Virginia Cheeseman Blog

I don't like change! Last Saturday as planned my lovely website guy switched over the old tarantula format on my website to a new 'improved' version. Yes, I admit it now, it appears to be working a treat from the customers point of view and certainly from the sales point of view but I am having a nightmare trying to work out how to use it from 'behind the scenes' as it were. The workings of this system are nothing like they were and I'm so freaked out that I cannot concentrate and understand it (however many times my husband tries to show me). It is mathematical, you have to set a base price and then add extra for each size of spider of that species. There are plus signs and minus signs and different 'options' to check and change and I just don't get it. I'm sure I will get there in the end but last weekend I was all for changing it back. I got as far as calling my web guy but he pointed out that it wouldn't be that easy. There are definite...

Stress, stress, stress! I hate change and everything seems to be changing and stressful this week. Hubby finally has a weekend off work so he is going to help me get on top of everything over the next couple of days (that's the plan but the list that I need help with is very long). My website guy is working on changing the entire set up of the tarantulas. He will be uploading it this weekend so fingers crossed that goes to plan. It is pretty complicated for us but should make it much easier for everyone to find exactly which species and size I have available. At present I have the tarantulas listed in alphabetical order according to their common name but this needs to change, common names really don't mean much. One spider may have several 'common names' but only one scientific name. I have been on the phone and exchanging emails with Worldpay this week, I will probably be adding their services to my current payment options but again it is complicated. I have been ...

All change, I have decided that I cannot put it off any longer, I have to get my website sorted out. It needs to be more user friendly, I wish someone would magically fix it as I have very little interest in anything non living but as this business is just me I will have to get it done. I have spoken to my website guy and asked him to go ahead with amalgamating the various sized tarantulas according to species. This should make it much easier for customers to search for a particular spider rather than having to look at each size category to find the correct species. I wish everyone would just use the search box on the banner but I'm told that's not what most people do (I go onto a website like Debenhams and put in 'bikini' and all the bikinis show up). I frequently get emails asking if I have a certain tarantula in stock, so I am assuming these people have looked at my website and been unable to find what they are looking for even though it is in stock and showing on ...

August already, Autumn is approaching (what a horrible thought). I love this hot weather, as do my animals, long may it last! It's been a good week, I'm finally getting back on top of things after my holiday. I have rearranged some of the shelves and cleaned out some of the larger cages and boxes. I did have Tuesday off to go down to Somerset to visit my aunty for her 93rd birthday. It was a very long way to go there and back in a day but it was lovely, my aunty still lives in her own home and manages really well. I'm glad I put a note on the website as Tuesday turned out to be a really busy day (typical) but most people had read the note and realised I was unavailable. I soon caught up on all the emails, calls and questions the next day. I'm not sure if there was a fault with my website last weekend as I didn't receive a single order? I contacted my web guy and he said it looked fine but it was most odd considering this week has been so busy. If you tried to o...