A few things are thought of as inherently British, and milkmen are one of them. They were a common site in our streets for over a hundred years, from 1860 until milk began to appear on supermarket shelves in 1990.
For the last thirty years, milkmen have become scarce and that industry has been slowly shrinking until the last couple of years. Milkmen are making a comeback but why? Let’s find out.
Reducing Plastic Use
Firstly, having your milk delivered can help to reduce your plastic use. Everyone should be aware of the damage that plastic is doing to the environment; you only need to switch on a nature documentary to see the damage. When it comes to milk, glass is an obvious choice, and it was the default for decades. Milk floats are still commonly used by milkmen, although some have also embraced a milk trolley from time to time too, as found on Roll Pallet. Most milkmen still use glass bottles for their milk, and these bottles often get reused a number of times, making milkmen a much more environmentally friendly option than supermarket milk.
They Don’t Stop at Milk
A lot of milk delivery service providers do offer more than milk too. Most of them offer a range of dairy products, including milkshakes, iced coffees, yoghurts and cheeses. However, they don’t stop there; you are also likely to find a couple of milk alternatives as well as bread, eggs, fresh produce, cereal and even some snacks like sweets or crisps. Of course, the range will depend on the provider you use, which you’ll need to keep in mind. But this could be ideal for people with limited mobility who only need a few groceries regularly until they can get out and about to buy the longer-life stuff themselves. It has had to diversify and hustle a little to keep up with the competition from supermarkets and even other milkmen.
Companionship
Most people won’t be up and about when the milkman (or woman) is doing their rounds, but there will be those that are, and for some people – especially the elderly – the milkman might be one of the only people they see all day. You’re probably not going to become best buds, but that doesn’t mean you can’t build a rapport with them. In addition to that, for those that live quite isolated lives, the reliability of having milk delivered every couple of days, week, or so can provide routine, and if your milk is left out uncollected, then your milkman might very well be the person who raises the flag and finds you if you have had a fall or whatever the case may be.
Final Thoughts
Time doesn’t stop, and progress will always continue, but there is a lot to be said about tradition and the old ways of doing things. To a lot of young people today, having a milkman might seem like an antiquated notion, but it is an exercise in convenience having some groceries delivered each week reliably, it is also better for the environment, and frankly, we could all do a little more to support small businesses and boost the economy while we’re at it!
Images courtesy of unsplash.com and pexels.com
