This section explains Northam's current delivery system, and, in so doing, introduces much of the terms, names and other vocabulary used throughout Mammoth. If your already familiar with Northam's delivery methods, feel free to skip this section.
Northam publishes its own newspaper. Northam also sells magazines. The newspapers and magazines are distributed from Northam's warehouse and publishing facilities to outlets and customers across the city. Newspapers and magazines are picked up from the warehouse and publishing facility by trucks. Each truck drops off a specified amount of papers and magazines at each of the drop points along its delivery route. Drop points include newsboxes, retail customers, and a specified address in household delivery zones. The drop point for a household delivery zone is very likely to be the residence of a carrier. Each carrier delivers the papers and magazines left at the drop point to each of his or her household customers.
To recap briefly, newspapers and magazines are delivered to household customers by carriers. Carriers pick up their papers and magazines at the agreed upon drop point in their household delivery zone. The papers and magazines are delivered to the drop points by trucks. In addition to the drop points for household delivery zones, the trucks have drop points at retail outlets and newsboxes. Each of the trucks picks up the day's papers and magazines from Northam's warehouse and publishing facilities.
Papers and magazines that are not sold at retail outlets and newsboxes must also be collected and returned back to the warehouse and publishing facility. The funds collected from sales are also relayed up through the hierarchy and back to the head office (located right next to the warehouse and publishing facility).
Mammoth's responsibility is to ensure that the right amount of papers and magazines are delivered to the right places. The number of returned papers from a given location must also be tracked by Mammoth. Mammoth uses a database of household magazine subscriptions and retail consignment agreements to make sure that the right number of papers are given to the right trucks, carriers, and ultimately retail outlets, newsboxes and household customers.