On top of grabbing a bargain in the sales, you can still use voucher codes to make even more savings! Visit January Sales Voucher Codes to see the voucher codes you can use in the January Sales.

Online shopping has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years as retailers have got their act together and more and more consumers have switched to this medium as a way of acquiring goods. Legislation is sometimes slow to keep up with technology changes so there can be some grey areas regarding shopper's rights when buying online.

Most disputes arise as a result of unfair charges, quality issues or the cost of returning items that do not fit or are not what they seemed when received. The good news is that three major pieces of consumer and contract law apply to any internet purchase, whether new or second hand or a sale item. These are The Sale of Goods Act 1979, Distance Selling Regulations 2000 and the E-Commerce regulations which date from 2002.

The Sale of Goods Act covers any item bought on the internet, high street shop or mail order and requires the seller to comply with a number of contractual terms. The key ones are that the goods must be 'fit for purpose', are 'as described' and that they are 'of satisfactory quality'. If you believe that the item you have bought does not comply with any of these three major categories then you can claim a repair, a replacement or possibly a refund.

Since 1979, additional provisions have been introduced to 'beef up' consumer rights under the Sale of Good Act but the core provisions remain as described.

Some retailers may try to side step their responsibility by buck passing to the manufacturer. The law, however, is quite clear that it is the seller of the item who remains responsible. Also, you have a 'reasonable time' to make a claim. 'Reasonable' is not defined but will be interpreted by a court of law (if the case gets that far) so do not hang around in making any claim against the seller. Always make sure all correspondence and records of telephone calls are kept to back up your case.

Be aware, however, that if you were made aware of faults with an item before you bought it then you cannot make a claim. This is particularly the case when buying some sale or ex display items.

Likewise, you cannot just change your mind about buying an item. Many retailers do have a returns policy but this is not a right of yours but a gesture on their part. That said, the Distance Selling Regulations give added protection to buyers where there has been no face to face contact with the seller. This states that goods should be delivered within 30 days and allows you 7 days to withdraw from any purchase decision without having to state a reason. If you are buying services and the supply begins within the seven day period then this right is cancelled. Always cancel in writing (or by email) and keep a copy.

The Distance Selling Regulations do not cover sales of land, vending machines or auction goods when an auctioneer is present. Financial services have their own specific set of distance selling regulations.

Finally, the E-commerce Regulations enact a series of EU Directives into UK law. These tidy up the rules regarding the availability of contracts to buyers in a form that can be retained and printed. These regulations also include items of information that should be available to the buyer including full details the goods or services being sold, details relating to the seller, delivery costs and applicable VAT rates.

The January sales are now on, but we want to know...

Is bargain hunting online as much fun as on the high street?

As a nation of shopaholics we may not be afraid of giving our wallets a good airing on a regular basis, but even the most spendthrift will admit there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of snaffling a good bargain. While on the one hand we love the hullabaloo of trawling our way through the half-price sale rails, in the last ten years sales via the internet have soared by a staggering 3,500%.

While the impression is that town centres seem to be forever bursting with shoppers, either those crowds are shrinking or we're simply window shopping just to order online when we get home. All the figures indicate that online shopping is relentlessly on the up. In fact award-winning clothing retailer Primark reported last year that their online sales increased by 12% against a fall of 6% in over the counter sales. Total UK internet sales are forecast to reach a staggering £72bn in 2010. But is online bargain hunting really more fun than shopping on the high street?

Every online shopping addict knows that feeling of euphoria induced by the online auction, when you succeed in outbidding your rivals and bag that coveted bargain. The internet also introduces us to thousands of retailers we'd never even see on the high street via price comparison websites. Being able to look through such a wide selection of items in the comfort of our own homes is quite simply addictive and many women in particular will admit to browsing for hours on end, credit card at the ready.

Thanks to developments in web design, the online shopping experience is also becoming a lot more like virtual reality. Not only can we zoom in so close on that dress that we can practically see how the fibres intertwine, we can also twist things round and turn them upside down. On some clothing sites, even short videos of models parading the items on the catwalk are being used to seduce us into a sale. Who knows what the future holds? We may soon find ourselves dressing up our own virtual avatar as a substitute for high street changing rooms.

In just the same way as certain sectors are fearful that instant messaging and social networking is threatening face to face interaction, it looks like we need to be on our guard that online shopping doesn't jeopardise our love of the high street. But as much as we'll admit it's fun to buy online, just like everything in virtual reality, it's no substitute for real life. Alongside the fun of online shopping, real-life shopping has grown into something of a social ritual. Who would want to lose the cameraderie that develops between shopkeepers and customers, the banter between yourself and your fellow shoppers, that golden mid-afternoon break in your shopping, when you settle down for a snack in a coffee shop and peruse your purchases?

There's also something irresistible about the shopping meccas, the bright lights and the adrenaline rush as the items scream 'buy me' from those brightly illuminated shelves; items that come into view at random and not because we've searched for them. And there's nothing quite like the high street for giving us obscure things we'd never find online, whether it's something just too gorgeous to resist, or something we didn't even realise we needed. It's the moments when we stumble upon those little treasures that make lasting memories of our shopping days.

Trends in the way in which we shop for our Christmas purchases are changing with the advent of new technologies. For many, the desire and/or time available to pound the pavements in search of bargains or that special present just isn't there. And with the growth of the internet, many retailers have found a new way to supply the demands of the savvy shopper.

The growth of online retailers such as Amazon is spectacular. The early adopters in the shopping market pressed on despite security fears over financial transactions the company has now grown into one of the leading retail organisations in the UK.

What the internet does is allow people to search and price hunt in a way not possible in years gone by. Add that to the convenience factor of 24 hours 'shopping' and guaranteed delivery and it is not surprising that the internet shopping area is tipped for success this Christmas versus traditional high street stores.

Most research being carried out seems to suggest that the total spend this Christmas will be about 0.7% down on fourth quarter 2008 levels. Stripping out food and beverages (which are expected to increase by 2.5%) and it is clear that every retailer will be working hard for each pound spent. Sales and discounting are widespread so the actual volume of goods sold may not be too different, but the all important revenue and margin will be down leading many traditional retailers struggling. It is not uncommon for some businesses to take as much as 70% of the annual turnover in the run up to Christmas so times are looking bleak.

With online shopping comes access to global suppliers. Whilst there are issues around VAT and import duties, many goods can be sourced from overseas. As consumers gain more confidence in the security of payments and the delivery mechanisms associated with internet shopping, this sector will continue to grow - probably at the expense of the bricks and mortar high street stores.

Online shopping tends to be item specific. That means that 'browsing' or impulse buys are harder to convert since when users log on, they tend to be looking for specific items at the lowest/best price with delivery assured.

As trends develop, the Centre for Retail Research has predicted that 2015 will see the first Christmas where more than 50% of seasonal purchases will be made online. That is a huge sum as even this year internet purchases are expected to reach £6.8bn - or an increase of nearly 14% on 2008. This equates to every one of us spending £132 online.

So it is unlikely that online shopping alone will get us out of a recession but it will play an important and valuable part in making Christmas more affordable and enjoyable for both shoppers and recipients of presents alike. The recession is looking as though it will have a long tail and with significant tax rises, increased unemployment and cuts in public expenditure having to be made over the coming years, disposable income will be squeezed making a consumer spending boom unlikely in the short term.

If you're searching for a last minute Christmas gift idea, have you thought of a Christmas gift hamper? Packed with everything you need to a Merry Chrsitmas, these can make great gifts, especially if you're going to stay with relatives over Christmas.

You can compare the Christmas hampers from different online shops at Gift and Food Hampers, very useful at this time of year.

If you were listening to BBC Radio Gloucestershire this lunchtime you will have heard us interviewed today.

Jill Mission asked us about how you can stay safe online, especially at a time when people who don't normally shop on the Internet are drawn to the convenience and deals.

Listen to it here

Well if you are anything like me you are just thinking about starting your Christmas Shopping - that's blokes for you.

This year the calendar has fallen kindly for us last minute shoppers and there is still plenty of time!

Here are some selected last dates:

Next 20th Dec
House of Fraser 21st Dec
Debenhams 21st Dec
Prezzy Box 22nd Dec
IWOOT 22nd Dec
Toys R Us 22nd Dec
Hamleys 22nd Dec
Figleaves 22nd Dec

Find more last dates for online Christmas Shopping

And if you really want to leave it till the last minute why not try Argos' Check and Reserve System - order online and collect in store - GENIUS.

Happy Christmas Shopping!

If you were watching "This Morning" yesterday, Donal MacIntyre gave Philip and Holly some advice on safe shopping online. His first thing he did was to recommend using Shopsafe.co.uk, great advice in our opinion!

You can watch the video How to beat the scammers on the This Morning web site.

As we raise a toast to the festive season this year, some of us may still be counting our blessings amidst the ongoing effects of the global credit crunch. But while most people now admit that they having to tighten their belts when it comes to their Christmas gift budgets, the number of people buying presents online has actually soared and continues to increase by around 10% a year.

And why not? With more goodies than ever just a click away, we've certainly got more and more reason to do so. Part of our increasing reliance on the mouse is down to the older generation becoming more computer literate, while at the same time more retailers take the plunge and decide to offer their wares online. This is something they need to take seriously, considering around 20% of people in the UK are now buying over half of their gifts over the internet, spending an average of £1600 a year. This adds up to around 20p out of every pound being spent online.

So has Christmas shopping on the high street fallen out of favour? Well some would certainly dispute that claim, declaring it a national obsession. But there's certainly something tempting about swapping the crowds and the cold December rain for a cosy afternoon by the fire with your laptop. The internet places in front of us a far wider selection of items than we would ever be able to see in the same amount of time in our local town centre. By using price comparison services, you can display dozens of similar items on one page to source the most competitive deals and with product reviews close to hand, you even have your own personal shopping advisory service.

Cheaper online deals are not the only incentive to get people clicking for those bargains as the festive season gets underway. Shoppers also love to benefit from the level of convenience it provides and with many retailers now offering gift wrap services, there are plenty of reasons to take advantage and simply have your gift sent direct to the recipient. With the increase in online communications via email, instant messaging and social networking, it's now easier than ever to send wish lists to your friends and family, even providing them with web links so they know exactly which website to purchase the gift from and this has only encouraged sales even further. As for the cyberphobic with little experience of online purchasing, most retail websites now feature reliable encryption facilities, ensuring that transactions are completely secure, so people feel more confident in handing over their personal and credit card details.

Whatever the future holds for the retailers, there's no doubt we'll continue to get hooked to online shopping, even if it's only window shopping to get an idea of what's out there, what's hot and what's not, before venturing out into the real world. To wrap up with a little interesting food for thought, in 2007 on Christmas Day, 4 million people in the UK went online and spent a total of £84 million, probably disappointed after failing to receive the presents they were hoping for!

The UK postal service reaches saturation point in December, delivering up to 150 million cards a day, that's an amazing 17 cards on average for every man, woman and child in the country. As far as waste is concerned, this could potentially result in up to a billion cards being discarded every year as the festivities draw to a close. Luckily our concern for the environment is growing, with more and more of us responding to invitations to take our old cards in for recycling in January. But in these days of minimalist living, when we'd all prefer to lead a clutter-free way of life, hasn't it all got a bit too much?

Tradition has ensured that the age-old British custom of sending Christmas cards has never lost its impetus. It all began back in 1840 with the introduction of the 'Penny Post' public postal service and the popularity of cards soared with the introduction of irresistible new designs over the years, beginning with nativity scenes and continuing with endearing images of winter, Father Christmas and warm and cosy settings around the Christmas tree. These days, anything goes, whether it's scantily clad young men in festive hats or Santa and Rudy causing mischief and mayhem across the winter skies.

But times have moved on. We now live in the digital age, a time when funky graphics and cool animations are the name of the game. So maybe it's time to grab your mouse, embrace the world of online greetings cards and give your postman a well-deserved rest over the festive season? We've certainly been dabbling with the idea of electronic cards for years, particularly as they've grown more interactive. There are hundreds of e-card companies offering many thousands of exciting designs and nifty features. The greetings arrive instantly, they're just as bright and bold as your paper cards and many of them can be personalised. The best thing is, many of them are free and we seem to blissfully forget the millions of pounds we squander every Christmas on greetings cards. Surely sending your cards for free and donating your annual Christmas card budget to charity would be an appropriate gesture for the season of goodwill?

It may seem strange at first to fire off all your Christmas greetings at once with a click of the mouse, but like everything new in life, we're sure to get used to the idea. There is of course the consolation that at least you'll save precious time and you can guarantee never to be a victim of postal strikes. We all seem to want to de-clutter and cut back on commercialism, so has the time really come to shun the high street card shop and vie to the whims of the digital age? Just how many people would be willing to sacrifice the pleasure of licking those good old Christmas stamps, only time will tell, but the idea certainly has more than its fair share of appeal.