A Cure for Those Last-Minute Back-to-School Shopping Blues; Free Pluck Software Turns Your Web Browser into a Powerful Personal Shopping Assistant.

AUSTIN, Texas -- It's T-minus a week (or three if you're lucky) until your little ones head back to school. In between shuttling them to summer camp and trying to wrench the new Harry Potter Book from their hands so they can finish their summer reading lists, you forgot to hit the mall for those must have back-to-school accessories.

The comforting news is you're not alone. According to the Shopping in America: Back-to-School 2005 survey, only 57 percent of shoppers will complete their back-to-school purchases by August 15th. The majority of them will head to the mall in the next few weeks to battle the rest of the last-minute shoppers for open parking spaces and the limited supply of this year's must-have backpacks.

Some of the savvier shoppers will turn to the Internet for their school shopping needs. But with the great deals and convenience the Web provides, it can still be difficult to find exactly what you're looking for at the best price before that first period bell rings.

Well there is help. A company out of Austin, Texas named Pluck (www.pluck.com) recently launched a free Web browser tool (also called "Pluck") that helps back-to-school shoppers find what they're looking for quickly and at the best price. Pluck works within your Internet Explorer browser and has a unique feature called Pluck Persistent Search(TM), which acts like your own personal shopping assistant, continually searching the Web for items you want at the price you want to pay.

One of the unique things about Pluck Persistent Search is it works seamlessly with some of the leading shopping and search sites, including Shopping.com, eBay, Google and Amazon.com. And Persistent Searches can be set up to find different things. For example, you could set up a Persistent Search to locate that hard to find pink backpack for less than $40. Then the magic begins.

Once set up, your Persistent Searches constantly scour the Web for exactly what you asked them to find. When a Persistent Search finds what you want, it gives you a link to a Web page where you can buy the item. It even goes the extra step to let you know when a new item becomes available or a price changes. All you have to do is click on the link, make the purchase, and you're one step closer to finishing your shopping.

So instead of fighting the last-minute back-to-school crowds this year, try shopping the Web with Pluck. It may just help you find what you're looking for at the best price and without the hassles.

About Pluck Corp.

Pluck Corp. transforms how active Internet users consume, control and create online information. Providing browser software and destination sites for consumers, and co-branded Web services for publishers and portals, Pluck is a leader in Web 2.0 technology innovation. Pluck is available for free at www.pluck.com.

The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas with funding from Austin Ventures and Mayfield.

Pluck and Pluck Persistent Search are trademarks of Pluck Corp. All other company and product names mentioned are used only for identification and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.