I got the inspiration to write this log Following a TV news element, which highlighted the difficulty for people with learning difficulties we’re having around ‘Black Friday sales’ in the run up to Christmas.
Again this was a channel 5 news element that led me to compose this blog regarding social media. The broadcast had a representative from the Scope charity as well as an adult with larding disabilities. Scope are being extremely pro-active with this and make a point that it is a legal requirement to provide accessible sites, yet this is not currently being enforced. It’s focus was on understanding online price cuts and being ‘tricked’ into making bad decisions .
People who experience brain fog, confusion and anxiety can also struggle. There are times where delivery charges have fooled me and a particular order which caught me out as a present I ordered had been reduced and had I added 1 more thing to my selection I would have then hit an additional offer that would have saved me £10, but that’s quite a difference and why I now try to ensure I shop in the morning even if things are in the basket later in the day. It’s easy to be fooled by this when it says ‘free delivery’ but you need a certain amount of spend or to ‘hook’ into a trial next day delivery plan to get it free. This can be VERY hard to workout and then you add in click and collect programmes and the world is now spinning around all over the place.
A ‘Christmas sales: Supershoppers Special’ programme broadcast on Channel 4 over the holiday hosted by Sabrina Grant and Helen Skelton highlighted tricks of the trade from retailer caught my eye as it was billed as unearthing the tricks that retailers play online, fooling people with prices and not delivering the same articles as seen online and showing how you get the best deals with Christmas Sales.
One regular ‘wowcher’ was a real shock, having seen adverts for this discount seller all over the internet and TV commercials this was a real eye opener. The way they deceived shoppers was awful and others using countdown clocks for others and then putting them back up again the following day or advertising another offer! It was incrediable to see how people were falling for these ‘tricks’ despite no health or learning disability at all. It showed how vital to check the small print and if the offer sounds too good then it probably is. Another tip was to make sure that you check the ‘uptown’ so much off. It could be that you need to spend more to get the highest reduction price. This was been something I have seen, particularly on The Works. In shops some have the helpful charts to show you how much an item will cost with a reduction. This is great if you need some help with maths but you still need to ensure you know what % your item is reduced by, so check the label and not only that a bonus in shops is you should be able to see the actual starting price.
You could look up the programme on player. You might pick up some handy hints. It even touched on holiday get aways as people start to think about sunshine breaks at this time of year, plus there are always sales and sites offering great bargains so a few things will carry through into the new year.
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/supershoppers/on-demand/70034-003
as of the 5th January there are 24 days left for you to revisit this programme.
Moving into the new year the same difficulties will await us with ‘Boxing day sale’ that lasts for days, new year sale that lasts a month, then special offers! Are these things that are really going to save us money? Have companies increased prices for the christmas shop and therefore the ’50%’ off is actually not as good a deal? Lots of questions to ask on this one and the same confusion that occurs. Does the delivery shift the prices up, do your discount codes really work on sale items? Probably not.
This also got me thinking about social media. I used to be on there a lot, to support my ambassador roles, especially on Facebook where I had my own page, a website page link and joint access to a page for my sport ambassador role. However, after my psychotic episode I was away from the world of ‘social media’ for 5 weeks. After that I tried to resume using it although to be honest I have no idea when as I have little memory of that year at all. The world was less clear, with voices in my head and delusions occurring I trundled through what seemed like a bundle of is this real or not? and it began to freak me out.
Now I find difficult again for an added reason. I also feel that I am being watched and don’t want to be placing myself into an environment where others can watch my every move and see what I am up to. Working out what is not and what isn’t is a complex task as can be navigating other website links - especially ones about health related issues, provision of things, shopping sites and downloadable resources.
I think the easiest way is to only have people you know and trust as friends where possible, engage and like pages that are legitimate medical sites or promote health pages that don;t give detailed information but ‘guide you’ to the right sights and offer links to blogs. Be wary of anything that promotes external shopping sites, since these can be costly and many not based in the UK, so postage and costs are hard to work out. News sites are good to have and council run programmes.
If you or someone you know is part of a group or club that they have their own facebook page ask if they have a closed group. In order to access these groups you need to make a request to the person that manages them and they will only accept who are part of the club / group. This doesn’t mean mean you can believe everything that may be posted in that group BUT things like times of events, changing of activities, reports on what group members have achieved and as you can see who is writing the comments and posting information you will be aware of who you can see when you attend your sessions, know who leads the group and focus on what they post. as you get to know others and become friends you can then use the closed group to chat to them or become friends on facebook itself and have messenger for conversations privately between group sessions.
Do some research if you would like to believe a story but you aren’t sure if you should or not. If someone can’t do this for themselves a carer could help guide the right pages to view or to buy from. That support is crucial and will help people integrate people into society that has gone online mad and is ruled by social media and companies advertising tantalising deals. The only news I know truly believe is that of legitimate TV channels. These can also be hard to find and to manage because of the wording used. Channel 5 is a great one to use, they have a range of features, the language is more accessible and they show a variety of news stories.
Soaps are fine if you know they aren’t true life and remember that BUT they can also be hard if you see connections like I do with my own life. If they are covering sensitive issues like crime and medical problems then wait till the credits role and they often have a ‘if you have been affected by the issues shown in this programme you can go to …………..’ and that will be a safe option. Watching documentaries are a much safer option to consider. Whilst I watch just two soaps now, I love the range of documentaries that are aired and love learning and seeing things that are interesting and I never thought existed.
A few of the best shows are;
Secret Life of the Zoo - Channel 4
Countryfile - BBC 1
Mega Builders - Channel 4
Jane Mc Donald Cruises - Channel 5
Escape to the Charteau - More 4
Great British Bake off - Food network, home & Channel 4
Cake Boss - Lifetime & Food Network
Dance Moms - Lifetime
Cheerleaders - Lifetime
Sports News & Football Nights - Sky Sports Mix
The Red Arrows - Channel 5
One site we love at timetoheal is Pinterest. We use it for the purpose of research for craft ideas, card making ideas, gift making, templates etc. You can also pick up some great food recipes. This site is accessible and a safe one to visit.
Twitter is something that we at Time to Heal can never quite get our heads around and perhaps you can? With the #this and @ this and re-tweets and love hearts its a minefield that’s one step too far. We would love to hear your ideas for this one!
I hope these simple and logical steps will will help you to enjoy shopping online and enjoy learning about the world around us. My illness has made me more inquizative, brought me into watching programmes that I would have ‘turned my nose up to!’ and look at things differently. Social media and discount shopping are hot topics of course but remember it is up to you how much time you spend oinline, where you shop and what programmes you watch. You don’t have to follow any of my suggestions. Just do what is right for you. I would love to hear from you about your ways of managing with the issues rasied above. Email me at timetoheal1210@gmail.com I’ll post peoples comments in a later blog, hopefully with tips and tricks from you!
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