Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Copyright : Jason Hawkes

We know some people wince when Christmas Shopping comes up in conversation months ahead of time, but Shopper Discounts and Rewards is always interested in ways to save. The fact is, Christmas is a shopping-heavy time for us all. The weeks start flying by, and it’s easy to find yourself knee-deep in December, scrambling to get it all done.
It’s possible to start in small ways now, saving yourself time, money, and stress when the season really is upon us.

start stocking up

Now’s a great time to start gathering the all the little bits and pieces you need for everyone on your list. Stocking stuffers don’t take up much room, and you can squirrel them away in corners and closets until Christmas. You’ll save a good bit by getting them organised ahead of time, avoiding panicky impulse buys and accidental duplication. Pick up trinkets and tokens whenever you come across something that catches your fancy. Having a supply of small gifts tucked away early on can also be a lifesaver when you catch yourself caught out by an office Chris Kindle or unexpected holiday visitor.

Christmas crafts take time

Homemade gifts really capture the spirit of the season. Heartfelt and heartwarming, they are a wonderful way to use your talents and celebrate your loved ones while saving money. If you’ve got a long list though, it’s time to get started! Starting early means you’ll be able to shop online for the best deals on craft supplies and have them arrive in time. Sites like eBay often feature large lots of wool and other supplies year-round, making them a great resource for knitters and crafters on a budget.

clearance for Christmas

Summer is well and truly over, but post-summer sales are still going on. You might not want to give sundresses and sandals in December, so it’s helpful to think outside the box here. If you have active friends and family, it’s a great time to grab camping gear and accessories, now that the festival season has come and gone. Also, because the kids are back to school, many supplies are being cleared at half-price. Cute pencils and notebooks, fun art supplies, and other little items make wonderful stocking stuffers for the younger set. As the seasons change, there are many great opportunities like this to make your money go a little further.

Making the silly season a little bit saner might take a bit of foresight and planning, but it’s worth it! Have you gotten started yet? Shopper Discounts and Rewards would love to hear your tips and tricks.

SHOPPERDISC.IE

If SHOPPERDISC.IE appears on your bank statement, this is in reference to the membership fee you pay as a member of Shopper Discounts and Rewards.

What is Shopper Discounts and Rewards?

Shopper Discounts and Rewards is an online savings programme, ideal for people who shop online regularly. When you join you are given the chance to claim an initial cashback reward, and after that a €10 cashback bonus each month. Membership is free for the first 30 days.

Shopper Discounts and Rewards membership

As a member, not only can you claim an initial cashback reward and a €10 monthly bonus, but you can also buy popular giftcards at a 20% discount, and earn 10% cashback on purchases at a large number of online stores by shopping through the all-new Shopper Discounts and Rewards website. Currently, the stores include The Apple Store, iTunes, Expedia and Tesco Direct. Cashback is recorded in your membership account, and you are sent a cheque each month when the amount totals €5 or more.

SHOPPERDISC.IE

Because banks do not give companies a large amount of space, the text shopperdisc.ie will appear on your bank statement in reference to your membership fee for your Shopper Discounts and Rewards membership.
The membership site is www.shopperdiscountsandrewards.ie

Contact Shopper Discounts and Rewards

It’s easy to contact Shopper Discounts and Rewards.
You can call 1800 923 094 (Ireland) or 0800 731 9935 (UK).

The last of the UK’s big six supermarkets, Co-operative, is to open its online market stall.

With Iceland restarting their e-commerce project and Morrisons deal with Ocado, Co-operative is scheduling to enter the online grocery market.

While the average basket size of the supermarket is estimated at £6 each, the company’s head of retail Steve Murrells already said it makes is hard to justify the Co-operative’s massive outlay on the online operation plan.

The first of four trials will commence just before Christmas, where the Co-op will road-test a variety of delivery methods and services.

Based on the results of those trials, the company will focus on pinpointing the most profitable way to run its online operation.

Might the supermarket chain be a bit too late to enter the market in order to have a real impact on the online grocery market?
And will you do your grocery shopping online at the Co-operative?

Source: Telegraph.co.uk
Image source: BBC

A hard-coded tech error made the Amazon website for Canada and the US unavailable and offline for 30 minutes at the beginning of the week.
Visitors encountered the dreadful ‘500 Service Unavailable Error’ with the accompanying message ‘Oops! We’re very sorry!’.

As it turns out, this thirty minute hiccup resulted in $5m in lost revenue for Amazon.

The cloud service on which the site operates, the Elastic Compute Cloud, experienced problems last year resulting in partner sites such as Instagram, Reddit and Netflix to go offline.

This issue sparked the debate again on the effectiveness and reliability of hosting your web shop on a cloud server.

Is it wise to host on a cloud server when you’re unable to have any control on potential issues? Or would you rather host it on a somewhat slower server, which allows you to fully control the back-end of your web shop?

Source: RetailGazette.co.uk