Website Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a simple 'text file' used to store small bits of information which is generally used to track events or actions within a website and enhance or customise the site to your preferences.

 

Why are cookies so bad?

Cookies are not bad, infact they are really good. They have been around since the dawn of the internet and if you are a regular web user we guarantee you will have tens or hundreds of cookies stored on your computer.

Paranoia began circulating around cookies as some people believe using cookies is a sneaky way of using your computer to store personal bit of information which could be used to build up a picture of your browsing habits. This information could the be used to target marketing campaigns at your preferences.

 

What does Hangerworld.co.uk do with Cookies?

We store approx 6 Cookies when you visit our website. We have listed their names and functions below;

ccUser - This cookie is used to remember your username for hangerworld.co.uk. If you have ever registered with us and use the login screen, there is a small check box labeled 'Remember Me?'. When you check this box you tell Hangerworld.co.uk to remember your username. Please note, we do not store your password, only your Username. This information is then stored in a cookie for for later use, so the next time you visit the site and choose to login Hangerworld looks at your Cookies for ccUser to see if it exists and then loads the data from within and populates the Email/Username field of the login form. This makes it easier for you to login in futue and saves time. Note that your username is usually your email address, however this cookie is OPT IN only and requires you to check the box 'Remember Me' before it will store the information.

_utma, _utmb, _utmx, _utmz - These strangely named cookies are part of Google Analytics. We use Google's analytical tracking tools to record the number of users on our site and build up patterns from statistics gathered which tell us our most popular pages, where our visitors found us, where are visitors are based (down to City, Count and Country) and even which browser you're using when you visit. All this information is sent via your web browser and is generally freely available. No personal information is stored in these cookies which could identify you as an individual.

PHPSESSID - This is a fundamental cookie for our websites functionality, it is essentially the brains of our online store. As you add products to the shopping cart, we store the product code number and the quantity of the product into a cookie, so when you reach the checkout the site reads the information in the cookie and we have a list of all the things you would like to purchase. After you pay for the items in your cart we remove the cookie. Without this cookie are store simply doesn't work. The vast majority of online shops use exactly the same technique to store your shopping cart whilst you shop.

NOTE: We NEVER store any of your Credit Card Details or Address in a Cookie.

 

Controlling your Cookies

Most modern web browsers offer the option block all cookies, or pick and choose which websites can store cookies. This makes browsing the web a less personalised and rougher experience and may lead to some websites not working at all.

Blocking cookies for Hangerworld will result in the shopping cart forgetting everything added to the cart each time you browse a new page, which essentially means you cannot shop , imagine shopping in a supermarket with a basket with a hole in the bottom!