to think it's time the price of the M&S meal for 2 went up (a little bit)?

[PrivateJourney]

I've been picking up this deal on my way home from work from time to time for, I reckon, 10 years or so. It's always been £10 but even in the early days I thought it was a good deal.

Recently though, I've been disappointed. It seems to me that, in order to keep the price at £10, they've been gradually eroding the quality and choice. Whilst there still seems to be plenty of individual dishes on offer, they're a bit samey, mostly based around chicken, minced beef or breaded fish. A few years back you could get steak, fancy fish dishes and even lamb! I'd pay say, £12, to have it go (back) a bit up market. Would you?

The portion sizes always seem really measley to me......id be happy to pay £12 ifit looked like it was going to be filling.

Yes . I stoppped buying them recently.All a bit samey.

Yes, we've noticed that too. Never used to be like that. Was a proper treat when I first went back to work after DS2 (who's now 11)

I agree, I didn't find my last one to be a 'proper dinner', I'd pay more.

I got it a couple of months ago -we had steak. I doubt they would change the portion sizes though, even if they put it up in price. Would I pay £12 if the quality went up? Yes. Chances are they would put it up and change nothing though.

Oh and I generally end up buying an extra side (veg or salad)

YANBU.

I clicked this thread thinking that it might be a complaint about poor animal welfare or shafting suppliers so I was going to say YABU.

I'm not in favour of either of those things btw, I just don't agree with posters who say consumers should pay more all the time.

I'd be happier to pay more if I felt that retailers and their shareholders were taking a hit too. Especially these days. But they aren't, which has recently been shown at Tesco. That 'accounting error' is truly shocking and surely should involve further investigation, perhaps criminal.

I received an online survey from Sainsbury's last week that I completed because I had the time and it was offering a lot of Nectar points.

I became increasingly annoyed by their loaded questions and the clear suggestion that I should be grateful to them for selling me something I need to survive - questions such as 'if these supermarkets were people, would you like them a bit, a lot, want to be BFFs?' and 'what do you think of our current ads? Aren't we nice?'

No, I expect you to sell me decent food at a decent price. You are not doing that. Meanwhile, I have other friends.

I'm afraid by the end, I was ranting. I did get the Nectar points though

it's a great deal and we would get it from time to time. but in my opinion portion sizes, quality and choice have all decreased recently... I would be happy to pay £12 or even £15 if portion sizes were bigger.

The portion sizes have certainly got smaller. We always ending up having something extra with the main and side.

Problem is they are competing with the likes of Sainsbury who also do a £10 meal deal. So they won't put their prices up if people can get a similar deal cheaper elsewhere.

Like most other food retailers, M&S has had to lower their costs, and in some cases prices, to compete with the likes of Lidl and Aldi. As consumers continue to drive the price of food down by shopping for the cheapest of the cheap, quality and costs are the first to be compromised.
The horse meat scandal is a perfect example of this. People had demanded cheap meat. They got cheap meat all right, it just wasn't from the animal they presumed it would be. You get what you pay for and in many cases, when you pay cheap you get shite.

Sainsburys ready meals are utter crap compared to M&s though, there's no comparison. We had their lasagne recently as I'd been in hospital and it was swimming in grease, gristly, in fact is it Lidl who do a really good one?

Anyway sainsburys is no competition quality wise.

Sainsburys ready meals are utter crap compared to M&s though, there's no comparison. We had their lasagne recently as I'd been in hospital and it was swimming in grease, gristly, in fact is it Lidl who do a really good one?

Anyway sainsburys is no competition quality wise.

I have thought the same too; haven't bough them for a while as the main dishes lacked the impact of earlier deals. Not really a substantial serving for two . I would pay £12.50 for a more exciting main course.
Does anyone from M&S read this?

We don't live in town anymore, so the last time I just happened to be in M&S when it was a Dine In I was well excited. But ended up not buying it - as pp's have said, it just all looked bland and a bit cheap.

I like m and s but never bought the £10 meal, it's too restrictive for me as I like to pick and choose around the whole shop.

I gave up buying them a long time ago because I noticed a decline in quality.
We're also not keen on dessert so would happily just get a decent main, side and drink option.

you are not being UN to be honest .with the deal my hubby eats the whole main .sides .i get the pudding /pannacotta he hates them .and the kids get the normandy apple juice .you get as non alcoholic drink .but no it is not enough for two folk .i think up the price to say 14/15 pound and up the portions .

I looked yesterday. Everything is so obviously designed to make you spend more. Who has sponge pudding without cream or custard? It's really annoying

I don't know, if you get a whole chicken or other decent piece of meat and a bigger pudding like the profiteroles or key lime pie (yum), you can easily feed at least three, which makes me wonder what sort of evening M&S are suggesting you have .

If you get a chicken, there's even leftovers, although I realise that's a controversial statement on here.

M&S aren't known for listening to feedback. MN should be a good target audience for them but they get bashed on here and don't respond like other companies do to social media.