M&S blaming skinny trousers?!?

[Chickenitalia]

Truly read it all today. Poor sales due to men shunning skinny trousers, amongst other things including overbuying on food and poor supply chain.

Am I the only one not at all surprised? The only men I know who shop for clothing in M&S would not wear skinny trousers ever! I know there have been some dubious buying decisions recently but this one is baffling.

Surely it can’t be long before M&S hits the ropes now? (Been said before I know).

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51045282

The quality is crap. I bought a woolly cardigan and it started to bobble when I had only worn it a few times. It came out of the wash like a dish rag. I was disgusted and took it back for a refund.

I find I cannot rely on their sizing. I used to buy 18 standard trousers; if I bought "standard" now, I'd have to take 2/3 inches off the bottom. I was told this is because women want to wear them with high heels. Skirts and dresses now come in one length per style and this is either way too short or way too long - as if women are all the same height. I stopped shopping there years ago.

Amazing really that they continue to get it all so wrong. If I was a senior designer etc there I would be trawling threads like this notebook in hand! Haven't bought anything from them in years, and the clothing quality is better (and cheaper) in the supermarkets now. Oh and letting men in the women's changing rooms is clearly not helping. What utter twats.

I live beside an M&S food. DH goes nearly every morning on the way back from school drop off and buys loads of meat /veg etc that's super cheap. They are clearly massively over ordering.

And I agree with a pp that the Christmas food was very over priced this year. I bought tons for a new year party at 75p each instead of £7 because there was so much left!

That aside, I've bought some great clothes, including brilliant boots from M&S recently. I work in a creative agency, so Street smart, not formal dress - I think there's a lot for me at the moment.

The only M&S I can ever find the right size and denier of tights in is, oddly, the tiny wee Simply Food close to my work.

I did buy a lovely blue merino jumper a couple of months ago and I’ve worn in to death but I would love all of the knitwear to be of that standard, not the crackly synthetic stuff. And more colours.

I love the shapewear and the beauty dept (get all my Nuxe from there) but what I would really love is a wide selection of high quality basics which are designed to last. Jersey tops with various necklines and sleeve lengths which don’t look rough after two washes, in a variety of colours which people actually want to wear (not some hideous lime green that they think is trendy). Jersey tube skirts in different colours. Lots of knit dresses. Simple jersey/cotton summer dresses. All of this with an emphasis on being worn for years, so good quality classics, in other words.

They should just stay away from trying to be ‘trendy.’

I haven't bought much from M & S for years, their quality is low & prices too high. Next is my go to shop for most clothes even though I am plus sized. M & S are backwards in their design of clothing, whatever most shops are selling, they are at least 2 years behind, not only in clothing, but in homeware as well, they forget that many buyers aren't well off & don't have the budget to buy there.

I haven't been into Marksy's for years and i don't intend to start now, particularly with them allowing men into the changing rooms and i certainly won't be buying any underwear from them if they are allowing men to try it on.
Who the hell wants a pair of knickers that's potentially been wrapped round a blokes sweaty arse and bollocks, or a bra that's been round a blokes chest?
No thanks.

@megletthesecond, sometimes the 'fake' pockets are actually real pockets but sewn shut, and you have to cut them open after buying it. No idea why shops do this but it's worth checking!

I always buy my knickers there, but the last few packs have been shocking quality. Never have I shredded the waist elastic and ripped down the side of my undies, or got so many little holes in the seams. I'm a size 12 and I buy a 12, so I'm not overstretching them. I've got some I bought 10 years ago that are still going, though. DH hates the skinny fit in anything; he struggles to find a work shirt in M&S now. There were nothing but skinny fit shirts left in the sale in our local one (we live in the Lakes and the demographic is quite old; nobody wants this shit).

GBroGal yet another way in which they're behind the times with all the trends. More and more women are ditching heels for brogues and other flats. Big heels with everything is so Apprentice candidate circa 2015 - same with the short tight dresses they seem so reluctant to let go of.

Who the hell wants a pair of knickers that's potentially been wrapped round a blokes sweaty arse

To be honest, I'm not sure I want a pair of knickers that has been wrapped round another woman's arse, sweaty or not. Actually, I'm 100% sure I don't.

Do people really try knickers on in the shop?

I'm guessing that M&S and JL have a layer of 'creative' senior management that forgot to run their deranged vision in full past the Board

From what I am hearing, the senior management is as bad as their Boards. Nobody creative or different has being allowed to thrive in either M&S and JL for years.

by outsourcing their once outstanding customer services to a bunch of fucking arseholes on speed wearing headsets.

So true. JL's telephone customer service is atrocious. JL has received tonnes of complaints but management ignores them all. Their first female MD was SACKED after just 3 years - very unusual.

JL has lost its customer service edge. M&S has lost its way and with the current Board has no chance on earth of ever finding it again.

Do people really try knickers on in the shop?

Men are. It's part of their trans fetish thing. M&S have been asked about this specifically among other things to do with men in women's changing rooms but are REFUSING to even respond to any question about this.

Their Tuesdays thing is actually very good. They suggest excellent basics which is exactly what you want from M&S. I very rarely shop in there though although some stuff like their basic leggings are great.

I gave up with their kids clothes years ago.

There have been men 'boasting' on twitter about how they try womens clothes on in shops (inc lingerie), have a wank, and then put it back on the rail. not envy

I hate the Tuesdays thing! It’s frustrating that there is no option to say “I have size 9 feet” (M&S don’t do women’s 9s any more) or “I can’t physically get my sporty lower legs into skinny trousers”.

Re: the kids clothes, M&S is usually the place we will find something dd(8) likes.

user1497207191

I have the same issues with my somewhat portly DH. Used to get everything in M&S but over the years have moved to Charles Tyrwhitt for shirts and casual tops; Lands End for jumpers and some casual tops (but they’ve started doing cotton mix fabrics in place of 100% cotton on some lines - so check carefully). Boxers I buy in John Lewis - Calvin Klein brand. Latest discovery has been Peter Christian for well made quality chinos.

His suits are all M&S. Luckily he’s changed career now so doesn’t need them for work, but if he needed a new one I’d try M&S first as their top range stuff (Italian Collection; Alfred Brown(?)) was very good last time I looked.

^ Luckily he’s changed career now so doesn’t need them for work, but if he needed a new one I’d try M&S first as their top range stuff (Italian Collection; Alfred Brown(?)) was very good last time I looked.^

I just checked their website and surprise surprise they don’t offer either of these top range lines now.

That male fetish wanking stuff is gross. And M&S allow men in women's changing rooms for that extra frisson. Slow hand clap. These are NOT unisex changing rooms labelled as such. These are obvious men allowed in labelled women's changing rooms. M&S policy now.

There were once interesting reviews by men on the M&S women's understand department online, M&S know it's a sex shop for fetishists, part of the thrill is the unsuspecting women. Makes you wonder who is in the staff networks and how high up this all goes.

I like the super skinny ladies trousers ( I had to order them though as size 14 long black trousers not in stock at my local branch )

I hate cashmillion , and long for a plain natural fibre plain jumper or tunic in a decent basic colour ( especially scarlet , I so want a good red jumper )

I’m wearing their black opaque tights today , but my dress and jumper are from Next ( and my undies from an independent lingerie shop as M & S are useless on bras imho )

I wondered if supplying bad women's clothes is part of the fetishism for staff in the network too. They seem to want women to suffer in many ways and removed from public life?

I'm 39 and I don't think I'd get anything from Marks now other than bras. I shopped there more in my 20s (for basics) than at the moment!

The women's clothes are hideous and basics have gone down the pan. At the Trafford Centre I get no worse quality over the road at H&M which serves me for knitwear, work shirts and I can find stylish clothes there too. All for half the price.

Their boyswear is appalling! Next sell a much larger range, fashionable for different tastes and good quality. I've had M&S joggers bobble and fade immediately, Next ones look new 6 months later!

They also have a bad reputation for ethical production too. When ever there are exposes, it's always the usual suspects and M&S. I don't expect that when they're charging a lot more money for their clothes!

M&S know it's a sex shop for fetishists

Priceless!

I forgot about the try Tuesday thing, I've bought quite a few things via that, I really like it.