When we talk about the “death of the high street”, we often point the finger at the big online brands that dominate our choices as consumers. Grocery shopping, however, remains one of the few remaining bastions of physical retail, but within that comes another battle — between local traders and the big supermarkets. It’s undoubtedly…
I love Liverpool. Many years ago, before children, farmers and farms, I worked there and I loved every minute, spending time in the city. Mann Island at the Pier Head is no longer there but I loved seeing the River Mersey and looking out into the estuary every day. Since then, the city centre has…
Around 10 years ago, companies began to offer consumers the chance to buy a gift card that was just as good as cash, to use at another time. Gift cards quickly became an easy way for someone to spend money at their favorite store without having to use their own money. The gift card market…
There may already be lots of occasions throughout the year when we give or receive presents, but as lovely and appreciated as Christmas, birthday and Valentine’s Day gifts are, there’s nothing quite as exciting as gifting something to yourself. Reasons to be Indulgent Choosing to buy yourselves anniversary gifts mean you get exactly what you…
It seems like I have been pregnant forever. Even one of my consultants at the hospital joked it was the longest pregnancy ever so I think it must be long. I have got to the stage now where little fits so I am actually looking forward to having more of a choice of what to…
You may think Christmas is ages off but we only have seven more Fridays until the big day. In my eyes, it is never too early to plan so here are five ideas that you can do now to get ready for Christmas. 1.Make a list. This is my favourite thing to do. Make all…
I have always loved stationery and, while my personal planner phase has abated some what, when I was invited to an event in the Manchester Arndale recently, I couldn’t say no. Hubster had been out the night before and children were not only invited but encouraged so Hubster got a lie in and the children…
I think since the carrier bag charge came in, people fall into one of two camps-the bag rememberer’s and the bag forgetters. I am sure you can guess which camp I fall into. That’s right. I have managed to pack a lot of shopping into one or two 5p bags which I like to…
As a busy mum and farmer’s wife, it can be months at a time between shopping trips-especially to cities where you get more choice than smaller towns. It often means that when I do head into Manchester or the Trafford Centre, I try and think of everything I am going to need for the months…
I think we’ve all become numb to the news of various high street retailers going bust. I suppose Woolworths was one of the first big names in the British retail industry to go and a large number of others have followed. These big high street names just can’t compete with online shopping and, the ever-encroaching…
