This Blog is aimed at everyone who is fed up with being cheated and conned in everyday life. It is very well documented, that we British never complain enough, especially when we feel that we have been cheated out of the money we’ve worked hard to get in the first place.
Surely everyone remembers the scenes when Northern Rock was in the process of collapsing? Too right you do. There were neat and orderly queues of the banks customers, all waiting patiently to see if they could get their money back. These same customers were ready to queue for days if it had been necessary. It’s a joke!
If this had happened in almost any other country rather than in Britain, the people would have forced their way in and demanded their money straightaway, and not when it best suited the bank either. But not here. It’s little wonder that we consumers are constantly being trodden on. We’re just too damned polite for our own good.
The twenty-first century is the age of the computer, and before long, there will be very few people in this country who will be without an internet connection. As each day passes, more and more of these same people will be discovering the rewards that comes with shopping on the internet. You only have to look at some of the latest statistics in order to see that while the high street shops are losing trade, those with a business website are actually seeing their sales increase by much more than the high street is losing, and this despite the downturn in the economy.
We all love a bargain, don’t we? Yes, we most certainly do. Well, by learning to shop safely on the internet, you can make real savings with virtually every purchase you make. As we know, high street shops have to cover their overheads, staff wages, light and heating, rent and rates. But, I don’t see this as being a reason to rip us off. Why pay the likes of Argos, for example, £17.59 for a 4Gb SanDisk SD memory card, when it’s quite easy to buy the same item from many other sources for around £5.00 at today’s prices. Not only that, but I can honestly say that I hate their naff saying, ‘Don’t shop for it, Argos it’.
Personally, I’d rather not waste my time with going anywhere near an Argos shop. After all, who on earth enjoys queuing up for ages just to place an order, only to discover that you have to endure an even longer wait before you can actually collect your purchase. (Remember what I said about those Bank queues?) This is not the shopping experience of the future that I care to look forward to, but rather one that was similarly happening in the years prior to the nineteen fifties. Aaaarrrggh!!
Today’s consumer is a customer who expects to be treated fairly and squarely. Unfortunately, this is not quite how today’s businesses see us. How many times have you gone into a shop and asked, ‘Do you have an orange wurzel grommit, please? Only to receive the reply, I’m sorry sir/madam, but we don’t get any call for them these days.
Doh!! And what on earth have I just this minute asked you for, if it’s not to get one of the self same articles? It’s happening more often to me these days, that is until I began taking my business elsewhere, letting them know that this is what I‘d be doing in future. There are far too many shops out there all trying to sell you what you don’t want, and not enough of them selling what you do want. This is how the high street is going, the customer comes second in their considerations, when you should be their first. After all, their businesses would go bust if it was not for your custom. So why don’t they treat us better than this?
Believe it or not, there is an answer, but more about this and other important consumer considerations coming to you in my future Blogs.
Whilst I may not actually be a lone consumer, I am indeed a Briton at large.
During the coming weeks and months ahead, I will be discussing with you the following subjects, along with many others that concern us all as consumers in Britain today.
: Energy companies. Why they continually give us such a rough deal.
: Goods and services. How we’re constantly being ripped off through products being wrongly labelled or advertised.
: Shopping. Where and how to get the best deals for our money.
: Prices. When low prices do not necessarily mean that we’re saving money.
: Supermarkets. Are we truly getting the best value, or is it all so much hype?
: Trusting the internet. Making sure that we don’t lose out when buying goods on the internet.
: Consumer rights. Know your rights whenever and wherever you shop.
: Priorities. Getting our priorities right every time we shop.
: The Consumer is King/Queen. Never accept anything but the very best.
: Going green. We don’t have to be eco-warriors to be green.
All this and a whole lot more is coming on it’s way to you soon. And by the way, if you have any experiences that you would care to share with every one who visits my Blog, please do.
Do come back again real soon. Bye for now and mind how you shop…
The Lone Consumer
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