High street retailers and supermarkets have been hard hit by the recent cold weather with fewer people venturing into town centres and retail parks, preferring instead to pop out to the local corner shop for essentials. Some smaller high street retailers have even had to close for short periods, partly because of customers staying at home and partly because of branches having to close due to staff absences. John Lewis reported a drop in high street sales of 30% during the week ending 9th January this year. In the same week their online sales increased 56%! Tesco Direct reported a 50% increase in the six week period to 9th January with online sales growth of almost 20%.

Some online shops, or etailers, have admitted that in spite of overall record sales in recent weeks they did experience a drop in sales during the worst of the weather. Tesco.com reported a drop of 0.5% over a six week period and Ocado experienced a 5% dip in sales during the worst week. These online grocers will nevertheless have impressed many new customers forced by the weather to shop online instead of doing a supermarket run.

In the early days, consumers' experience of online shopping was disappointing with complaints of poor delivery and returns policies. Since then, etailers have taken up the challenge and made huge improvements in these areas, such that consumers are now rating the online shopping experience more highly than department stores and supermarkets. Many consumers forced by the exceptional weather to sample etailing for the first time, will have had their low expectations met and exceeded by the online shops' ability to get their deliveries through. There are reports of some Tesco.com staff using their own 4x4 vehicles for deliveries in Glasgow, whilst staff in Hereford actually walked through the snow to get to disabled customers! Ocado Chief Executive Officer Tim Steiner said: "Whilst we did cancel a small number of deliveries due to snow in the lead-up to Christmas, our staff worked tirelessly to contact customers and we were able to offer all of them a re-delivery before Christmas Day."

Many online stores took advantage of their exemption from the legal ban on opening on 25th December and launched their sales on Christmas Day, or even Christmas Eve, instead of the more traditional Boxing Day. IMRG, the industry body for global etailing, reported that shoppers spent £102 million on Christmas Day last year and the total is expected to be even higher this year.

Resistance to e-commerce has been highest amongst older consumers who tend to have a natural suspicion of cyberspace, in some cases with good reason; high profile scams in the guise of "Web loyalty" programmes perpetrated by marketing companies were the subject of a Senate hearing only last November. "Safe-shopping" has become a priority for the big name sites, however and coupled with antivirus software and greater consumer awareness of the dangers and how to avoid them, this means that cybercrime is much less of a worry than in the past.

First-timers to online shopping will have found directory-type, market place and price comparison sites making it easy to pull together details of etailers. In some cases these sites offer money-saving voucher codes for the produce and services offered. Once the weather improves, many of these new customers will remain.

This year Valentines Day falls on a Sunday and getting flowers delivered on a Sunday can be a tricky service to find.

Clare Florist have told us that this year they will be using a specialist courier delivery company and can now guarantee a Sunday delivery for your flowers.

So whether you're sending a beautiful bouquet or some classic red roses, use Clare Florist and have a happy Valentines Day.

It gives me great pleasure to say that we've awarded Prezzybox.com the Shopsafe Customer Service 2010 award.

This award recognises the superb levels of customer service given to Shopsafe customers over the last 12 months. In particular, the levels of service given to customers over the busy Christmas period were second to none.

We've never given this award before, but felt the high standards set by Prezzybox deserved some recognition.

If you've not visited the site before, Prezzybox.com has a terrific range of gifts, it's ideal if you're stuck for gift ideas.

The site is simple to use, and packed full of things you'll be dying to get your hands on yourself.

Congratulations to Prezzybox from everyone at Shopsafe.

Occurring annually on the 14th of February, Valentine's Day has become an important date on the calendar for many people who are involved - or wish to be - in a romance of some description or another. On Valentine's Day, it is customary for lovers to exchange cards that express their feelings and presents such as flowers, chocolates, alcohol, jewellery, perfume and soft toys. Although many people consider Valentine's Day to be just another commercial exploitation of consumers, the majority of couples take the day seriously. So, who exactly was Saint Valentine - the man whose name is honoured on the occasion - and why do people celebrate the 14th February each year?

The identity of Saint Valentine is, unfortunately, not very well known. Although most people have heard of the man through his association with Valentine's Day, there are few specific details that describe his existence. Broadly speaking, Saint Valentine is thought to have been a Roman priest, bishop or martyr, whose actions resulted in his association with love and the 14th of February. One of the first accounts of Saint Valentine, however, does not appear in Roman text; indeed, the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 remains the first written account of Saint Valentine's life. Understandably, this has lead to doubts about the authenticity of the report itself and whether its facts can be relied upon. Nevertheless, the Nuremberg Chronicle is thought to be accurate by many scholars and analysts.

In the Nuremberg Chronicle, Saint Valentine was depicted alongside a description of a priest who was martyred under the rule of Claudius II. Having encouraged and assisted Christian couples to marry, which was outlawed at the time, Saint Valentine was allegedly arrested and imprisoned; however, it was apparently only after Saint Valentine had attempted to convert Claudius II that he was sentenced to death. According to popular opinion, Saint Valentine was clubbed and stoned before he was beheaded on the 14th February, around the year 270 AD. Some 226 years later, Pope Gelasius marked the 14th of February as Saint Valentine's official day of celebration. Over time, this day of celebration became more heavily connected to love and romance generally; in fact, it was a commonly held belief in England and France during the Middle Ages that birds paired up on this day, which prompted Chaucer to write: "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day, Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate".

Why people continue to celebrate Saint Valentine on the 14th of February is easy to understand. According to the popular adage, love makes the world go round; as such, celebrating the day on which a man who reportedly helped persecuted couples get married was executed seems a fitting tribute to love in a broad sense. Love endures much pain and sacrifice in order to survive, so a man's ultimate gift to those who wanted to unite together in holy matrimony ought to be celebrated forever. Valentine's Day is, therefore, an important reminder that love is a great reward for those who struggle through adversity together. Valentine's Day is also an ideal time in which to remind others that they are very much loved - in modern times this is usually accentuated through the exchanging of various gifts, as mentioned above. The 14th of February is also ideal for kindling new romance.

With 2010 is in full swing, we thought it would be interesting to look back at 2009. Every year sees its fair share of winners and losers in all spheres of life, the shopping arena being no exception. Sadly, due to the economic downturn, 2009 was very much the year of the losers, when a number of well known high street stores bit the dust one by one, including well-loved famous names such as Woolworths, MFI and Principles.

But flip the coin and we find a more optimistic side to shopping in 2009. For a number of years now, retailing has been less about sales and profits and more about what can be done to help the community and how that can raise the profile of responsible companies. So just who were the benefactors of 2009 and what were the good causes they bought into?

Medical heroes

Britain's biggest retailer Tesco has been synonymous with the fight against cancer since 2002 as National Sponsor of the ladies-only Race for Life event, held at around 230 venues across the country. The retail giant is proud to have helped raise an overwhelming £135 million since the annual 5km running event began in 2002 to further the pioneering work of Cancer Research UK. The number of ladies signing up is increasing year upon year and saw close to a million entrants in 2009, many of them having surviving cancer themselves. They say charity begins at home and with the big C now affecting one in three of us, it seems an ever more appropriate fundraising event for a retailer that contributes so closely to our daily lives.

Environmental heroes

2009 will be remembered for the war against plastic carrier bags, when shoppers across the country were urged to reduce their harmful effects on the environment by adopting eco-friendly alternatives. High street giants Asda, Boots and John Lewis all bought into the appeal and pledged their ongoing support by committing to some ambitious targets, including cutting their carbon emissions and waste by over 25% over a period of 4 years. All three companies are attempting to reduce water use, improve recycling information and cut down on the use of packaging on their own-brand products, as well as encouraging customers to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours.

Ethical heroes

Anita Roddick was ahead of her time when she pioneered the concept of ethical business, launching the Body Shop way back in the 1970s. These days ethical trading is a hot topic in retailing, with an ever increasing focus on the sale of fairtrade products and initiatives that benefit workers in third-world countries. The Co-operative for one, brands itself as one of the leaders in fairtrade. As one of the founder members of the ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) Monsoon Accessorize is committed to valuing every person that contributes to delivering its range of accessories to our high street from many remote corners of the world. In 2009 further ETI members Marks and Spencer, Next, New Look and George at Asda have also worked tirelessly with overseas suppliers to improve their processes, communications and forecasting abilities and as a result have made a real difference to working conditions and pay in Third World countries.

May will agree that the best gift you can give is the gift of experience. Whether it be a holiday, an exhilarating adventure or a special day, an experience creates a lasting memory, offers a chance to grow and learn and makes us feel fantastic. Thanks to our growing desire to seize the day, buying gift experiences for our friends and loved ones is growing ever more popular

If you're buying a gift experience visit Give a Gift Experience where you can compare prices of all kinds of gift experiences and use voucher codes to make sure you get the best price.

One of the great things about online shopping is the ability to hit the January sales from the comfort of your own home. Rather than face the heaving high street, long queues at the tills, a lack of car parking spaces and piles of scattered goods in the shops, you can shop at leisure, at a time that suits you and seek out the absolute best of the bargains.

Online January sales shopping does require a little planning and discipline however - it can be as hit and miss as the frenzy of high street shopping if you don't approach it with a broad plan in mind.

Firstly, think about what sort of things you are looking for and pull a list together of the stores and online sites you'd like to look at. Secondly, have a budget in mind - it is very easy to build up a large online shopping basket and suddenly realise you have spent more than you wished to. Use the basket to keep a rolling tally - and if you are debating whether or not to purchase something, then add it to your online cart - this will save it being ordered by someone else and you can always remove it later. Be warned however, some shopping baskets will automatically empty after a certain period of time if they aren't taken through the checkout process - this is to keep as much stock available for customers as possible and to minimise online 'reservation' of items.

Use our price comparison service to hunt down the cheapest branded items and use voucher codes to save even more money on your purchases, where available. For items on the high street such as clothes and boots, make a note as to when your favourite store's sale begins - this information is usually found online over the holiday period, or in the newspapers. You may be able to start shopping for your most-wanted items at an earlier time than that at which the high street sales actually start.

If you are shopping for clothes, look for designer items that you might not usually be able to afford. You should look for classic pieces that will last season after season. Department stores are also ideal for designer bargains and you will find that many Christmas gifts are reduced to half price in the January sales.

When you have bought your online purchases be sure to keep the e-receipt safe and check returns details carefully. Many sale purchases have to be returned within seven days rather than the standard 14-28 days. You may also find there are specific provisions around the return of online purchases - check the small print before you buy if this is likely to be a problem.

With these basic tips in mind you should find that you have a great online shopping experience and get all the bargains you could ever have wished for in the January sales.

If you're looking to save money on your Valentines Day presents make sure you visit Valentines Day Voucher Codes, all the voucher codes listed are valid to use today, and more will be added in the run up to Valentines Day.

One thing that we may all have learnt during the past year is that it can be a very good idea to have a financial nest egg to fall back on in hard times. So why not start 2010 by setting yourself a New Years resolution to start saving to ensure that you are always prepared for the next minor, or major, cash crisis.

There are still a number of attractive ways to save whilst still having access to your money should the need arise. Perhaps the best known is by regular savings into an Individual Savings Account (or ISA). Since October, anyone over 50 can save up to £5,100 in cash and £5,100 in funds, stocks or shares or the whole amount into stocks or shares or funds. Lower limits apply for those below 50. From April 5th 2010 everyone will have these limits to save tax free. There are a number of regular saver ISA's with attractive rates and should you decide to invest in stocks and shares then any dividend or capital gain is free from tax.

But you don't have to invest in an ISA to enjoy good rates of interest. Many banks and building societies offer regular savings accounts where any amount up to around £300 per month can be invested to enjoy attractive rates of interest. Some may limit the ability to withdraw cash until the end of the year but they can be an attractive way to stash cash that you may not need for up to a year.

Of course there are many other ways to save. Putting odd change into a piggy bank can soon add up to a few pounds but why not add to your New Years resolutions by giving up a vice and saving the cash that you would have spent instead! Still a smoker? Well, at £5 per pack and 20 a day will net you £35 per week or almost £150 per month. With that, you can overpay your mortgage to reduce interest charges of clear off an expensive credit card balance.

If the cost of Christmas got a little too much then start saving for next year by putting some money away into an account that you cannot access until needed. Some supermarkets offer a pre-pay type facility where you can budget for a large food and drink spend at Christmas. There are still schemes where you can join a Christmas Savings Club to help budget for next year more easily.

If you want to help your children or grandchildren or relatives children be financially independent in the future then why not contribute to their Child Trust Fund account. Every child born since September 2002 has a government sponsored tax free savings account that family and friends can contribute to for the benefit of the child. Any money invested cannot be accessed until they are 18 and there is a limit of £1,200 per year that can be invested but it could be a welcome nest egg for any young adult when they reach 18.

With the general cost of living and taxes set to increase in 2010, there can never be a better time to make a resolution that will save you cash and where you can see the rewards for your effort grow.

Shopsafe.co.uk has been around since 1999, so we thought we should take a look back at online shopping through the noughties.

When rumours of the dawn of the 'Information Superhighway' began in the early 1990s, there were those who took notice and then the sceptics who claimed it was just another flash in the pan. But since the millennium in particular, nobody can dispute that the internet has become the major global phenomenon of our time, something we now rely on for everything from renewing our car tax to finding romance.

When the first retail websites arrived, advertising static images of their products, it was difficult to envisage one day being able to order and pay for them with the click of a mouse and have them delivered gift-wrapped. For one thing, our snail-paced dial-up connections saw to it that we'd only be able to view a few products before the screen froze up. Cue the arrival of Amazon, who by the turn of the century was already the world's biggest online retailer and quickly expanded its product base from just books to videos, music and electronic gadgets. Ebay wasn't far behind, taking the idea of the jumble sale and turning it into a worldwide shopping obsession. Needless to say, it didn't take long for other retailers to jump on the bandwagon.

Online shopping has changed beyond recognition since its infancy, but the journey has been far from smooth. After an initial surge in sales as a curious population began to dabble, a lack of online security and a growing sense of mistrust held many people back from committing to those purchases. But as consumer concerns were raised and issues of online consumer protection were addressed more and more closely, so our attitudes relaxed. New technologies saw the introduction of secure online payment methods and reliable online credit card processing. In parallel the population became more computer literate, along with our ability to search more efficiently and consequently our willingness to shop at more sites. Not surprisingly this has led to something of a rebirth in online shopping in more recent years.

So what exactly is it that we've been buying? Whereas our initial purchases back in the early years were limited to CDs and DVDs, computer software and electronic equipment, we're now becoming increasingly adventurous, shopping online for all manner of household items and clothing. While men are still more likely to shop online than women, particularly for electronic equipment, women have been the driving force behind the growth in popularity of food and grocery shopping. By 2005 around 40% of the population had bought goods online, rising to 53% in 2007. This percentage is now accelerating faster than ever before, fuelled by cheaper and faster broadband and a range of more innovative sites.

With the huge recent increase in the number of online retailers it's become simple to compare dozens of items online in a fraction of the time than it would take on the high street and savvy shoppers can pinpoint exactly where to source the best bargains. When we consider that limited time is having more and more of an influence on where we buy our goods, it's easy to see why the internet has been a godsend for the cash-rich, time-poor. As the online shopping figures continue to accelerate at an unprecedented pace and as we begin to order our weekly groceries straight from our mobile phones, the question on everybody's lips is exactly where the internet shopping revolution will take us in fifty years time.

Why is it that the best opportunities in life always come round at the wrong time? Certainly when it comes to shopping, spotting that must-have item is sure to coincide with having to pay a huge household bill. On the other hand, the time when we do have money to burn is the time we can never find what we're looking for.

With the onset of the winter sales, the post-Christmas period is one time that has become synonymous with shopping. In fact it is hard to believe there is anything else going on at all, judging by the ads on TV and the chaos on the high street. But why do we do it when, let's face it, there are so many reasons why we should not? Talk about bad timing, it is just typical that the stores do everything they can to tempt us in for a spending frenzy at the one time of year when we've just completely spent up.

Barely has the turkey carcass been discarded, than we suddenly seem to find we need things to relaunch our lives as the new year dawns. Not only do we turn to gym equipment to shed those Christmas pounds, but new TVs, music systems, dishwashers, washing machines, you name it. There is nothing like a fresh start and unlike at the end of December, in January we're suddenly deluded into thinking we have the whole year to pay for these things.

Do we really need more clutter in our lives when surely, Christmas brings with it a whole pile of gifts? Well, judging by the speed with which we flock to post them all on internet auction sites on Christmas day, you'd be forgiven for thinking that in general, we don't really like what we're given. Perhaps unwrapping all those useless gifts simply leaves us with a sense of disappointment and yearning that has to be cured and we find that getting out there and grabbing what we really want is the only way to fill the gap. Then of course there is the issue of boredom. There is only so long we can stay cooped up in our living-rooms with our in-laws watching chick-flicks. There comes a moment when we simply have to abandon ship and head to the shops for stress relief.

But far from it being conducive with the seasonal spirit to put a dampener on one of its greatest pleasures, the virtues of the January sales do have to be extolled. After all this is the time of the winter blues and every woman knows the dark days that lead up to Spring will always generate a need for new handbags, DVDs, books, make-up and whatever else is out there to lighten the spirit. Savvy shoppers also know that it is the best time to buy Christmas presents and cards for the following year, as well as hugely discounted sparkly dresses for next years Christmas party.

As long as you keep your head on the straight and narrow, there is no doubt the January sales can prove to be an exciting time. However, whether or not you have recovered from the Christmas hangover, the fact that shopaholism is now officially recognised as a real addiction is a sobering thought. Maybe we should turn our attention to the time-honoured tradition of new years resolutions and give up shopping for the year. Or, if those shop windows are just too tempting, you might want to leave it till Lent...