Aibu to wonder how marks and spencer has not closed down yet??!

[Olaf4fuxache]

Last time I bought an item of clothing in there was 2005.I go in there regularly just to have a laugh at their clothes now! EVERYTHING is covered in lace,sequins,buttons,applique or some such shitty garnish.Nothing whatsoever one would want to buy.Cheap crap you could buy in primark for a quarter of the price,flimsy fabrics.Who the hell are their fashion buyers? Are they blind?Even my mother and grandmother think their clothes are frumpy and do not shop there anymore.How much longer do they think they can get away with the garbage they stock?The shops look like ghost towns,staff are unmotivated.They have no idea who they are targeting.Sainsburys Tu,or Tesco F&F have better clothing than they do.They understand their target buyers may not have rake thin toned upper arms,may have big tummys and crepey chests and have clothes to suit. FFS M&S!!!!Get your act together or you will go the same way as BHS,Woolies etc....And you know what?We wouldnt even care!!!

Well I always buy my bras there as they have a good selection, and my mum likes it so obviously people still go there!

And school uniform!

YANBU. I think this myself. About 15 years ago I would literally be head to foot in M and S but now the only things I buy are the skinny jesns ( which will now inevitably disappear and be replaced by something less good) and their boots and food. Agree with PPs 're they don't know their target market - they have "fashion" items which are almost identical to stuff my 17 yr old DD wears (the current puffy sleeves/frills /off the shoulder candy cane shit on the go at the moment). I honestly feel I could do a better job at sourcing clothes for them. Plus they seem to think the world is mainly populated by size 8 six feet tall women as whenever I go, that's all the size that's left! Next is getting just as bad - on the up side, I have now discovered oasis and Matalan (due to getting nothing from m and s and next) and especially oasis - love their stuff at the mo

The gym wear is expensive. I've got much better value from TK Maxx and Sainsbury's.
I've had shockingly expensive and not very good food from the deli counter.

My local store is quite small and has an even worse range than many stores, albeit most of it is on the sale rail. I look in there, but don't buy. I have bras that fit better from Tu and knickers and nightwear too. I might buy the cashmere jumpers if I could afford them.

M&S just isn't a go to store any more. Nowhere is really.

YANBU. I was in m&s today...I went with a list of things I wanted/am looking for....no joy at all. I literally could not spend money in there today. Would love a new red coat but the ones I tried on just didn't work....poor, shapeless cut or stupid random details like weird extra pockets that are just going to date so badly. If I spend £100 on a coat I want it to look a little bit classic so I can get a couple of years out of it. I know that isn't what the retailer wants but if I could get the shape and style I want, chances are I might well buy it again next year in a different colour!
I did find a lovely looking pair of boots but when I tried them on they were uncomfortable as hell. .. really rigid and as if the heel was trying to come up through the soles.....not really acceptable for £50 odd quid!.

I think you might have to pay a good deal more than £100 for a good quality, utterly classic coat, in a material that genuinely lasts for a few years (despite wearing it solidly through the colder months), you know.

I also suspect that M and S, along with John Lewis, are not passing increased costs (especially in clothing) on to their customers.

It's just the hideous womenswear that lets its down the rest is ok. Embroidered jumpers with sequins and giant flowers and butterflies, shirts with flouncy sleeves - awful stuff. Please can we just have some classic wardrobe basics for work without tassels and frills. Maybe some nice coats too.

I hear what you are saying catfromjapan but I'm not looking for an utterly classic coat that will last forever, just one that won't be totally dated the minute I leave the shop with it. I actually think the m&s wool blend coats are quite nice material, and would be happy to buy one if it weren't for the details that I think demonstrate a poor design.

I spent £189 on a really good winter coat back in 1999, (not M &S). It was a lot of money, but it did last me through ten winters. I only threw it out when the lining was ripped to pieces and the sleeves were wearing through. So it really only cost me £18.90 a year - an absolute bargain.

I hear what you are saying catfromjapan but I'm not expecting a truly timeless classic for £100, just one that doesn't date so badly the minute I walk out of the shop. I actually think the m&s wool blend coats are quite a nice material and feel like decent quality and would happily buy one if it weren't for the design aspects letting them down.

ipokebadgers True. But I'm guessing the wool-blend coats are in the larger stores/on-line.

It's just the hideous womenswear that lets its down the rest is ok. Embroidered jumpers with sequins and giant flowers and butterflies, shirts with flouncy sleeves - awful stuff. Please can we just have some classic wardrobe basics for work without tassels and frills. Maybe some nice coats too.

I agree. I like classic stuff - plain, even. I'm just not into frills and flounces. I used to enjoy going into M&S knowing I would find something nice to wear, and good quality. Now I pass through it on my way into the main shopping centre.

Oops, sorry about double post....Thought I had lost the first message so retyped it.

I live in India and they are REALLY REALLY REALLY trying to push that pink dress, I did chortle to myself as i passed the other day...

I really like Marks super skinnys
and the summer bbq stuff is fab!

I've just had a cursory look at the M and S website and it seems that classic coats, with wool and cashmere, are available in the men's section more than the women's. And the prices are a lot higher.

That suggests that their research is telling them that there is a price barrier/ceiling for their women's clothes and that a. classic is expensive/beyond their (female) customer's price ceiling and b. they are trying to plug that gap by adding 'on-trend' details.

That's just a guess. But the price ceiling is interesting.

(I freely admit that I've only had a really cursory look at the website; they probably don't have all the winter stock in the stores yet; I'm hoping someone involved in the industry will be enticed by my remarks to come and be informative ...)

Things they do well:
food
tights, pants, bras
wide-fitting or generally comfortable but not hideous shoes
men's socks
night wear

Things that are awful:
women's occasion wear
women's work wear
the entire Per Una range

They need much smaller stores with just the stuff they do well, plus small curated ranges of cashmere (winter) and linen (summer)

Polyester and viscose are cheaper. There's been a real price hike in clothing costs and sellers are desperately trying not to pass that on to consumers, while balancing profits. One way to do that is to cut back on the qulaity of the fabric.

It is great for everyday lingerie, salad and in house bakery. It is not so good at tons of ready meals, I can't stand them! Only one choice of veggie sandwiches, and of course womenswear.

They either need to shut down the clothes section, or channel it along the lines of the white company at a better price. Classic neutral well fitting clothes, or Joseph. Why they are even attempting high end fashion is beyond me??

No one cares about high end fashion over the age of thirty five. There is a huge market for elegant, on trend (but not trendy) classic clothes, they need a woman in charge whom is over the age of 40 any takers???

This thread comes up a few times a year, every year. It's so sweet when the OP thinks they are the first to say it.

I like:

Skinny jeans
Beauty (there is a night cream that makes you look like you've had a full night's sleep which is fantastic)
Knickers
School Uniform
Food - especially fruit and bakery

They have actually just opened a new store near me, so it is really busy due to the novelty value!

I thought they did have a new female, over 40, person in charge? She might not have been in post long enough for any influence to have filtered through however?

www.vogue.co.uk/article/marks-spencer-new-boss-jill-mcdonald

Jill McDonald is still listed as being with Halfords, so probably not in post yet. She looks normal/average/ordinary enough (in a good way) to be representative of the typical M&S woman and what she wants. Maybe she should come on for a webchat?

It seems to me that M&S is held to a higher standard than other shops. I don´t like or wouldn´t wear 95% of things in most clothes shops, and that is equally true in M&S. I don´t expect to like whole stacks of stuff in any shop, and it never happens.

I went to M&S over the summer and bought pretty, reasonably priced undies, three scoop-neck t´shirts, some autograph eyeshadow and a pair of jeans that I think are really flattering (they are Per Una and I was just passing as I don´t usually like that section but they looked well cut and they were). I don´t think I liked anything else in there but I still regard that as a pretty good haul.

I was disappointed to not find any shoes I like because I usually do, and I tried on some frankly ridiculous blouses (although they were cotton).

My favourite coat is from there a year or two back too and I have two good cashmere jumpers that are coming up for their third winter looking as new.

It´s no real surprise to me that they are still in business.

Which shops do you shop in where you like everything?

Of course M and S won't close down

Let's not forget that the same used to be said about BHS and many others

My own vote for "what the hell's it for" goes to W H Smith. It's hard to believe it's still there frankly

Well WH Smith is propped up by its airport, railway and newspaper delivery business.

Boots by airport and pharmacy business and people who can't bring themselves to buy toiletries in discount stores and supermarkets.

M&S by Simply Food and service stations?

Maybe these types of shops will quietly close their loss making and duplicate shops as leases expire? I've seen it said a few times that the rise of online shopping means that fewer high street stores are needed.