The sad decline of M&S……

[GladysGeorgina]

I used to work for M&S in the late 80s and early 90s whilst at sixth form and then uni. I loved that job! I was treated well and paid well for my age. The store was always bustling and we would constantly be moving displays around to try to fit all the stock in. Customer service was top priority. I felt quite proud to work for the company and even didn’t mind wearing the truly dreadful uniforms of the time. I feel sad at watching the decline of M&S on the high street. Our local branch looks more sparse every time I go in. Hardly any staff. No identity. I need new work trousers so popped in at 4pm today. I’m in between sizes so chose 5 pairs of trousers and picked up two sizes for each pair. I was confused because both fitting rooms were closed so I asked an assistant. She was quite snotty and told me the fitting rooms close at 4pm each day due to not enough staff on the rota at that time of day. It’s Saturday and the store didn’t close until 6pm ffs. Apparently it’s ok because I can buy all the trousers and try them on at home. No thanks! I don’t want to pay £400 for 10 pairs of trousers and then lug them home, only to have to bring 9 pairs back for a refund. Don’t know why I’m writing this really. Probably because I was irritated and a bit sad too…….and I still don’t have any new work trousers!

Read that thread. Am sticking to online shopping now and maybe never buying knickers again 😅

They’ve loads of stock for the more corpulent lady

Corpulent, that's nice🙄. Nearly as nice as the pensioner comments (and I'm neither).

I actually love M&S, as a tall teenager it was the only place I could buy trousers, they were the one retailer who had different leg lengths for women.

Even now I'm definitely no longer a teen, their trousers and jeans are still nice and long.

We have (surprisingly) a lovely big M&S on our doorstep, its pretty much the only decent clothes store here. There's lots of things I would buy in there for me at the minute, but I mainly only buy kids clothes as unfortunately I don't have the money to spend. Their kids clothes section is gorgeous.
The only thing I don't like is the amount of space lost to beauty products, way too expensive and not something I'd ever think of going to M&S for. We do also get men (or rather one) in the changing room and a couple of teen boys making a point. I wish they'd sort that out.

I also think it's improved over the past couple of years. I don't buy a lot of clothes, but the ones I have purchased have been excellent. I do live in London though, so perhaps have more options/bigger stores. I also like their bedding. And the online service is efficient now. Much, much better than pre-pandemic.

I've never seen men in the changing rooms, and that issue does bother me. I would call it out if I saw it.

On the contrary - anyone who's not a standard side or shape is more likely to buy online because there's more sizing choice. As I said earlier in the thread, petites are now online only so all the short people are forced online because the shops only sell the regular length. In fact I have some trousers in an "extra short" length which they definitely don't sell in store.

It's extremely frustrating to read about people casually "picking up" some bits and bobs, and some people who don't even bother trying stuff on because they know it will fit?! What an absolute privilege to be such a standard size/shape that it's that easy for them! There are numerous specialist sizing companies who are online only (including a number of fuller bust clothing companies). How wonderful it would be if I could actually just pop into a shop, quickly buy something and go home. It hasn't happened for years.

I always used to buy underwear in M & S but recently needed some in a hurry (not as in this minute!) and the only shop nearby was Tesco. Theirs were great and I’ll use them in future! I Love M & S shoes though - I have very peculiar feet and their slip on flat shoes are the only ones which seem to fit me so I always have a spare unworn pair against the day when they cease to stock them,

@tectonicplates i am petite too and absolutely agree. I used to buy lots of petite stuff in M&S, my wardrobe is full of it. But I am having problems finding petite in the M&S website, all I’ve seen for weeks is one green jumper. Whereas I used to be able to buy (within the last couple of years) coats, different jackets, tops etc. OK, they’d always sell out quickly online but they were available.

What are you finding please and how are you finding it?!

I still like M&S. their Goodmove range for the gym is one of the best-the leggings are amazing. I just got a fab faux leather skirt yesterday which is good quality for £39. My local store is small and the clothes in there tend to be for the older demographic but I love the large store which is only 8 miles away.

@TheRubyRedshoes just type in M&S biscuit tin or M&S cakes on the Ocado search bar. It's simple and comes up straight away.

Did the links not work I posted?

@WellTidy I don't think there's a specific 'Petites' section.

It's hit and miss. Click on any item - trousers, skirt, dress - and see if the sizes include short / extra short, etc. Some of the general mini dresses come down to knee length on me being 5ft 1, but yeah, the whole M&S website does need separating out into shorter length clothing.

I’ve found that too. The hemming on skirts and trousers is cheap and nasty compared to years ago. I just won’t buy from there anymore because of it. I also find Tu at Sainsbo’s better in that respect.

it’s really sad seeing the quality of once reliable brands going so downhill. I hardly ever buy new things (literally hardly ever), so when I do visit the shops it’s very noticeable to me how fabric has become cheap and nasty, and things like skirt linings are long gone. I have a few clothes from way back and you can see the quality in the stitching etc. I’m talking now generally now.

Sometimes I wonder if it’s not just cost cutting that’s doing this. The buyers coming into the business weren’t born when the likes of M&S were at their best. A lot of them will have been brought up on fast fashion and Primark etc. Maybe to them, cheap, see-through, man made fibres, bad stitching, poor finishes, no linings, too many shoes and bags which aren’t leather etc are all just what they’ve grown up with and so it’s become normalised to them.

and I don’t want rack upon rack of cheap recycled plastic clothes to wear thanks. It makes me shudder, and they have the cheek to pass it off as being “eco”. No! Stop producing all those man made fibre fast fashion clothes in the first place and go back to natural fibres!

my buy bear is shoes. Years ago most shoes in most shops were leather as standard. They just were. Cheap plastic shoes were what was on sale at the markets. I hate buying shoes anyway cos I’m fussy with fit, can’t stand shoes that aren’t comfy so I hardly have any. I looked for some in Next a couple of years ago and was horrified, they were nearly all man made . Just one or two actual leather ones but the prices of those were soooo much more than the rest. I need leather shoes for my feet to breathe.

as for handbags. I struggle to find decent quality leather ones. Even the well known designers seem to charge a fortune for cheap man made stuff. It just doesn’t last, and I hate the thought of all that plastic going to recycling.

Thanks @happyinherts - yes, that’s what I’m finding too. But I used to be able to search for womens petite and would get results for proper petite fit items across the whole range of clothing and coats, not just short length dresses and trousers. Within the last couple of years I’ve bought proper petite fit pleather jacket, double breasted wool coat, a padded coat, some tops etc. All online. But there used to be loads of choice in petite in M&S - in my wardrobe I’ve got short and long sleeve petite tops, lots of dresses etc. Petite is such a different fit to just short isn’t it?

“I hate the thought of all that plastic going to land fill.”

just make it from natural material in the first place, FGS!

I stayed in 3 in August and in all you had to select from a list and it was brought to you.

Yep, I’ve started to order from Woolovers for my jumpers too. I’ve got a lovely navy little poncho type thing which I love putting on when I’m cuddled up at home on the sofa in winter. And blankets are good too. Synthetic jumpers just don’t keep you warm, and with energy costs so high I think people will be wanting to dress warmly.

It doesn't need to be corrected as some are not doing this . I stayed in three in August and yes the cold section is buffet but for the hot food you had to order from a list. I can give you the name of it and you can call them if you wish to check.

@CurlyhairedAssassin try Russell & Bromley, their shoes and handbags last forever
I'm not buying plastic either
Our M&S didn't selling swimming costumes at the beginning of summer . We are right by the sea where everyone has to have at least two costumes
No forethought

I stayed in 3 in August and in all you had to select from a list and it was brought to you.

I much prefer a freshly cooked breakfast to one that has been sitting around lukewarm for ages.

@CurlyhairedAssassin I think there is a lot more non leather footwear to appeal to vegetarians and vegans. DD won't wear leather.

No you aren't wrong, I worked there too and had doctors, dentists, hairdresser, chiropodist available.

Ah yeah, I remember as a teenager in the 80s getting the bus into “town”, having a mooch round the shops, buying a couple of small items like nice bubble bath from M and S, , having lunch in McDonalds and then going to the cinema in the afternoon. It was all affordable on pocket money. A full day out. How times have changed.

Hope all ok, this site might be useful. You can use smart plugs I think to detect if the kettle is used etc

www.carersuk.org/help-and-advice/technology-and-equipment/remote-alerts

I get the veggie thing. But how do they balance that with all the man made items ending up in landfill leaching chemicals everywhere? Plastic particles ending up in the sea destroying the delicate balance of nature there? Or being shipped abroad to a third world country as “recycling”. All that will harm animals too.

@happyinherts @WellTidy No, that's not fully correct - the petite section can be found here:

www.marksandspencer.com/l/women/petite

This is clearly in the "women" menu and then look for "fit type".

But the results page is a complete mess, and it's actually full of things that aren't petite, so there's clearly something wrong with their search function, and the filter function is also only half-there - there isn't a way of filtering petite tops, for example. So obviously some kind of IT problem is going on, and it's yet another example of how petite women are treated like second class customers.

No way am I going to manually look through every item to find out if it's made in a petite length or not. What's the point of a petite section if you can't even find it and it's messily mixed in with everything else? We're expected to do way too much work and spend way too much time compared to everyone else.

I want to send them an email to report this fault, but I literally cannot find one anywhere, and the "contact us" page just takes us to a phone number. So there isn't even a way of reporting a problem. Great.

The way you’ve worded this is really nasty, like you feel that being slim is morally superior.

I worked in a factory supplying jeans to Marks and Spencer during the 90's. We met high standards of quality for them, and they insisted that we didn't supply any other companies apart from them. Then in 1999/2000 they dropped us,and we had no other contracts and our factory closed. M&S moved production abroad, and the quality of their clothes has plummeted. I've noticed there's a lot of polyester and other cheap fabrics. I went in a medium sized branch yesterday looking for a wool or cotton black cardigan, button up or zip; couldn't find either, all acrylic, or no fasteners at all, or crazy patterns. Just make good basics in wool, cotton, or cashmere!