refer to postmen.
While a milkman’s historical role was primarily that of a delivery boy, milkmen also offered other services, especially in small communities. If a milkman notices that a customer failed to pick up the previous day’s delivery, for example, he might check on the customer or alert the police. Homebound customers in some communities might also make special requests to their milkmen, such as asking them to fetch other needed groceries.
The advent of refrigeration has allowed customers to store milk longer in their refrigerators, making the daily milk delivery somewhat unnecessary. This also allowed dairies to ship the milk to central distribution centers and markets, leaving the distribution of the product to other people so that the dairies could focus on collecting and handling the milk. The consolidation and commercialization of dairies has also contributed to a shrinking milkman population, as many dairies now produce far more milk than they could ever reasonably distribute on their own, even with a massive fleet of milkmen.
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