M&S - What's more essential: School Uniform or Night Cream?

[SallyBear]

I am hugely disappointed in M&S. Two of my boys need new school trousers and I went into the swanky new M&S shop (we have three in our town), only to be told that school uniform can ONLY be ordered online. I looked at the huge bank of beauty products next to children's clothing and wondered which is a bigger seller - school uniform or night cream? I am cross, because I am now having to go to our main store, which is always busy to buy something that most parents would agree was an essential product.

AIBU in wondering why shoppers with school age children should be penalised for wanting to be able to physically choose and buy school uniform from your local store rather than order it online? How many people buy beauty products from M&S compared to people who buy their kids school uniform from M&S? I doubt that the beauty product line outsells their school uniform.

[PeppiNephrine]

Seriously? Get a hold of yourself.
People buy face cream all year long, its small, its got a very high profit margin. School uniform is not an all year round product, it has a fairly small market share, its bulky to store and it has a low profit margin compared to cosmetics.
Its a business, it doesn't owe you anything. If you don;t like it shop somewhere else. But don't whine about it like a baby.

[Feminine]

YANBU.

I think they should carry a small amount all year round.

peppi why so passionate and shouty?

[PeppiNephrine]

Pretty sure you can't say shouty about written posts?
I'm just sick of the non-problem whining. "The shop I went to didn;t have precisely what I wanted at the moment I wanted it, boo hoo I'm so upset I'll rant on mumsnet".

[DoJo]

Surely it is more likely that M and S have done their research and realised that stocking all the permutations of uniform isn't the best use of their space, so have decided to use a model which works for them. It might be annoying, but I don't think that M and S are responsible for deciding the order of priorities for anyone other than their own stores.

[EachDay]

I imagine in October and in the run up to Christmas, beauty products far out sell school uniform TBH.

Penalised? Take you business somewhere else if you really think that's what they're doing.

[ICanSeeTheSeaFromHere]

Pepi obviously got out the wrong side of the bed!

Yanbu, school uniform is needed all year. My ds has almost outgrown his trousers and dd has lost a cardigan and ruined a blouse with paint! M&S need to realise spending habits have changed and people no longer buy bigger sizes at the start of term.

[BornToFolk]

I doubt that the beauty product line outsells their school uniform.

I doubt that you know more about M&S sales figures than they do themselves.

[meditrina]

Pepi is right. Small items with high margin make much more sense I. Terms of profit for your square footage. Uniform takes up much more space, especially in a town big enough to supoort 3xM&S probably have a range if uniform colours in use.

I suppose however there would be a case to be made for the removal of say non-uniform children's clothes (at least the ones on similar profit margins), especially of the demand is as the OP says. (I note two of our local supermarkets now have year round uniform in the children's clothes department).

Otherwise, I recommend John Lewis, who do have year-round uniform departments and have got their act together is carrying the colours of local schools.

[ReallyTired]

Ordering uniform from M and S is easy and you get what you need the following day. You can even return if its the wrong size.

" I am cross, because I am now having to go to our main store, which is always busy to buy something that most parents would agree was an essential product. "

So the store you went to isn't a main store.

[PickleSarnie]

How many school uniforms could you fit into the space taken up by some small pots of night cream?

Why would you want to go into a shop in town with bored children rather than order on the internet?

[SallyBear]

Ok, penalised was too strong a word - my apologies for the poor word choice. I suppose that as a life long M&S shopper I have always felt that I could always find a small amount of school uniform in store at short notice. I appreciate that it's coming up to Christmas, and obviously they want to make money buy offering a huge range of products, but what about the fact that children wreck, lose or grow out of uniform? It's not always convenient to get it online and I didn't want to shop somewhere else as I've always been very happy with M&S quality.

Thank you for all of your comments.

[DidoTheDodo]

I don't have school age children so I'd vote for the face cream any day.
We aren't all school mums y'know.

[LittleMissGerardBOOOOOtler]

You can get the uniform ordered to the local store for free you know? Our small store stocks a small range all year round but the rest can be ordered and ready for collection the next day. You can try it on in store and return it straight away if necessary.

[BornToFolk]

It's not always convenient to get it online

Why? You can order delivery to store for free. And I'm presuming that you've had M&S school uniform before so you know what the quality/style is like, surely it's just a case of ordering the next size up?

I actually prefer to order online and do store pickup as you can take advantage of money off codes, or cash back sites.

[DuckToWater]

I don't know how any chain high street/mall shops keep going, I can so rarely find what I'm looking for in them. M&S have always been particularly bad for it though, stocking winter clothes in summer and so on. My local Sainsbury's seems to keep in a reasonable amount of uniform. They are pretty good at stocking just what you need, right then and there, in general. Good stock control, knowing your customers and a bit of luck.

[thebody]

good grief face cream of course. why would you buy at M&S for school uniform? overpriced and dubious quality.

go to ASDA, far cheaper, then you can go to Selfridges for your slap. job done.

[Dontletthemgetyoudown]

m&s don't take a few bank cards online though, so could mean 2 trips to store, one to order and pay using via electron or solo and one to collect.

I used to order online to store and then the bank only issues me with a visa electron and m&s and john lewis no longer accept these online only in store. John lewi now accept paypal so I can use click and collect again but still no m&s, so if not in store means two trips for me.

I think a shop that sells uniform should have a small selection in store especially of basics such as white shirts/polo shirts.

[EssexGurl]

I just order online and collect from my local store - for free - the next day. I have just ordered some more pinafores for DD this morning, in fact. Wy is that so hard?

Things like creams I do like to try for consistency first esp things like hand cream. I hate greasy ones. Beauty stuff I would imagine is more of an impulse buy for people. Also it is now the run up to Christmas so they are changing their stock accordingly.

[PeppiNephrine]

maybe I work in m&s and am sick of the moany arses coming in? Because they aren't just whingers, they're m&s whingers, twice as loud with added twattiness.....

[mummytime]

M and S is often the only place you can get Uniform "out of season" i.e. when your son grows at Christmas rather than the summer. Yes I like to check the fit before buying (especially for my long skinny children).

Face Cream? Why would I buy at M&S?

[friday16]

M&S need to realise spending habits have changed and people no longer buy bigger sizes at the start of term.

I'm sure their shareholders are glad of your advice.

[judgejudithjudy]

yabu & twatty, not everyone who shops at m&s have school children & bet my bottom arm if they did stock school essentials no doubt youd make a twatty whinging post about not stocking something else. now onto real problems.....

[CombineBananaFister]

Whilst I understand your frustration of not being able to get certain products all year round (it's like no-one could possibly go swimming or need a costume outside summer ) I do feel a bit sorry for them.
M&S just can't seem to do wrong for doing right, everybody seems to have such high expectations of them ALL the time as they're a bit of a British institution but it isn't physically possible for them to be all things to all people.
They just seem to get such flack for the smallest things on here and in the press that other stores who are far worse get away with or it's acceptable for them ?!?
You can order online, instore desk, instore on ipad, telephone, mobile app and get delivery OR click and collect - plenty of options.

[CecilyP]

In the grand scheme of things, neither are actually essential. Obviously your DSs can't go to school in their underpants, but what were they wearing before?