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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

326 replies

Olaf4fuxache · 14/09/2017 21:31

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!!!

OP posts:
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MaximaDeWit · 15/09/2017 06:39

I'm 33 and while I agree some of their stuff is foul (Per Una, etc) whenever I've been to one of the larger stores nearby Ive been blown away bu how lovely some of the clothes are. It's usually the Collection (think that's what it's called) stuff and some of the main range. Also the underwear is great

SippingSipsmith · 15/09/2017 06:44

I love M and S! Best for me is the:

  • underwear
  • Rosie by autograph pjs
  • homeware
  • school uniform
  • m and s collection stuff
  • socks
  • kids clothes

All great quality!

My local store doesn't have great merchandising though so I nearly always buy online and pick up. Their clothes are always featuring in fashion pages. Their new night cream has also been raved about but I'm yet to try.

Perhaps Percy Pigs also help them keep afloat. If you don't like their stuff in your local one I think you'd feel differently if you went to a central London store or bought online. For me in the suburbs my local m and s merchandising is geared for an older clientele so lots of twin sets and elasticated trousers!

Ktown · 15/09/2017 06:46

I love their jeans, cropped cotton trousers.
Ankle boots
Underwear
Make up
Really the quality of the above is fantastic for the price.
The layout of the shop is daft. But the amount of ugly polyester is no different from Zara or elsewhere.
I really like m and s.

LoislovesStewie · 15/09/2017 06:46

I'm an older woman and I haven't bought anything in M&S for over 20 years, I'd rather go to Primark or Matalan or just surf the net till I find what I want. The clothes are nicer , cheaper and I know they will fit. the ads on TV make me laugh , all those celebs pretending they would wear something that doesn't fit and in vile colours. I think their bras are awful, I bought one about 20 years ago and it was really scratchy!

Therealslimshady1 · 15/09/2017 07:14

I like the rosie huntington stuff, real silk

And cashmere

user997799779977 · 15/09/2017 07:35

I shop there a lot. Makeup branded ones are very good deals. Their own range is Fab as well. I buy their clothes too, this season was a struggle I admit but the macs, office basics are good quality. I'd never buy any clothes from primark personally. Cants stand the material or bad stitching. Even DH notices it. Food is awesome. Had families over from all around the world and they loved them!

VeryPunny · 15/09/2017 07:55

Oh look, another week, another M&S bashing threadHmm

Some of their stuff is seriously great, I buy uniform, children's clothes and toys there routinely. Their women's shoe selection is great - a good selection of stuff that's on trend (e.g. flatforms, metallic trainers and Chelsea boots) and generally under £50. They are also well made and very durable. Some of their women's clothes are great - I have bought from them recently linen trousers, cashmere and a pair of leather trousers. The orange dress and the blue frill top posted above are very similar to other high street offerings and I have seen people wear them and look great.

Their beauty section is absolutely brilliant - brands that I just can't get anywhere else, such as REN and Stila (not carried by my local JL) and Fragonard perfumes.

I've not had a problem with their clothes quality. Unlike John Lewis, where my £100 Modern Rarity dress came unheard after the first wear....

BitOutOfPractice · 15/09/2017 07:57

I'm a massive M&S fan. And I have been in several times in the last few weeks wanting to buy something. Nothing that I even wanted to try on. I'm not sure if it's me that's changed or them but I find it really sad

Purplemeddler · 15/09/2017 07:59

Why does any shop think you want to wear elasticated trousers at 70? I understand that some people need easy-care clothes especially if they have eg arthritis or Parkinsons and can't get dressed very easily, but most elderly ladies want to look nice, not wear horrible fabrics.

But I like M&S for food, underwear and used to buy quite a lot of my clothes there. We only have a Simply Food in my town so I tend to buy clothes elsewhere now (just order underwear for click and collect) , but when I worked in a town with a large branch, they had decent stuff.

Their outlet stores have horrible stuff though and why do they assume because the demographic is less affluent that you want stuff that doesn't fit properly?

alittlepieceofme · 15/09/2017 08:01

I'm 36 (today) I love m&s, the food, clothes, kids clothes and home range. I've been a fan for years, I know a lot of women my age who adore it too!

TheNaze73 · 15/09/2017 08:05

I don't think it's ever been brilliant however, I think the food is good & I'd rather gone in their for essentials than one of those tupenny bizarre type shops, where the clothes fall apart after 5 or 6 washes

paperandpaint · 15/09/2017 08:11

I nearly bought a gorgeous navy pea coat yesterday (and I am super fussy). The vanity sizing however is awful in M&S. I'm still carrying about a stone of extra baby weight and the size 8 coat was huge, I needed a size 6 really. In their knickers however I'm a 12-14!!! Crazy sizing.

I love M&S for baby clothes - a million miles ahead of cheap rubbishy Mothercare which isn't actually much of any cheaper than M&S. I still love M&S food especially as you can get Scottish snowball cakes in their London stores - yay!!!! They only need Empire Biscuits and macaroni pies and all my childhood favourites would be there!

MulberryTree47 · 15/09/2017 08:16

I agree. It's absolutely unbelievable rubbish. The food is much much worse than it used to be too. I think they'll go into receivership before long. Another British institution down the drain.

Rarotonga · 15/09/2017 08:22

I'd go to M&S over Primark, much better quality. I get loads of things from there, comfy shoes, underwear, pyjamas, basic t shirts, clothes for DS. I have some nice items from their Indigo and Autograph ranges and DH buys his shirts there. I don't understand the swathes of criticism they get tbh.

ShatnersWig · 15/09/2017 08:22

Women have far more options where to buy clothes. Men don't. Walk down a high street and you'll see what I mean. I live in a fairly good sized town that is regarded as a good shopping destination. Loads and loads of shops selling women's clothes. For blokes, it's M&S, House of Fraser, Next and a couple of shops selling suits.

So maybe its us men keeping it going now?

Kazzyhoward · 15/09/2017 08:39

M&S Clothing won't survive much longer and it will become just a food brand. Note all the "simply food" outlets being opened everywhere you look!

For year after year, they've messed around with their clothing offerings, and their fashion buyers/designers come and go, but it's re-arranging the deckchairs on the titanic. They just don't know their target market anymore, so by trying to please everyone, they're pleasing no-one.

People say it's for old folk, but my mother (a 75 year old stalwart M&S customer keeps going in and coming out empty handed - that's not just recent, it's been years now! - she's been wanting a new cardigan for about 5 years!). I'm in my 50's and honestly can't remember the last time I bought any clothes from there. I used to buy everything, but I can't even buy knickers and bras anymore! Really struggle to even buy simple t-shirts as they seem to have weird neck lines or weird sleeve lengths!

Last time I was close to buying anything was a lovely top modelled I think by Twiggy 2/3 years ago which was in lots of magazine adverts. Went to our local shop, but they didn't stock the range. Went online, to be presented with it being sold out. I tried phoning around a few other nearby stores, but they'd never had any either. I don't actually think it was ever made - just something they put together for a photo shoot.

My husband is the same. Menswear should be simple, especially for the middle aged office wear, but he's now also given up citing it's a strange mix of really cheap crap polyester stuff or weird colours/patterns in better quality materials.

They need to get back to basics.

BarbaraofSevillle · 15/09/2017 08:40

I think M&S clothes are getting bigger again over the last year or two.

I'm a size 14 and 5'7'' and usually a medium or large in things like tops and jumpers sized that way in the likes of Gap, Uniqlo and formerly M&S but I tried some medium sized jumpers on in there the other day and they were massive. I CBA going back to get small sized ones and I am not small in any way shape or form so didn't bother as they were all too short so didn't expect to buy anything anyway.

On the last thread like this I asked for alternatives and Debenhams, Oasis and Boden came up. I like Oasis, but find Debenhams with all its different departments a bit overwhelming, but I'm planning a shopping trip next week so will give it a go.

I looked online at Boden, and some things looked OK, not sure how that would translate into a purchase when I'd tried it on - I don't generally do mail order for clothes because I buy such a small percentage of what I try on, but it was so expensive - most things seemed to be two or three times the price of M&S.

I don't mind paying for quality if its going to last but I foster rescue cats and so many of my clothes have been ruined by their claws. I would be gutted to pay £40-60 for a top only to have it ruined by the sharp clawed monsters.

Kazzyhoward · 15/09/2017 08:42

Even unable to buy school trousers this year. The longer length trousers are out of stock in stores and also out of stock on line. M&S loss is Tesco's gain, as they had longer length trousers for my son!

TishHope · 15/09/2017 08:48

I am another one who agrees that Marks have lost their way. I still like their underwear and their food but the women's clothes are mostly ghastly. I was in one of the bigger stores yesterday and didn't see anything I liked.

Peregrina · 15/09/2017 08:56

At one time their used to be a sort of pecking order of price-quality:
Littlewoods/C&A, BHS and then M & S. All the others have gone. So have M&S tried to fill the gap and gone a bit downmarket? It's Primark tat or trekking round Dept stores, which again have racks and racks of what I think of as rubbish, but some gems.

I'm still struggling to find a well fitting pair of jeans from anywhere. My last three pairs have been Next, poor fit, M&Co - slightly better fit, but at least half the price of Next (so will probably go there again), Rohan - very expensive for a pair of jeans and the short was a little too long, but otherwise OK. Their sizing also seemed inconsistent. So it's not just M&S that can't get its sizing right.

paperandpaint · 15/09/2017 08:57

Aargh yes KazzyHoward - out of stock items. I can never find school socks and tights in the right colour and size which is so frustrating especially when all I wa t is navy 9-10! And what is it with M&S sports socks? I really don't care about gender neutral etc etc but why do all the girls sports socks have bows and glitter? DD just wants plain white towelling sports socks.

GAP is another brand where the quality is just not what it used to be. I rejected about 10 things yesterday because they were so thin you could see my bra through. I'm not a prude but I am a teacher so it's a total no-no if it's clothing for work. Grrr.

BarbaraofSevillle · 15/09/2017 09:02

Gap must be struggling generally. They've closed both stores in our city and the next shops are about 20 miles away and two of them are outlets rather than normal. They always seem to be doing 20-40% off too.

Jasmine1111 · 15/09/2017 09:05

whispers
I have the pink dress... Shock

My mum bought it for £4.99 in the sale, and took a massive hem up on it and with a big necklace to break up the stupid high neck, it is now actually wearable! I'm pregnant and it's actually quite flattering.

I've had a few bits and pieces from there but normally from their sales or 20%off days. Love the uniform and shoes for kids and ladies.

Also love the food hall

FuckingBUTTERbeans · 15/09/2017 09:06

I used to buy "office" type clothes in there, but I don't need to now, and when I venture into the clothes section there's no longer anything that I would buy for that. Everything looks so unflattering and either totally plain or unnecessarily fussy! Love the new beauty hall though for brands, kids clothes and underwear, although the latter seems so expensive compared to a lot of other places that I only get the 3 for 2 pants now.

cowgirlsareforever · 15/09/2017 09:13

I got all the new school stuff from M&S this year as it's much better quality than mlst other places. I got DS a jumper from Primark last year and it didn't last a full term.
DP likes the work suits.
I hope that M&S doesn't disappear. It struggles price wise against a lot of the newer shops and I worry that's because they rely on cheap labour.