Computer Shopper - UK (2020-03)

ADVANCEDPROJECTS

ISSUE385|COMPUTER SHOPPER|MARCH2020 125

THEREARELOTSofwell-known, well-
respected websites out there; we hope you’ve
bookmarked many of them forquick access.
Moving beyond those trusted fewsites can
be problematic, however.First,you’ve got to
find sites that look useful, and search engines
are arguably becoming less reliable due to
results being skewed by sponsored links,
SEO hacks and click-bait articles.

Even if you find asitethat looks

reasonable,itmight take awhile to judge

whether it’s actually useful or just well-

designed garbage.We’re looking at you,

goop.com.And also at whatever websites

keep recommending ladies put strange

things in awkward places –why on earth

didThe Independentfeel it necessary to

writeanarticle titled, ‘Don’t put ground wasp

nest on your vagina’? Why didThe Mirrorfeel

the need to remind us that ice lollies are for

mouths only,nomatter how hot it gets? See

tinyurl.com/385projects1and tinyurl.

com/385projects2 if you don’t believe us.

We promise that the following

recommendations contains only fun

distractions, trustworthy information,

useful tools and absolutely no bunkum.

SECRET SHOPPING

BrandAlley http://www.brandalley.co.uk

Sarenza http://www.sarenza.co.uk

Secret Sales http://www.secretsales.com

SHOPSAND SHOPPING

Board Game

Prices

boardgameprices.co.uk

Boxoh http://www.boxoh.com

Camel Camel

Camel

uk.camelcamelcamel.

com

Cool Hunting coolhunting.com

Ethical Market ethical.market

Ethical Shop ethicalshop.org

Green Gardener http://www.greengardener.co.uk

Hive http://www.hive.co.uk

This Is Why

I’m Broke

http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.

com

Worn on TV wornontv.net

ONLINESHOPPINGHASbecome one of the
keyreasons forfiringupaweb browser,but
there’s so much more than Amazon (or,if
there isn’t, consider using the Smile option to
support charities). Secret sites have become
so popular theynow advertise on telly,and
it’s easy to see why.The bulk buying power of
large memberships delivers huge savings.
The catch is, once that bulk purchase has
been made by thesiteoperator,theyreally
need to shift it: enter pressure selling, and
constant emails and alerts about new deals
and offers. If you do sign up fora‘secret’
shop,know what you’re looking forand only
buy things you need. The three sites listed
cover various aspects of ‘lifestyle’. BrandAlley
focuses on clothes, Secret Sales on clothes
and beauty,and Sarenza on shoes.
Our list of ‘standard’ sites includes a
fewmarketplaces forsustainable or
environmental products, plus Hive,which
donates acut of each sale to alocal
(physical) bookshop.CoolHunting styles
itself as acutting-edge tech, design and
culture publication that does direct sales.
Or possibly it’s just ashop with aprominent
editorial element.
More comprehensible and impressive is
Worn on TV,which tells you where to buy the
clothes of your favourite TV characters. Not
the actual garments, but if you want to look
like Eleanor fromThe Good Placeor rock

some of the outrageously 80s stylings of

Stranger Things,thissiteknows wheretogo.

Board Game Prices points you to the

cheapest place to buy aboard game –

possibly acomplementary copyofD&D?

Boxoh could then help you track the delivery,

superimposed on aGoogle Map.

Camel Camel Camel is the strangest and

most enlightening tool.Ittracks products on

Amazon, letting you see whether the current

price is low or high, both against its price

history on Amazon and on third-party sites.

It can be quiteaneye-opener; turns out that

Amazon isn’t necessarily the cheapest.

SHOPPING

⬆Worn on TV lists where tobuy clothes that your favouritecharacters have worn in specificepisodes

⬆The oddly named Camel Camel Camel tracks Amazon prices over time,and compares them with third

parties. Maybe that flash sale isn’t so flash?