Why'd they not set the milks out for the milkman?

[Robby Raccoon]

Beers and broken milks litter the ground where I'm digging. I've brought out three intact from the '50s and '60s. The ones I have are in fine condition--still usable, if sanitized. How did it work with the milkman? Did you set out a certain number of bottles, and get that number given to you? Did you just order a standard? How come these ones weren't returned?
These are all Farr View--did the tall ones without a label, have a label at one point? They're from '56 and '60. The ACL is '53, I think.

 

[RED Matthews]

We used to have an aluminum lined box with a lid on itat the road. If we had two empties in the box they would leave two quarts of milk, We also had a card for the house window for the bread truck and another for the Fuller Brush man. We didn't have a neighborhood Walmart back then. RED Matthews

 

[Robby Raccoon]

I know plenty on milk in the home back in the day--I included it into one of my stories-- but none of it was ever described as to what happens to the milks that are supposed to be returned, and aren't.
What's a Brush Man?

 

[Dcravosa]

My father and his brothers worked a delivery route with my grandfather in Springfield MA back in the 40s, and they would replace the empty bottles left outside homes with full ones. They also had order forms that they would use when folks reached out to then directly to place orders for more. I have a pad of these forms.

 

[Robby Raccoon]

Sounds pretty neat. Did they drive a Divco?

 

[NYCFlasks]

Good question. Likely a variety of factors involved. Folks could just be careless/lazy, the dairy closed up and did not pick the bottles up. The customer canceled delivery and the bottles were left behind. One of my favorite sayings I have seen on pyro milks is on a local bottle, and this is it: "They came to visit, not to stay, return our bottles every day.". This was a problem for the dairy industry from the very beginning of home delivery.

 

[Robby Raccoon]

The Dairy closed in the '80s.
I love the saying.

 

[Dcravosa]

Spirit Bear - yes, my grandfather did drive a Divco (after upgrading from the horse and buggy). I have some cool photos of the truck which I'll try to figure out how to post.

 

[Robby Raccoon]

That is awesome!

 

[LisaTammy]

I think some country women liked to reuse these bottles for storing things. Also in rural ares you may have to drive to the store to buy your milk and forgot to take them back or just didn't go to that particular store anymore, It's like when they started making the plastic milk crates, they had a deposit on them but it seems everyone has two or three kicking around. I don't even know if that makes sense the old brain isn't working the best today.Lisa