tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36663333845588840752024-02-07T04:56:41.556+00:00Pretty Paints, Shiny Dice !The blog of SnM Stuff - UK seller of model making and gaming supplies. This is where I put my random thoughts, as well as giving people a chance to let me know what they think of my little business !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-20635857459695803802012-12-23T23:07:00.002+00:002012-12-23T23:07:57.190+00:00Merry ChristHannuKwanSaturnaliDiwaliYulemas !<br />
There we are, I think that covers most of the people who celebrate around this time of year !<br />
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Hopefully everyone reading this will have (or has had, if you're reading this sometime in the future...) a fabulous break. I know I'm looking forward to it, it's been madly busy the last few weeks, and although that's good (and thank you to all our customers who made it so !) having a couple of days off will definitely help re-charge the batteries ready for all the new projects and ideas I've got lined up for the New Year.<br />
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Have a good one, everyone !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-35293951265376558352012-10-25T16:40:00.000+01:002012-10-25T16:40:02.359+01:00Time to kick this blog back into life !<br />
Okay, this blog has been left lonely and abandoned for far too long. Time to bring it back to life, but this time (hopefully !) a bit more consistently.<br />
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Microsoft switched off their Office Live platform, so we moved to Magento. The idea was that the new site would have an integrated blog, but actually the whole thing turned into a bit of a nightmare. Magento is probably a great system if you're a big company with a budget of tens of thousands of pounds and an in-house IT team to keep the gremlins at bay, but we found out the hard way that it isn't ideal for a business as small as ours !<br />
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So after a few months struggling with Magento trying to get it to work properly, we did the sensible thing and moved over to a hosted solution called Big Commerce. It's a joy to work with ! Things in it just... work. That gives me more time to find new products, write newsletters, and work on developing our new shop (a real life one, not just a virtual internet one !)<br />
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As for the blog, well I'm determined to blog more often, with product reviews, commentary on topical themes (sometimes controversial, hopefully interesting), and build or paint reports of things that are on the workbench. The last category is, of course, mostly a nice way for me to practice new techniques andfind out for myself how some of our new products behave in real life....Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-55063516874790956972010-08-30T18:36:00.002+01:002010-08-30T18:44:10.843+01:00A slight hiccup.....Just to keep you all posted.... we're experiencing a slight hiccup, inevitably timed to fall over a Bank Holiday weekend.<br /><br />Our website is hosted by Microsoft, but they appear to have hit a server problem. This means our website is currently timing out most of the time when anyone tries to access it. We're really, really sorry about this !<br /><br />We have (of course) fired off a suitably worded email to Microsoft support, to make them aware of the problem if they weren't already, and asking them to resolve it as rapidly as possible.<br /><br />In the meantime, if you have trouble placing an order, you are welcome to email us at <a href="mailto:contact@snmstuff.co.uk">contact@snmstuff.co.uk</a> with details of your order and we can send an emailed Paypal invoice to you.<br /><br />Just in case this isn't resolved within the next 24 hours or so, we have a contingency plan up our sleeves. We already own the .com version of our domain name, currently on a divert to our current website, and had planned to use it to introduce a re-launched site after Christmas, using a much better piece of web design software. We're looking to see if we can copy and paste the content of our site into this as an interim measure, even if it means we'll have to do a lot of tidying up at a later date.<br /><br />We'll keep you posted as the situation develops. Sorry again for the disruption !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-32469941413095607552010-06-24T15:37:00.002+01:002010-06-24T15:53:09.743+01:00Change is coming, and it's good<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wzhIJMPBq6ViuJfGIrp1AI0MI3JpToS5OiXRTAksNT_1iCjLCAIl4C8D-PtXjuEI88u53hm2H1_7zmqGlFsFlcLVBV-yGTs8S4zJaNWKcsvHjQHI0Gf3H3DfwMCix4b7HDC1Z47mK9U/s1600/IMG_5578.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486352866959908514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wzhIJMPBq6ViuJfGIrp1AI0MI3JpToS5OiXRTAksNT_1iCjLCAIl4C8D-PtXjuEI88u53hm2H1_7zmqGlFsFlcLVBV-yGTs8S4zJaNWKcsvHjQHI0Gf3H3DfwMCix4b7HDC1Z47mK9U/s320/IMG_5578.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>We've finally decided to take things to the next level ! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Up until now, SnM Stuff has been run by myself, Sean, with plenty of help from my wife Mel, and moral support from Tabby the office cat (or managing director, as he likes to think of himself...). I've been fitting everything around a full-time day job, while Mel already has another business based from home.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>After three years of ploughing the profits back into the business to keep growing it, we've finally decided that the time is right for me to leave the day-job and focus on SnM Stuff full time. It'll mean taking a drop in my total earnings for a little while, but we've done our sums carefully, and will still have enough to live on.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For our customers, the benefits will be great. We'll be able to respond to emails and ship orders more rapidly, and will finally have time to give the website a big update, including lots of new products we've been building up especially for the occasion. We'll also be able to do all those little things that there hasn't been time for until now, like create occasional email newsletters, price lists on CD-ROM, "How to" videos for YouTube etc. Just as important, there won't be any need for us to create any big price increases to pay for this, as our business model always included taking things full time into the plan. The only price increases will be if suppliers dramatically increase the wholesale prices, or when we have to take the business VAT registered (in which case, we'll probably have to increase some prices a little, but won't be adding anything like 17.5% to everything !)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>On a totally different front, there's another change which might be happening. There's a scruffy, fluffy black cat who has been visiting us to steal Tabby's food. Amazingly, Tabby seems to be happy to have this newcomer around, which is unusual as he's the most territorial cat I've ever known. We think our new little friend is either stray or feral, as he's completely unsocialised and very nervous around humans, but at the weekend we'll be asking up and down the road to see if anyone claims him. If they don't, we'll see if we can get him to the vet to be scanned to see if he's got a microchip, and if not, we'll see if he wants to adopt us. So we might have a new office junior ! That's him in the photo attached to this post, making himself comfortable on the patio.</div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-1695555318193890682010-04-11T20:04:00.002+01:002010-04-11T20:43:50.217+01:00Inflation, or "You can do anything with statistics"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0UqrAjJ1MprL1L6f20fiVvxd6v43MrKqjqa4SsJMpzPmq7gubRkTQMRR23jz6AYTfwtlrVPGE93FeLv-5ntSQm-EqdHxM4vMw-V3vDgmpEi5KjggSmvgcNCopm38Y81zqPQ6s0F3aDs/s1600/IMG_4778.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458967737946254098" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0UqrAjJ1MprL1L6f20fiVvxd6v43MrKqjqa4SsJMpzPmq7gubRkTQMRR23jz6AYTfwtlrVPGE93FeLv-5ntSQm-EqdHxM4vMw-V3vDgmpEi5KjggSmvgcNCopm38Y81zqPQ6s0F3aDs/s320/IMG_4778.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I've always been somewhat cynical about statistics quoted by politicians. You have to really dig into the details to understand what is really behind the figures they're using. My pet peeve is inflation. A few years ago, you'll see that they changed the way they expressed it. The RPI (Retail Price Index) was dropped, and they started talking about CPI (Consumer Price Index). Because the CPI excludes changes to the mortgage interest rate, the rate of inflation quoted by politicians immediately dropped by half a percent.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>But there is another aspect. Each of these measures uses a "basket" of items and measures changes in the prices of those items. But because there are so many different things you can buy in the shops and online, they just take a couple of items from each sector, and generally ones they think are popular purchases.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In the field I am interested in, which the government includes as "toys", the items they monitor tend to include the kind of common purchases typified by plastic Christmas presents from China and soft toys. Hardly relevant to someone trying to understand inflation in a specific niche market.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Politicians are quoting inflation at around 3% at present. But there have been two big jumps affecting online retailers recently. The first is Royal Mail's annual increase. Although they quote it as an average of 5%, this masks the detail. People watch the price of a first class stamp, but what they may not have spotted is that small packets (i.e. the kind of thing most online retailers post) went up by about 10%, and airmail went up by anything from 5% to 20%, depending on the weight and destination. Ouch ! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>On top of this, the exchange rate between the pound and euro has taken a really unfavourable turn recently. You'll see what I mean if you take a holiday this summer in the Euro-zone ! For us retailers, this means that prices for goods bought from Europe (or priced in Euros) have increased by about 15% in the last 12 months. Just look for yourself at the increase price of petrol; in March 2009, it was around 90p per litre for unleaded, now most of the petrol stations in my area are selling it for £1.22 per litre. I make that an inflation rate of about 37% (although of course, the politicians don't include the huge increases in fuel duty as part of inflation). So where is their 3% inflation now ?</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Sorry if this sounds like a rant (okay, I admit it... it is). But there is some good news. We've just had to increase our Vallejo Model Color prices, from £1.40 to £1.49 for single bottles. That's 6.5%, but it's the first increase in over 2 and a half years. I still couldn't find anyone cheaper online in the UK, so I think we're doing pretty well ! We've made some cost savings in overheads, and I must admit we're making less per bottle for ourselves, but I reckon we've done well to keep the price as low as we have. Hopefully you'll agree, and hopefully this (quite long) post will give you some insight into the price pressures we're under, and the logic we've used.</div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-4574825771422515562009-10-14T19:05:00.002+01:002009-10-14T19:18:56.374+01:00Create an account to shop ? No thanks !It's one of my pet hates. I find a website full of really interesting stuff, and decide I might buy something. But there's a catch; you have to register with them. Why ?<br /><br />It means they get all my information - name, address, possibly telephone number or date of birth, or whatever other daft questions they add to the registration form. It even means they could get a password. For many people, one password opens many doors, but luckily I'm a touch paranoid about internet security and never use the same one in more than one place. If you buy something, they can then tie all this data to your credit card details.<br /><br />Although the vast majority of online retailers are honest, and many will have even done the right thing and registered with the Data Protection Agency, there's always a risk that the data could fall into the wrong hands. It only takes one virus or one visit to a dogdy PC repair shop ! Not that I blame the retailers; many of them will have handed their website development to IT companies who are great at making flashy websites, but can be somewhat less switched on about what makes customers want to go shopping.<br /><br />So on our website, I code it myself and make sure we avoid all that. Customers can just hit the buttons and add stuff to the basket. I never see the credit card details (they are handled entirely through a secure Paypal checkout), and the only info I get is just what's needed to post the orders off and maybe a voluntary subscription to our mailing list. Just in case, I also spend a good amount on multiple layers of the best antivirus & anti-spyware software I know of (did I mention that I'm pretty serious about online security...). <br /><br />All this means that the buyer's experience is as worry-free and smooth as it's possible to make it, and I hold very little information so there's no worry of it getting into the wrong hands. Oh, and I never, ever, ever pass details of our mailing list subscribers to marketing companies !<br /><br />In the words of a certain TV-personality meerkat.... "Simples !"Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-64928503908959399842009-10-01T19:39:00.002+01:002009-10-01T19:47:13.980+01:00Whoops !The funny thing about technology is how it sometimes does the unexpected and really takes you by surpise. Happened to me today !<br /><br />Late last night, I decided it was about time to work out how the mass email function built into our Roman Cart checkout works. Not that I want to bombard people with emails (that's rude !), but just so I can send an occasional one to remind previous customers about SnM Stuff, promote any particularly snazzy new lines we get, and publish hints & tips.<br /><br />Unfortunately, software companies these days tend not to publish manuals. I guess there's a sort of assumption that if you've got this far, you can work it out for yourself. So I gamely created a test email, worked out how to filter the contact list so it would send the test just to me, and duly sent it off. Ooops ! Somehow, I missed one small but vital setting, and the software happily sent the test email to EVERYONE who had opted in on the contact list. Very embarassing !<br /><br />Luckily, I'm the kind of anorak that sets even tests up to be vaguely presentable, and included a bit of "hi there" text and the ethically polite unsubscribe link. It was by no means a finished professional email, but at least it wasn't just a blank screen with the single word "TEST" on it.<br /><br />Next time, I'll do my experimenting when it isn't so late at night - maybe then, I'd check the screen over more thoroughly before hitting the send button !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-68857358461393574502009-05-12T23:13:00.009+01:002009-05-12T23:26:55.235+01:00New Style Website Pages (at last !)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr0PR76_ApD-t1FqFraIVTf5C7OALsQy1Av7vO0KhkEnuIx8G3Im-UERXqQHrK66YLHTLRiHH4RrBbkbQcD_htPdlUViXSD6NLHwjI-8t9nR9xWoiT8ZvZfLwzPbhexGPyTpZn8lAzm8/s1600-h/27407.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335064553021503074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr0PR76_ApD-t1FqFraIVTf5C7OALsQy1Av7vO0KhkEnuIx8G3Im-UERXqQHrK66YLHTLRiHH4RrBbkbQcD_htPdlUViXSD6NLHwjI-8t9nR9xWoiT8ZvZfLwzPbhexGPyTpZn8lAzm8/s320/27407.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><p>I plead guilty - this post is blowing my own trumpet !</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>The MSN Office Basics website I use is actually quite a primitive beast, and I've probably made it do far more than the programmers originally envisaged.</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>The latest thing I've done, in response to a few customer comments, is start using thumbnail images that, when clicked on, open a new window with a full sized version in, and for items with several colour options, making the text with the colour name a link that does the same thing. That way, you can see the product in it's full glory, and the thumbnails have really small file sizes which help the pages load a little faster. </p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>It's meant that I've ended up learning a lot more about my camera, as a lot of the images I used before were not really up to the job. With about 1800 lines, it's going to take a good time before I re-photograph everything, but all new products will be done new-style.</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>The first full page I've done this way is a completely revamped Chessex dice page. The old photos really didn't do the dice justice ! Some of the dice (especially the Frosted and Precision Edge ones) phtographed really well. The Black/Silver Phantom ones have actually become a nightmare; the camera picks up a lot of purple which isn't visible to the naked eye. I feel a photoshop session coming on......</p></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><p>I hope you like the new look - it's planned to gradually spread across the site. Probably at about the same rate we're all catching swine flu (slowly, in other words) ;) If you want to have a gander, the Chessex page can be found at <a href="http://snmstuff.co.uk/chessex.aspx">http://snmstuff.co.uk/chessex.aspx</a></p></div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-21712042154256726222009-01-25T15:06:00.002+00:002009-01-25T15:26:19.193+00:00Why the recession could be a good thing (part 2)In my last post, I gave you reasons why I thought the recession could be a good thing for business in the long run. Now I'll do the same for individuals. Again, I recognise that for a year or three, a lot of people could be hit badly and go through a lot of suffering. But long term....<br /><br />We will learn to live within our means. I think it'll be many, many years before credit becomes as freely available as it has been for the last couple of decades. This means we'll have to save up before we spend the money, which in turn means we'll think harder before making our purchases. The end of the instant gratification culture, maybe ?<br /><br />We'll learn the value of money. With less people able to get any form of credit, combined with a long-lasting distrust of banks and increasing worries about online fraud, I see a shift back to a more cash based economy. This will probably happen despite the pressure from politicians and finaincial organisations, who are keen to get everything onto plastic - in both cases because tracking the use of plastic cards gives them information about our spending habits and movements.<br /><br />The benefit culture will change or end. Those who lose their jobs because of the recession, those who are genuinely unable to work, and the people who keep their jobs but have steeply increased taxes to pay for others' benefits will become increasingly bitter about the types that make not working a career choice and play the system for every penny they can get. It will need a change of government (and government philosophy) but I hope we will move towards a culture where people get benefits because they truly need them, and only after contributing to society. However, I fear that unless we get a government that cares about the ordinary hard-working citizen, we'll end up with a damaging split between a permanent underclass supported by exorbitant taxes on (the few) who work. <br /><br />With the pound at a lower value and the financial sector wrecked, if we get a government which cares for more than keeping their snouts in the trough, we'll see a move back to "Buy British", with support for UK-based manufacturers and technological innovation. This will create real jobs with real companies which make and sell tangible goods. Britain still leads the world in invention, but we have the opportunity now to use those inventions ourselves rather than just selling the patents off to the highest bidder.<br /><br />Finally, we will learn to reduce waste. When things break, we'll fix them. When we buy food, we'll eat it rather than throwing 30% of it in the bin unused. This will do more towards saving the planet's ecosystem than any amount of green taxes, and we'll be making the best use of our money at the same time !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-89034853908821545202009-01-21T20:45:00.002+00:002009-01-21T21:15:39.177+00:00Why the recession could be a good thing !It's weird, I know, but the recession could actually be good for both businesses and (more importantly) the public. Don't get me wrong; a lot of people are going to have a tough time for a year or two, and I don't seek to downplay the pain this will cause.<br /><br />If you look at the companies that are in the news for failing, there are basically three root causes, one or more of which apply.<br /><br />These root causes are;<br /><ol><li><span style="color:#3333ff;">Companies which have borrowed too heavily.</span> This could be to fund expansion through acquisition, to prop up inefficient or outdated business models, or to pay inflated salaries to their top staff (often while the people doing the actual work are paid no more than national minimum wage).</li><li><span style="color:#3333ff;">Blinkered and reactive management.</span> You know the kind of thing; managers who treat their staff as disposable rather than their most valuable resource, directors who never visit the shop floor, and management teams who think the way they work is the best possible and won't consider ideas for improvement.</li><li><span style="color:#3333ff;">Companies that have forgotten that the customer is king.</span> They expect them to jump through all kinds of hoops, and then behave as if they are doing them a great favour by giving them a downright shoddy service. </li></ol>The banks, of course, suffer from all three of these problems. Have you tried to phone one recently, or get a mortgage at a sensible rate ?<br /><br />As the recession deepens, more and more companies suffering from these problems will go to the wall. I feel very sorry for the staff who will be made redundant while the top management jump ship with golden handshakes and safe pensions.<br /><br />The good news is that the disappearance of these companies will leave a nice hole to be filled by newer, leaner, and more customer focussed businesses. The ones which are currently small or medium sized, but which value both their customers and staff. "No, sir, our computer system says you can't do that" will be replaced by "Yes - just give me a minute to work out how we can do that for you".<br /><br />In the long term, we will all get better customer service from companies which have come through the recession and know that to stay at the top they must treat their customers right and work efficiently and flexibly. I plan to be one of those businesses !Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-85784561230090508342008-04-19T09:43:00.004+01:002008-12-12T04:30:27.358+00:00Our Newest Product - Simulated Barbed Wire<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14b9IZocYfoyq_cGHttProrYsdBFRzJyTZao6ELsyBiC93OQWn8RkcpgbupN9uybhTizX2acqUpw4raiXmhJneRz-ghpkIUjfKhRseWgX9ObiQkJ3PzxnBDWOejPq3Pphg7CROQfoS6c/s1600-h/Wire+5m.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190874484467853858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 369px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 287px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="256" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14b9IZocYfoyq_cGHttProrYsdBFRzJyTZao6ELsyBiC93OQWn8RkcpgbupN9uybhTizX2acqUpw4raiXmhJneRz-ghpkIUjfKhRseWgX9ObiQkJ3PzxnBDWOejPq3Pphg7CROQfoS6c/s320/Wire+5m.JPG" width="339" border="0" /></a> I'd forgotten how long it was since I last posted on here ! <br /><br />It's been a manic time, with sales holding reasonably steady despite the credit crunch, and lots of new items added to the website. These include Mig Pigments, adhesives, and lots of additional items for established ranges. <br /><br />Best of all, we've launched our very first "Own Brand" product; simulated barbed wire. This wire is ideal for model-making and wargaming for any period after the devilish stuff was invented in 1868 (or 1874 - the first patent for an early design was issued in 1868, but the modern design we all know and love was patented by Joseph Glidden in 1874). You can find our simulated barbed wire on the Scenics page of our website; <a href="http://snmstuff.co.uk/VallejoEffects.aspx">http://snmstuff.co.uk/VallejoEffects.aspx</a> - this is a bit of a transitional page, as we've converted it from being purely Vallejo to general scenics. We'll hopefully do a tidying-up exercise next week !<br /><br />This weekend (well, today, at least) is going to be a day of rest, for the first time in ages ! I'm going off to Salute at it's new venue in Docklands - looking forward to it, and hoping it stops raining soon....Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-74434207166136677232007-11-24T13:33:00.000+00:002008-12-12T04:30:27.498+00:00I love the Dollar rate !<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtfpbDcxpdITdCrwU7X88jlU1AKtXB2a2iyQ349VSlE27TfOL1Ye6Hnoa1Uo2Dtq2K1G86UPurqrPil-_R4sLchOvnCmVQLYsnw6UO_Etk_tCqZ56dVGQZh3YJo_Hq4pcWvGdU35HNwM/s1600-h/Crystal+Ob+Yellow.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136400313963927826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhtfpbDcxpdITdCrwU7X88jlU1AKtXB2a2iyQ349VSlE27TfOL1Ye6Hnoa1Uo2Dtq2K1G86UPurqrPil-_R4sLchOvnCmVQLYsnw6UO_Etk_tCqZ56dVGQZh3YJo_Hq4pcWvGdU35HNwM/s320/Crystal+Ob+Yellow.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The great thing about the current dollar rate is that it makes imports from the USA such a bargain ! I've been talking to a new supplier for a little while now, but the original rate meant that the prices I'd have to charge wouldn't be too competitive. But with the value of the dollar slipping relative to the pound, it has improved to the point of being worthwhile.<br /><br />I placed my first order with them last week.... a selection of really nice unusual dice. It'll probably take a week or two for them to arrive, but as soon as they do, I'll put them in my website <a href="http://www.snmstuff.co.uk/">www.SnMStuff.co.uk</a> and you can drool over them for yourself (and hopefully buy some !). You can look forward to all kinds of nice dice - hit location D12's, D30's, glow in the dark dice and dice with luminous spots, braille dice, and maths symbol dice, to mention just a few.<br /><br />Since I haven't got them in yet, I can't post a piccy, but the one above is a shot of the Crystal Dice I sell. Nicely alternative, although the D20's tend to roll for a while before stopping !<br /><br />(PS as a follow-up to my last 2 posts, Tabby is back to his normal loveable self, although a bit clingy. Not that I'm complaining.... he's cute when he snuggles up at the end of the bed at night)Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-48536416035522860972007-11-07T21:52:00.001+00:002008-12-12T04:30:27.797+00:00Good News :)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPJ0MAw4llWpiSQ1dZYEHPhPYi5ZWuOQVemAqXf-3wsvS5gzdR8tADJFbnwkLmiMbEQQZuBTMeXZC5YC0luQUonH0bkUs9s_65L5Ux5YxmXbRwz-JxT3HtkIMrh7Zvb5oHyXQc_ftn2k/s1600-h/tabbs2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5130219914880282866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihPJ0MAw4llWpiSQ1dZYEHPhPYi5ZWuOQVemAqXf-3wsvS5gzdR8tADJFbnwkLmiMbEQQZuBTMeXZC5YC0luQUonH0bkUs9s_65L5Ux5YxmXbRwz-JxT3HtkIMrh7Zvb5oHyXQc_ftn2k/s320/tabbs2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>To say I'm relieved is an understatement..... looks like we got Mr Tabby to the vets just in time. They've put stitches in his tongue, but when we took him back to be checked up, they said that it looked like they were (just) holding, and he should make a full recovery although he might have a small notch at the edge of his tongue where they had to remove some bits that were too badly damaged to heal.<p>Poor little thing has been moping around the house for the last couple of days, and is generally out of sorts, but I guess I would be too after what he's been through ! He's been very clingy and lacking in confidence, but we've been giving him lots of love and attention, and it seems to be helping. With luck, he'll be back to his normal superior self in no time ! </div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-59045578572020962792007-11-03T11:11:00.001+00:002008-12-12T04:30:27.920+00:00Tabby and the vet<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKxf4_WMIjUMt_OcG8N1kqR9bzS9PyiC8fqqI6lazQPNdgqRzlE0QU7VXkN93lgMXkrDDu_vlrtDu7OPhQtq799sEz9hTc5GBPeJMR35n98X7Y1VnGwYn6XaWlffgj1L0WBUSS20lWoc/s1600-h/tabbs3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5128570595899011298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKxf4_WMIjUMt_OcG8N1kqR9bzS9PyiC8fqqI6lazQPNdgqRzlE0QU7VXkN93lgMXkrDDu_vlrtDu7OPhQtq799sEz9hTc5GBPeJMR35n98X7Y1VnGwYn6XaWlffgj1L0WBUSS20lWoc/s320/tabbs3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Not a business-realted post this one....</p><p>Tabby Cat is our SnM office junior in charge of morale boosting, milk drinking and general cuteness duties, only he's convinced HE is in fact in charge. Well, actually he is; as they say "dogs have owners, cats have staff".</p><p>But we had to take him to the emergency vet last night, with a terrible wound to his tongue. We think he tangled with a hedgehog and (never having seen one before) didn't realise that all those spikes are sharp. He hates travelling at the best of times, and somehow telepathically knows when he's going to the vets. So of course, he made himself scarce while we were on the phone to them. </p><p>By the time he reappeared, it was midnight. Even though he put up a terrific fight to avoid being put in his box, and cried a bit on the way down, he was ever so good. Not once did he lash out and try to claw or bite anyone. But he's really a very good natured little thing, and I think he knew we were doing it to make him better.</p><p>They gave him antibiotics and pain killers, and we've had to take him back again this morning to be knocked out and have stitches. Hopefully we'll get a call in a couple of hours to say he's okay and ready to come home..... we're both missing his company already.</p>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-91166766928806191502007-10-28T14:23:00.000+00:002008-12-12T04:30:28.565+00:00Customer Service ?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD994-GWSBUx7RVI7UrbF14N7F7JZUPkbAatv4gibfrqxP7W58s47_awxYY4is16Ikmw-rG5IgV0fpS6RCUDIcbzQDioHLnr7byaMcVzk8cUX1Yg-Wpni67BXCJCXWevfqkV2NYu-O6Nc/s1600-h/MA+Set+Metallics.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5126397664569782482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD994-GWSBUx7RVI7UrbF14N7F7JZUPkbAatv4gibfrqxP7W58s47_awxYY4is16Ikmw-rG5IgV0fpS6RCUDIcbzQDioHLnr7byaMcVzk8cUX1Yg-Wpni67BXCJCXWevfqkV2NYu-O6Nc/s320/MA+Set+Metallics.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I like to think I give good customer service. How do I define that ? Well, it's simple; I think how I would like to be treated when I'm buying something, and do the same for my customers. Also, I look at cases where I've come away feeling like I'm not valued as a customer, and learn from that, too.<br /><br />How NOT to do customer service really is exemplified by the Royal Mail. Not content with going on strike, which really caused problems and steep extra costs for a host of online retailers, they now seem to be determined to drive away those customers who still have to use them. I've had a shocking number of items I've posted go missing or turn up damaged (despite being something of a bubble-wrap addict). Their claim procedure is convoluted and so far has resulted in pay-out on precisely... zero... claims. And their latest stunt is to return packets marked "not called for". Well of course they weren't called for ! The Royal Mail didn't even try to deliver, and when my customers went there to try to collect their goodies, they found the sorting offices all closed up by the strike and with picket lines outside. Makes it pretty hard to collect !<br /><br />Anyway, rant over....<br /><br />One consequence of trying to give good customer service is the number of emails I get with obscure requests. I love these, they are a real challenge, and it's fun to do some research and expand what I know ! Sometimes it's people looking for an obscure colour match, or wanting to know what colour a particular uniform should be.<br /><br />But I did get one the other day which flummoxed me. Bear in mind that the paints I sell are small bottles mostly for painting models and figures. This email, though, was asking how many it would take to paint a 10' by 12' office in the colours of the German 2nd Naval Infantry Division, 1945. After spending an hour researching it (especially the coverage of the paint, which isn't specified on the bottles, as it depends how much you dilute them), I heard laughter from upstairs..... it turned out the my wife and nephew had colluded to create this outrageous request !! I feel really silly that I fell for it, but then I've had emails asking the oddest things, so nothing surprises me any more. On the upside, while I was hunting around on Google, I found an idea for a possible future range I could carry, so it's not all bad.<br /><br />But I'm looking for ideas to get my own back (in a fun way) on my beloved wife and her scamp of a nephew.....</div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3666333384558884075.post-73797029507414994902007-10-24T20:27:00.000+01:002008-12-12T04:30:28.682+00:00Hello ! Here goes......<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwvVRmIi11_Gk4MJBoxZUNwovwuOgOEIQ0aHdZR7YsmnbkeGnTMtyg-XnU058xH1eL9doPsC4BcZE7FwwfORG-eg_mAmMvs7kUJm9I9tpZnZHatbRQVVlzaUAQIpTT9sBsUjht-YtGpg/s1600-h/DM+Set+1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124987922582322274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwvVRmIi11_Gk4MJBoxZUNwovwuOgOEIQ0aHdZR7YsmnbkeGnTMtyg-XnU058xH1eL9doPsC4BcZE7FwwfORG-eg_mAmMvs7kUJm9I9tpZnZHatbRQVVlzaUAQIpTT9sBsUjht-YtGpg/s320/DM+Set+1.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div>Hi everyone ! Here goes with my first post on Blogger.....</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><br>Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Sean, the owner of SnM Stuff, a small UK based company selling model making and gaming things, specialising particularly in Vallejo acrylic paints, brushes etc. You can see my website at <a href="http://snmstuff.co.uk/default.aspx">http://snmstuff.co.uk/default.aspx</a> although I suspect a good few of my readers will have come from there anyway !</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><br>Hopefully, this blog will be a way for my customers (and everyone else reading it !) to let me know what they think I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, and what I could do better. Of course, it'll also be a way for me to put random thoughts out into the wider world..... sometimes after a hard evening packing orders and answering emails, it's nice to just kick back, relax and be silly. </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div>Enjoy, everyone, and I look forward to seeing some comments !<br></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br><br><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993399;">As Caesar would have said if he lived nowadays....</span></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;color:#993399;">"Veni,vidi,velcro" - I came, I saw, I stuck around.</span></div>Alonicushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06971555666858205773noreply@blogger.com0