St Helens Needs You

8 December 2013

St Helens Needs You

That’s the message from St Helens Green Party as locals step up their Christmas shopping.

Greens are urging shoppers to buy local wherever possible to support local traders and the economy.

St Helens Green Party’s Dave Parr says:  

“Every pound spent in St Helens is an investment in St Helens.

“There are dozens of different ways to buy local. Pubs, restaurants and cafés offer gift vouchers and credit notes, local breweries are selling seasonal gift packs, and you can buy major presents or last minute gifts in town centre stores.

“Internet shopping and out-of-town chain stores won’t go away, but there are plenty of local businesses offering an honest alternative to certain tax-dodging corporations who make little or no contribution to our local economy.”

St Helens Green Party has 12 ideas for presents – one for each day of Christmas!

  1. Voucher for someone’s favourite restaurant, café or gastro-pub.
  2. Seasonal gift pack from a well known Rainford brewery.
  3. Credit note to shop at one of the many local grocers and farm shops offering quality fresh food.
  4. Tickets for an event at one of the town’s theatres or arts venues.
  5. Saints merchandise or match tickets.
  6. Tickets for a local visitor attraction – or a present from one of their gift shops. 
  7. Membership of a sports club or organisation.
  8. Cinema tickets.
  9. Item from a local art gallery or craft fair.

10. Voucher for hair or beauty treatment.

11. Christmas cake from an independent baker.

12. Bird feeder and food from a local pet shop – so even the local wildlife can enjoy the festive period!

Safe shopping online

Beware With record numbers expected to log-on for Christmas shopping this year, the Green Party also has some top tips for people buying gifts online.

  1. Trust your instincts – if an offer looks too good to be true it usually is.
  2. Look out for spook websites – double-check that you are on the correct website before making a purchase.
  3. At the payment stage, ensure the website address begins ‘https’ – this indicates a secure payment.
  4. Don’t access links embedded in unsolicited emails – always type in the website address or use a search engine to find a site.
  5. Only deal with reputable sellers – only use sites you know or ones that have been recommended to you.
  6. Avoid paying by money transfers direct to people you don’t know – use an online payment option such as PayPal, which helps to protect you.
  7. Ignore pop-ups appearing asking you to confirm your card details before you have even reached the payment stage – and never enter your PIN number online.
  8. If your bid for an online auction item is unsuccessful, don’t be tempted to trade off-site if another seller approaches you with a similar item.
  9. Keep security software and firewalls up-to-date. Regularly update your internet browser when a new patch (security update) is released.

10. Keep receipts and check these against your statement – if you spot a transaction you did not authorise, speak to your card company immediately.

Dave adds:

“Consumers were conned out of more than £12million last Christmas, with victims losing an average £1,700. Following these straightforward steps while shopping online can help you avoid the cyber fraudsters.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 






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