Independent Scottish Bookshop
Cookie Policy
Cookie Policy
Last Updated: 3 October 2025
This Cookie Policy explains how Paper Thistle (“we”, “our”, “us”) uses cookies and similar technologies on www.paperthistle.co.uk. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with this policy.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, smartphone, or other) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work (or work more efficiently) and to provide information to the site owners.
2. How we use cookies
We use cookies to:
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Make our site work — enable core functionality such as navigating pages, maintaining your shopping cart, logging in securely.
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Provide insights — help us understand how visitors use our site so we can improve performance, usability, and content.
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Customise your experience — remember your preferences (for example, language or region) and present relevant content.
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Marketing & advertising — allow third parties to deliver targeted ads and measure their effectiveness (if applicable).
3. Types of cookies used
The table below shows cookies we set or allow via third parties, what they do, and how long they last:
Essential / Functional Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | paperthistle.co.uk | Preserves user session state across pages | Session |
| wordpress_logged_in_* | paperthistle.co.uk | Keeps users logged in to WordPress (if applicable) | Session |
| wordpress_sec_* | paperthistle.co.uk | WordPress security/authentication cookie | Session |
| wordpress_test_cookie | paperthistle.co.uk | Tests whether the browser accepts cookies | Session |
| wp-settings-time-* | paperthistle.co.uk | Stores admin/user interface preferences | 1 year |
| cookie_consent | paperthistle.co.uk | Stores your cookie preferences | 1 year |
| flatsome_cookie_notice | paperthistle.co.uk | Records acceptance of cookie notice | 1 year |
Payment Cookies (Stripe)
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| _stripe_mid | Stripe | Stripe payment session identifier | ~1 year |
| _stripe_sid | Stripe | Stripe session for payment processing | 1 day |
| __stripe_orig_props | Stripe | Helps Stripe prevent fraud | ~1 year |
Analytics Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users by session | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Throttles requests | 1 minute |
| __utma | Google Analytics | Tracks visitor behaviour (unique visitors, sessions) | 2 years |
| __utmc | Google Analytics | Used with __utmb to determine new sessions | Session |
| __utmz | Google Analytics | Stores traffic source/medium | 6 months |
| sbjs_* (e.g., sbjs_current, sbjs_first) | Sourcebuster.js | Tracks campaign attribution for marketing analytics | Session / 6 months |
| tk_ai | WordPress/Jetpack | Stores a randomly-generated anonymous ID for analytics | Session |
Marketing / Advertising Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| fr | Facebook advertising | 3 months |
Other Third-Party / Functional Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| ph_phc_* | Subiz live chat | Chat widget session | Session |
4. Third-party cookies
Some cookies on our site are set by third parties (for example, analytics providers, payment providers, or social media platforms). We do not control these cookies but choose providers we trust, who follow privacy regulations.
5. How to control cookies
You can control and/or delete cookies through your browser settings. The “Help” section in your browser will explain how to do this. You can:
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Delete all cookies
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Block cookies from particular sites
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Block third-party cookies
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Block all cookies (note: this may prevent some parts of the site from working)
For more information on cookies, you can visit All About Cookies.
6. Consent and your choices
When you first visit our site, a cookie banner will appear to allow you to accept or customise your cookie settings. If you reject or change cookie settings, some features may not work as intended.
By continuing to use the site without changing your settings, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy.
7. Changes to this policy
We may update this cookie policy occasionally (for example, when we add new services or cookies). We will publish updated versions here and change the “Last Updated” date.
8. Contact us
If you have any questions or concerns about our cookie policy or data practices, you can contact us:
Paper Thistle
Email: hello@paperthistle.co.uk
Address: Paper Thistle, Third Floor, 3 Hill Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH2 3JP