Posts by Kenny

With Cupid busier than ever, it can only mean one thing; the season of love is upon us. Yes, the 14th of February is almost here and amorè is on everyone’s minds.

To help long-term couples, those enjoying the first blossom of romance or those simply admiring from afar find their perfect gift, Ethical Superstore, the UK’s leading online retailer of inspired eco-friendly, Fair Trade, organic and UK-made products has compiled a list of Valentine’s Day gifts, which range from the traditional to the more creative.

Read the rest of Spread the Love this Valentine’s Day »

Behind the Scenes

Now, I happen to know one of the warehouse supervisors very well [editor's note, they live together!] and I very often get a full and frank account of what goes on in the fulfilment warehouse on a daily basis.  So I know how hard those guys work, making sure orders are correct, secure in their parcel and dispatched on time.  Especially at this time of year, when we hunched up PC dwellers are asked to help out by picking some orders or wrapping some gifts, I think it helps everyone involved in the circle of ethical shopping understand just how hard we all work to make your shopping experience special.

Whatever you’re celebrating at this time of year, Christmas, Hanukkah, the Solstice, I think it’s important to recognise everyone involved in the circle, from the buyers and marketeers, designers and IT geeks (no offence guys!), web content and stock controllers to the pickers, packers and drivers, who were all working hard to help make your celebrations ethical.

We’ve all worked extremely hard this year to concentrate efforts towards optimising this whole process and we’re proud to say, our service is the best it’s ever been.  In April this year, we asked an independent review company to work with us who send an email to our customers on our behalf asking our customers to rate their experience out of 5 stars and share your thoughts with the world.

Since we started, we’ve already had over 2,600 reviews.  We have an average star rating of 4.7/5 and an impressive 99% approval rating!This process is not all to do with blowing our own trumpet though.  If a customer has had problems with their order, it gives us the opportunity to hear about those problems and do what is needed to make things right.

So if any of you receive one of these emails asking for a review, please take a couple of minutes of your time to complete it.It helps to keep us on our toes and it gives shoppers the confidence to choose Ethical Superstore based on real experiences.  If you had great service, tell everyone.If something went wrong, let us know and we’ll pull out the stops to put things right.

So thanks for reading, if you got this far!I hope you feel a little more clued up on how this all works and thankful, as I am, to all who make it work.

I wish you all a very, very Merry Christmas from everyone at EthicalSuperstore.com.

5pm, Wednesday, 21^st December 2011.  3 days and seven hours to go until Christmas.

One of Ethical Superstore’s priorities when we discussed the busy season six weeks ago was our commitment to getting our customers what they needed in time for Christmas.  Up to 12pm yesterday, orders could still be placed using standard UK delivery and for those who like to leave things to the very last minute, express delivery is available until 12pm tomorrow.  We’ve even temporarily reduced the price of delivery do standard is £2.95 (normally £3.95) and express is £3.95 (normally £5.95)!

Read the rest of The Circle of Ethical Shopping (Part 1) »

Our friends at Rapanui have been busying themselves with preparations for Christmas.

Having been hit hard by the recession, Santa and his helpers have had to make some cut backs.  But will Rudolf cope in his new role?  And will Santa manage to boost morale within the team after incidents of name calling!?

Read the rest of RAPANUI – The Grotto »

Daddies began to get their share of recognition for their efforts in parenthood in June 1910, in fact, exactly 101 years before Fathers’ day this year.  It was, rather surprisingly, a lady who fought for the rights of Dad.  She was Sonora Smart Dodd, who tragically lost her mother when she was 16 leaving her father, William Jackson Smart, as a lone parent of six children.

Read the rest of Have an Eco Fathers’ Day »

The BBC tells us that every day, on average; at least two people in Britain under the age of 35 are diagnosed with the deadliest form of skin cancer – malignant melanoma.   A scary fact, I think, when I  consider I’ve always had rather burn-prone skin.  My genealogy originates in the wilds of central Scotland and I’m a closet ginger so I was never one to “bronze up”.  My skin has two stages of colour; white and painfully red.

Read the rest of Stay safe in the sun »

With droughts expected over the summer and hose pipe bans almost certain to take hold in some areas, I felt it necessary to explore ways to conserve water in the home and garden.  We begin in the home.  Water saving in the home is surprisingly easy and is primarily about developing better habits, such as fixing a dripping tap or thinking before you turn on the tap or use the shower about whether it’s really necessary.

Read the rest of Water, Water Everywhere… »

In the truly British fashion, regardless of your stance on the monarchy in general, a royal wedding means two things; a free day off work and an excuse for a party!  Like those that only watch football when their home country is playing, any opportunity to display patriotism at your convenience proves most welcome.  So out come the balloons, bunting, cakes and sweets and to hell with inhibitions, bring on the party.

Read the rest of Royal Wedding Party with an Eco Kick »

Online shopping for the ethically aware has become big business in recent years with an ever increasing amount of suppliers reflecting an ever increasing demand. 

Read the rest of Discover the One Good Market »