Tag Archives: How does it work?

Speedy!

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stopwatch

In 30 minutes, you could burn around 120 calories playing Frisbee. If you were a cheetah, you could run about 30 miles. We’re not ones to boast about our Frisbee or cheetah skills (because, well, they’re non-existent), but we do manage to do some pretty impressive stuff in half an hour!

When you place an ad with us, we get that ad posted on thepapershop.com within 30 minutes of receipt. Whether you get that ad to us over the phone or by using our website, we really get cracking on it and get it out there as soon as possible. And if you consider that a large percentage of the items that are sold are done so by the online ads, our speed is pretty darn important. Don’t forget, too, that any updates or additions also appear within 30 minutes.

Sock it to you!

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socks

Notice, friends, that we didn’t say “socks it to you”; May 9th is Lost Sock Memorial Day. Today we take a moment to consider the tragedy of the thousands of socks lost every year (and the unfortunate mates that are left behind).

Like the meaning of life and the quandary of chicken and the egg, all those missing socks lead to philosophical musings: where do they go? Are they eaten by gremlins? Do they ascend one by one into the sky to form the rings of Saturn? What?!

The explanations for this phenomenon are rather prosaic, sadly. As any appliance repair person will tell you, there’s a small space just under the agitator in your washing machine in which a single sock occasionally gets stuck. More commonly, however, the wayward socks are victims of static cling: they stick to the insides of other clothing items, and when those items are folded and put away, the socks seemingly disappear until the item is later worn.

There are, of course, a few solutions. Check underneath that washer agitator from time to time. Safety pin those pairs of socks together while laundering. Try using a zippered lingerie bag to keep socks paired up. But if you’d like to start from scratch with a new washer or dryer? We’ve got you covered: Appliances.

Ad of the Week: Cigar Store Indian

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spotlight

Because we sell anything and everything, we often get ads for the interesting, the unusual and the extremely specialized. One of the best parts of working here is that we learn so much about so many different things. Here’s where we feature an ad that made us sit up and take notice.

He looks a little disgruntled. Or maybe even a little bored. We suppose it’s because he hasn’t yet realized that he’s this week’s star ad:

Indian

Here are his vitals:

CIGAR STORE INDIAN 6′H., wooden, sell $450. (VG) +(MT.TOP) 570-606-5613  (See Picture Online)

Since we’re all about advertising, this fine fellow fascinated us. Traditionally, cigar store indians stood outside tobacco shops to inform the largely illiterate public that tobacco was for sale within. Very much like the striped barber shop pole or the three brass balls that could be found at pawn shops, this wooden figurine let everyone know that this establishment was a purveyor of tobacco. Why an indian in particular? Because tobacco was introduced to early settlers by the Native American population (who subsequently became strongly associated with tobacco in the public consciousness).

Interestingly, the very first statues of this sort appeared in Europe in the 17th century. And since the European craftsmen who carved them had never been to the New World, much less seen a Native American, the earliest ones were incredibly fanciful and bore little resemblance to the dress of actual Native Americans. In addition, female figures originally outnumbered male ones.

Find him (and countless other interesting items) in our Antiques & Rare Items category, starting on page 36 of this week’s issue.

FAQ: How do I report an item sold?

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Question mark

Questions. We love ‘em. When somebody has a question for us here at Paper Shop, we know that they’re either already advertising with us or thinking of giving us a try. We’re happy to help with and all inquiries, and we’ve found that a number of them are, well, frequently asked questions. Here’s where we take some time to talk about them.

You’ve sold your item! Congrats! Now what?

It’s pretty easy to let us know that you’ve had a sale and that you no longer need to run the ad. The most common way to let us know is to give our office a call at 1-800-537-9377 and bring us up to speed. We’ll stop the ad so that you won’t continue to get phone calls on it, and we can make payment arrangements. We’re happy to send you a bill in the mail or you’re welcome to pay over the phone with a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, MasterCard & Discover.

You can also report the sale on thepapershop.com. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you’ll see an option to “Report an Item Sold”. Click on that option and let us know exactly what you’ve sold. A bill will automatically be generated and mailed to you.

Spoiler Alert

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Car

To the victor go the spoils, but to a great number of cars go the spoilers.

Just in case you’re unsure what we’re talking about, a spoiler is that wing that you sometimes see mounted on the rear of a car. It looks like this:

spoiler

The purpose of such a thing is to “spoil” or alter the flow of air around the car; creating a downward push on the rear end of the vehicle in order to improve traction and handling. The notion of a spoiler comes from the world of aeronautics: spoilers are flaps built into the tops of plane wings to assist in reducing lift and increasing drag (which greatly helps a plane to make a descent without picking up speed).

If you’re a NASCAR fan, be prepared to really see the importance of spoilers in this afternoon’s race at Talladega. And unless you’re driving one of those race cars, the spoiler on your car is likely there for mainly for aesthetic reasons, but they do look great! Find spoilers on cars of all sorts by simply typing the word “spoiler” into the search field on thepapershop.com

How do Derby horses get their names?

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Kentucky Derby

T. S. Eliot wrote, “The naming of cats is a difficult matter, it isn’t just one of your holiday games.”

The naming of cats might be difficult indeed, but the naming of racehorses is positively baffling. Goldenscents. Orb. Palace Malice. How do they come up with these horse names?

Before we even get into how the horses are named, we’ve got to remember that there are a host of restrictions to determine how they’re not named. No initials may be used. And no numbers under thirty (and even then the number must be spelled out). No names of race tracks. No names taken from a restricted list that includes former Kentucky Derby winners, Hall of Fame members and others. And no names exceeding 18 characters. And after all this? The chosen name still needs to pass muster with the Jockey Club.

There is no set pattern for naming the horses; it’s often a matter of personal preference. Many of the horse names include clever references to the horse’s parentage (for example, Charming Kitten is the offspring of Kitten’s Joy & Iteration), while others are chosen simply to fit Jockey Club guidelines.

Thanks!

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thanks

We’re closing in on the 200 post mark (and our 6 month anniversary), and we’d just like to take a moment to thank you for keeping up with us.

As always, you’re welcome to comment here, say hello on Facebook, throw a tweet our way, or even contact me, the blog author, at jenk@thepapershop.com. I am happy to answer your questions and I’m always open to suggestions regarding the kind of things you’d like to find out about Paper Shop and all the interesting items we advertise.

Your support & readership is most appreciated. Thank you!

Ad of the Week: Element #2

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spotlight

Because we sell anything and everything, we often get ads for the interesting, the unusual and the extremely specialized. One of the best parts of working here is that we learn so much about so many different things. Here’s where we feature an ad that made us sit up and take notice.

We’re making a concerted effort to keep our voices from taking on the dulcet tones of cartoon characters as we present this week’s ad *ahem*:

R-20 HELIUM TANK & REGULATOR blows up approx. 50-12″ balloons w/every fill-up, save lots of money, refill is less than $20., w/regulator, $100. +(DURYEA) 570-451-1265; 570-983-9965

You know us, and it will come as no surprise that we wondered why inhaled helium makes your voice sound so odd. It turns out that helium is far less dense than the air that we normally breathe, so sound moves much more quickly through it. As wild as it seems, the speed of your vocal frequency is increased, giving your voice that weird sound.

(While helium itself is non-toxic, we need to remind you here that helium inhalation is not a particularly safe practice, and it’s especially important that you never, ever inhale it from the tank. To do so might result in lung damage and even death.)

Aside from the purpose pointed out in the ad (balloons!), helium is also used in arc welding, cryogenics and is combined with oxygen to help deep-sea divers avoid nitrogen narcosis (a state of mental confusion caused by the effects of nitrogen on the brain).

This week’s ad? A gas!

May Day!

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May Day

It’s a worldwide celebration of spring. But remove that space between the words and it becomes a distress signal. Ever wonder why?

While searching for an easily understood phrase to signal life-threatening distress, in 1923 a Senior Radio Officer at London’s Croydon Airport proposed the word “mayday” (to be repeated three times). It was an inspired choice for two reasons: first, it’s a phrase that’s easily understood, even over background noise. Secondly, it comes from the French m’aider, which means “help”. Since much of the traffic at his particular airport originated in or was destined for France, the call sign was quickly adopted.

If you ever feel as if you’ve got something of a Mayday situation, feel free to call us. Whether it’s inquiries about how we work, a question concerning a bill, or even just a need to go over current ads, we’re here to throw you a lifeline: 1-800-537-9377

The Final Countdown

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clock

If you’ve now got the riff from that old ’80s tune in your head … well, you’re welcome! We could think of no better way to usher in both the last Friday of April and the deadline for the May 1st issue.

Just as we do every Friday, we’ll spend the morning putting the final touches on the next issue of Paper Shop and at 11 am, the magic will happen once again: we’ll send that issue to print.

Keep in mind, though, that every ad we get appears on thepapershop.com within 30 minutes of us receiving it. Even if you miss the deadline for next Wednesday’s issue, your ad will be online for the world to see.