TheFind Blog

TheFind.com Powers Search Results for PayPal's Back to School Campaign

It's August and families everywhere are using what's left of the Summer to take vacations and start school shopping. Whether children are fashion-conscious or not, there are always things that kids need before starting school. More often than not, the younger set have grown out of last year's school clothes over the summer. For the older set, shopping for school is usually about the new trends for Fall. In addition, there's no shortage of school bags and a plethora of supplies that are required for a successful year in school.

If you have children, you know that the Summer is coming to a close soon and that the first day of school is right around the corner. So, where do you go for help? We really like what PayPal's done with their Back to School site. They've covered it all from elementary to college in an easy to navigate guide that's powered by TheFind.com.

Are you shopping for Elementary School kids?

Maybe, you're shopping for Middle School kids?

Or, perhaps you're shopping for High School kids?

Do you have a student who's off to College now?

Despite your child's age and grade, they're going to have needs for school. Show them how "in the know" you are by getting a leg up on the current trends before they come begging for the latest and greatest.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Best Friends Week -- More Things to Do

Okay, so yesterday I introduced the concept of this week being "Best Friends Week," right? I gave a few ideas of things to do with your best friend. Well, now it's time to get down and dirty and create a list of things to do with your best friend! You're welcome to comment to add to the list (and I will), so please feel free to contribute!

1. Shop online (at TheFind.com, of course!)
2. Shop at the mall
3. Try a new restaurant/cuisine
4. Go to the movies (try a premier or opening night of a really hot movie)
5. Check out a "B" movie
6. Get a makeover
7. Go to the salon together for new hairstyles
8. Clean out your closets and swap clothes (donate the rest to charity)
9. Buy new furniture and assemble it together
10. Have a garage sale
11. Host a tea party
12. Go out and support your favorite local band
13. Attend a concert
14. Try a new sport
15. Join a yoga class
16. Join a gym (and actually go workout regularly)
17. Go ice skating or roller skating
18. Learn how to play ice/roller hockey
19. Go rock climbing
20. Train together for a running, walking or cycling race
21. Train for a triathlon
22. Join Weight Watchers or a diet center of choice
23. Attend a monster truck show
24. Go check out Nascar
25. Get in the driver's seat and race go-carts
26. Hang out at the beach
27. Host a bon-fire party at the beach
28. Adopt a puppy and enroll in puppy training
29. Take your dogs to the dog park (after they're trained)
30. Buy a right hand ring
31. Go wine tasting
32. Go beer tasting
33. Hang out in a biker bar
34. Take tennis lessons
35. Take cooking classes -- sushi anyone?
36. Take a jewelry making class
37. Take a pottery class
38. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
39. Tackle house work (or spring cleaning) as a team
40. Write a story or book together
41. Go golf or learn to golf
42. Make fondue
43. Go out and sing karaoke at a bar
44. Play laser tag or paint ball
45. Have a TV or movie marathon at home
46. On a rainy day, go out and stomp through puddles
47. Learn how to knit or crochet
48. Join an online community and get involved
49. Join a dating service (if you're single)
50. Go on a blind double date (again, if you're single)
51. Have a spa day
52. Go for a manicure & pedicure
53. Be an animal/mammal trainer for a day at a participating zoo
54. Go on a ride-a-long with a cop
55. Tour a fire station
56. Have a sleep over and stay up all night
57. Host a game night (play all night, if you can)
58. Go to San Francisco and play chess or checkers against someone on the street
59. Play pool with pool sharks
60. Go to Coyote Ugly and dance on the bar (among other things)
61. Go out for a nice dinner and a play/musical
62. Go out for a nice dinner and the opera or ballet
63. Go to the flea market and haggle 'til you get what you want
64. Sell things at the flea market
65. Host a "Cook for the Cure" dinner (Susan G Komen foundation)
66. Take a trip to the wine country
67. Go camping in the Sierras (or destination of choice)
68. Go horseback riding
69. Make crafts and sell them at a craft fair
70. Host a cookie exchange
71. Paint ceramics and give them to one another
72. Sneak "drinks" into a movie theater (21 and over only, pls)
73. Create match.com profiles for one another
74. Brush each other's hair
75. Shop for engagement rings
76. Ghost or Guest blog on one another's blogs
77. Redecorate a room in one another's house
78. Host a poker party
79. Create a time capsule
80. Scrapbook together and/or host a scrapbooking party
81. Go to farmers market
82. Create a secret sorority or fraternity
83. Give each other nicknames
84. Make a comic book of your adventures
85. Host a pleasure party
86. Host a fake bachelor/bachelorette party
87. Learn how to fly a plane/helicoptor
88. Go skydiving
89. Take a beer or wine making class
90. Visit a convalescent home (take your dog)
91. Have a belching contest
92. Make Christmas ornaments
93. Take a Santa picture together
94. Make chocolate truffles
95. Scrap each others cast off clothes and make a quilt
96. Shop for books for one another in a used book store
97. Find a festival (music, art, wine) to attend
98. Go hot tubbing and/or skinny dipping
99. Take pole dancing classes
100. Take a spontaneous trip without luggage
Reader Contributions start here...
101. Hang out drinking a great bottle of wine
102. Go surfing
103. Watch sports on TV all day long

So, what do you think? I'm sure there are plenty of things on the list that you have done, but are there any you haven't done? Do you have more ideas to contribute? Comment now and let us know!

Happy Adventuring/Searching/Shopping,

Payton

If TheFind.com Had a Catalog...

We've received a couple of inquiries recently from people who were wondering if TheFind has a catalog. Our first reaction was, "Of course we do, it's all online!". But, obviously that's not what these nice folks are looking for. We did some quick calculations to speculate how large a physical paper catalog would be if we made one for TheFind. Keep in mind, TheFind does not sell anything. TheFind is a discovery shopping engine that crawls through thousands of websites everyday to create amazing search results for people who shop with our search engine. With that in mind, take a moment to think about what a catalog would look like that showcased over 150 million products. That's what we bring to the table folks. For fun, let's break it down:

150,000,000 products divided by

12 products per page (currently, almost 9 products fit on an 8 1/2" x 11" paper -- we'll shrink 'em down)

= 12,500,000 pages

We're all familiar with phone books, right? Let's say the average phone book has 1,000 pages. If TheFind created a catalog, it would equal more than 12,500 phone books! That's quite an overwhelming catalog, don't you think?

Shall we take a step further? For the sake of argument, we'll say that each phone book is 2 inches thick. The Empire State Building (New York) is 1,250 feet tall or 15,000 inches tall. And our catalog would be 25,000 inches tall. Therefore, if we printed a physical paper catalog it would almost be the height of 2 Empire State Buildings! And, that my friends is the biggest reason why we don't produce a physical paper catalog here at TheFind. So, if you want to find it at TheFind, you'll have to navigate to www.thefind.com to seek our what you're shopping for.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Functional in Bed...

Give the gift of comfort. It's easy with finds like these. And, these are gifts you can give to the person in your life who (seemingly) has everything! I bet they don't have all of these gems. Of course, they may never get out of bed again, but who am I to predict the future?!?

This is the Read and Relax Multi Pillow. The name says it all. Gone are the days of stacking multiple pillows in order to get comfy. This is all you (er, um your friend or loved one) need.

You can't go wrong with the Peeramid Reading Pillow. This handy pillow sits comfortably on your lap, holds your book open and can bookmark the page. I think next year's design ought to take notes too!

Imak HappiNeck Pillow relieves neck and upper back stress. This pillow is great for use on the road or at home.

Keep your loved ones warm and cozy in a Cuddle Wrap. These are great in and out of bed. It's like taking your bed with you!

You can find all of these items by clicking on the text links above or search for them by name at TheFind. If you'd like additional cozy/cuddly gift ideas, please leave a comment. I'll be happy to help you find more!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Who are you shopping for this season?

Are you searching for the perfect gift for each person on your list? TIME Magazine recently published their Web Shopping Guide 2006 and it's chock full of really cool gifts! Thanks to TIME for coming up with the brilliant gifts, many of which are pretty unique! And, you can find these gifts and more by searching on thefind.com (you knew that was coming, right?).

Have you seen Playaway Audio Books? If not, you're in for a different kind of treat! Or, how about the Ex Voodoo Knife Set? That one's so great (visually) that I had to post a picture of it. If you're shopping for a child or an adult who's young at heart, you'll definitely want to search for My Little Sandbox. Be sure to check out TIME’s list of cool gifts.

Christmas is only 4 short weeks away! I'll be posting more cool finds here to help you through your holiday shopping season. Be sure to check back often.

In the meantime, let me know if there's anything you're looking for that you can't locate. If it's online, we'll find it.

Happy Searching/Shopping!

Payton