M&S Colchester claim mixed changing is ‘completely safe’ for women.

She's not being polite. She's being deliberately obtuse and following him after he's spoken to her, and filming in the hope of getting social media points.

She doesn't have to get undressed with men.

The store manager has no control over head office policy.

Incredible that he asks her to leave the store because she politely asks why she should have to get undressed with men.

This is my experience in M&S, individual, lockable cubicles and staff on hand. What about this set up would make anyone feel unsafe?

There's a difference between anything dodgy being missed, and anything dodgy happening. They need to do all they can to stop it happening in the first place.

I think what will happen is lots of women will end up not using the changing rooms. And whether they buy something or not will depend on how easy it is to return the item.

I think M&S is betting their profits of men trying on and buying bras every week.

At least M&S have lockable cubicles - Uniqlo just have a fucking curtain.

GAP used to have mixed sex changing cubicles.

I often visit that store and never knew this. Ive not seen male or trans in the fitting rooms, only men waiting on the sofa outside for their wives/friends etc. The fitting room areas aren't large mazes so its not like anything untoward could be missed. Also lots of staff floating around, minimum x2 each time to keep eye on very small area of fitting rooms.

I agree. I don't agree with that person filming, but the manager could have said, put the phone away and we'll discuss your concerns.

I imagine his response was probably more to do with his dislike of being confronted and filmed, but M&S are going to have to get a grip on this. If they are mixed sex changing rooms, this needs to be clearly signposted. If they are "women only" then they cannot allow any men in, no matter who they are.

I’ve stopped shopping in M&S since they ‘upgraded’ their stores. Just find it hard work. I’m not so bothered about mixed changing rooms as long as they are individual cubicles and they are staffed. I just go to Uniqlo, Next and Primark (t shirts, hair scrunchies ) instead.

I think M&S are trying to aim for the younger market but the 30’s and under I know wouldn’t be seen dead in there. (I was quite happy to buy my work clothes there in the 80’s, most of us did).

Exactly. I’ll go one further; my son is gay and as such, has absolutely no interest in women. Should he be allowed into women’s changing rooms?

Sending your pre-teen daughter into a mixed-sex changing room, with cubicles that can be used by anyone? After a man who was in there previously set up a hidden camera? You don't want to understand, do you?

What would he do if anyone reported a man acting inappropriately in the changing rooms? He's demonstrated that he dismisses concerns.

He should have taken the time to sit down with her and go through how to make a complaint. Its not difficult.

I know the customer service at M&S is dreadful now, but surely they get some training, or have common sense. Its not as if he was very young.

Same here. I would not let my daughters go in either.if they were still teenagers.
Who thinks these things up anyway? Why would anyone risk the safety and privacy of women and girls?

I saw a few of the usuals popping up on social media with their homophobia in response to this.

Imagine just going into your work and having to deal with your personal life being posted all over social media.

by the way, if there’s a queue I have gone downstairs and used the other fitting rooms. Helpful in my opinion

We have mixed changing, each has a lock and the staff supervise the whole process. Rarely many grown men in there as the men’s clothing (and more changing rooms) are downstairs but children’s clothing is next to lingerie so you’ll often see 9-12 year old lads in there with their mums (obviously little ones too but they are subject to single sex facilities anyway). I’ve never felt unsafe at all, in fact they feel more safe that women only ones with thin curtains and no staff!

if indeed it is a mixed SEX fitting room then that should be made very obvious and M&S should state that as policy they are unable to provide single SEX fitting rooms so customers can choose to shop there or not.
In the 2 M&S I visit most frequently I can see how one would be safe but the other potentially not so it does depend on store lay out

The utter fucking cheek of a man telling women and girls that they’re under no threat from men.
Between this and M & S allowing male weirdos to leave online reviews for women’s underwear, I hope they go to the wall.

Looking closer, it appears this "Abouterf" is sharing personal information about this employee, including his sexuality, which is utterly irrelevant. Hateful, harassing behaviour.

No Way would I use a mixed gender changing room. Ever.
Any shop that insists on this nonsense loses my business.

I agree. I'm all for single sex changing rooms but the person filming this only succeeded in making themselves look like a silly berk, IMO.

Repeating "why should I have to change in front of a man", when there's nothing and no-one forcing you to change in front of a man, to someone who has no control over the situation is just totally daft.

She needs to take it up with head office, not harass store staff for social media points.

Tell me this isn't simply a men's rights movement, when the men have a changing room labelled as "men's fitting room" in the menswear department yet women have a "fitting room" in the women's department.

The statistics for assault/voyeurism in mixed sectors changing rooms are available for everyone to see - why do M&S not see that welcoming men into the female changing rooms is a crappy idea?

I agree. Do the people who film this ‘content’ really believe the M&S policy decision makers work on the shop floor?

It’s a self fulfilling endeavour because the colleague can’t do anything other than repeat the company policy when a camera is being pointed at them.

Yes, most of the responses I have seen to this have been sympathy for the employee who has no control over the policy and is doing his best to be polite in the face of aggression. The poster was plainly not asked to leave the store "just" for asking a question but for aggressive badgering and filming people without their consent. Disingenuous and counter-productive.

It's not a women's only space, it's a mixed gender fitting room. It's for everyone. Lock the door, get changed, unlock the door, go about your day.

Absolutely. There is absolutely nothing he can do in this situation. Close the changing room whilst she gets changed? Like she's Princess Margaret!

No one is getting changed in front of anyone, M&S gender neutral changing rooms have floor to ceiling lockable doors with plenty of space. And unlike many shops, there are always staff around.

It's not 1988 - standing in the corner of C&A open-plan changing rooms trying to cover yourself. You can strip naked and no one would know.