Out of the mouths of babes....

Oh where to start this week? I have been thinking about this blog for a bit but just have not got round to putting fingers to keyboard (remember when we used to say 'pen to paper'?) Oh but I do digress.... Incidentally, can you remember the first email you ever received, or text message for that matter? Truly one is showing her age. As always there has been lots happening. Heaps of Christmas catalogue stock has arrived, with some great specials from Le Toy Van, Djeco and Voila. The catalogue specials officially start from November 1; however a few are already loaded into our eStore. One of these is a tin fairy tea set for $29.95, which I know is going to be a best seller. With all this stock arriving we have officially outgrown our warehouse (not bad considering we didn't even have a warehouse 18 months ago). So our overflow stock is being held at another storage facility as we gear up for a bumper Christmas.

We are also right in the middle of a website re-design. You can't notice any difference yet, as it is being done on a test server. The re-design is aimed at making your shopping experience easier. The main change is going to be a re-categorisation of items, with new product groupings that should be intuitively easier to use. We are planning on switching over to the new site by the end of October. Fingers crossed it will be a seamless transition! We have more than 200 new items available this month alone, however you won't be seeing them until we switch over to the new site. We promise they are well worth waiting for. To finish with I need to share this gem with you. We were at the servo and Connor (age 7 today) was 'interpreting' the icons with the lines through them telling you what you are not allowed to do. "Mummy, there is No Smoking, No talking on your phone, and No children watering the cars to make them grow". Priceless!!

Horses for Courses - Save 15% storewide

July is absolutely the best time of the year up here in North Queensland. I am loving all the events on at the moment, and there are lots of visitors as well. No doubt coming here to soak up the sun. This weekend is the Townsville Cup, which is one of the biggest social events on the calendar. It's an excuse (who needs one) to dress in all your finery and go and check out the fillies. Our retail store will be closed on Saturday; as we know that many of our hip and happening Mums will be getting ready for the races. As long as we are in horse racing celebratory mode, we figure you should be as well. So we have 15% off in the eStore all weekend. You need to enter the code EQUINE at checkout to get your discount. Your goodies will then be packed and sent Monday when we are back on deck. Our regulars know we only have these offers a few times throughout the year, so you better get racing!

Have a great weekend

Deborah

Webkinz - is there such a thing as an educational plush toy?

People who know me and the store and pretty familiar with my philosophy on toys and activity programs. At Entropy we love being a battery free zone and there is not a plastic or throwaway toy in sight. We stock good quality wooden toys and educational toys that have great play value. Generally speaking I am not a fan of toys that encourage children to spend more time at the computer. However; Webkinz ARE different and I spent a lot of time in Webkinz World checking whether the educational value of these plush toys was really enough to justify their inclusion in our store. After all, we have pretty lofty standards to uphold!

So, what are Webkinz? Webkinz are a collection of plush toys with a difference. Each Webkinz pet comes with a unique tag containing a secret code to open Webkinz World; a fun, interactive and safe learning environment for children. Once inside Webkinz World children adopt and name their pet and are then invited into a virtual world where they need to care for their pet. This includes feeding it, making and decorating their pet's room, and communicating with other Webkinz friends. In order to look after their pet children need to earn Webkinz World money, known as KinzCash. They can do this by completing quizzes, undertaking jobs at the employment office and playing games. Children can create unique spaces for their pets and add their own touch to the design; grow an outdoor garden, exercise, and lots of other fun activities.

Members can also safely 'chat' using pre-constructed messages that are flexible and cover lots of topics. Webkinz World changes every day, with new challenges, making it an interesting and exciting place for children to visit. It's one of the fastest growing sites on the internet and is best suited for children aged 6-14 years.

It's not just for kids though; at Entropy all of us have adopted pets and we love the interactivity and fun of the site. Kids can learn to care for a pet, share time with their friends and most importantly, use their imaginations. There are heaps of Webkinz to choose from; the hard part is picking the first one to start your collection.

Customer service in e-commerce stores

Like it or not, e-commerce is going to continue its growth, as more and more of us 'time poor' mothers look for alternatives to spending our precious spare time dragging the children around shopping centres. I personally dislike shopping centres quite a lot, so I have been an on-line shopper for a while now. Some people are reticent about purchasing on-line as they feel there is no replacement for touching and feeling a product. I understand this completely, that's why at Entropy we always make an effort to give you a decent product description and photos. One of the key things on-line shoppers are looking for is good customer service. I want to give you two examples of experiences I have had recently that were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Young Nugget is four years old and his room is due for a makeover so I went on-line to look at some linen alternatives. I find this the best way to do my research. I found some gorgeous choices, but only one on-line store that had 'in stock' the complete range I was after. I duly placed my order, for a not insignificant amount. Two weeks passed and no delivery, no update, nothing. So I think it is about time I followed this up and send the store an email asking for an update. I get one back telling me that none of the items I wanted were 'in stock' and that my order 'might' get dispatched this week and that normal dispatch times are 7-21 days. Argh!! this is one of my pet dislikes of some e-commerce sites that give the rest of us a bad name. This practice is known as selling on consignment. That is, the store does not actually have the item in stock, and when an order comes through they then place an order with the supplier so they can fill your order. The least that a store can do in this situation is let you know what is happening. So I have shopped at this store twice; for the first time and the last time.

At the other end of the spectrum I have had totally satisfying customer service from www.costumebox.com.au. I am off to a Venetian ball that is a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House. I needed a Venetian mask for myself and the other half and these are not that easy to come by. So I check online; great pics, looks like items are available; I place my order late on a Sunday night. I get an email back before 8.30 am on Monday morning to let me know the items have been sent. Bouquets to you costumebox and brickbats to the other e-commerce site that shall remain nameless.

At Entropy, everything you see on our website is in our store. If you order by 2pm then we will send your order that day, with a tracking number from Australia Post; so you will always know where your parcel is. Our commitment to you is to always have great customer service, and some fun along the way.

ps: pics of the Venetian ball to come... should be a hoot.

Quadrilla Wooden Marble Runs

Another busy week at Entropy with lots of new products arriving. A highlight for us was the arrival (finally) of our quadrilla store display. Quadrilla is a totally awesome wooden marble run the Taj Mahal of marble runs in fact. We have had our own shop display for quite a while, but we have lost count of the number of times it has been knocked over! It is always funny to see the look on customer's faces when the whole thing comes crashing down. We of course, just laugh. Actually, the fact that you can build and rebuild quadrilla different ways is one of its best features. It is a fantastic wooden construction toy as well as a marble run. Now we have this super duper shop display that is stuck together, and everyone can play to their heart's content with no fear of collapses. We now have four full sets to choose from Basic, Twist, Kindergarten and Twist/rail plus all the add on extension and fun packs. Quadrilla is part of our huge selection of wooden toys, more than 400 on-line are available.

Just arrived in store - Bolz Spinning Top and Wooden Doll's Bed

Some fab new products arrived in store today and they are going to be specials in this week's eNews which comes out on Friday. Take a sneak peek below at the Bolz Spinning Top and the Princess Bed. The Spinning top will be $14.95 (normally $24.95) and the Doll's Bed will be $29.95 (normally $49.95). A little bird told me that they have already been uploaded into Entropy's eStore at this special price - get yours now!