AIBU to think that Next shops need better ideas than this?

[CrazyDaze1]

I’ve been listening to the radio (the Ian Dale show on www.lbc.com) and they always have a finance/market report on ‘Drivetime’.

It was stated that ‘Next’ stores have had a poor financial outcome, losing 8% in sales. Apparently they have plans to revamp some of their stores, including having in-store cafes, barber shops and possibly even a car showroom!

I can imagine that no women at executive level suggested the latter two (do they even have women in top positions at Next?)....but honestly AIBU to think that all they need to do to increase their sales - and this seems to go for all retail clothing stores these days - is to to have clothes made from natural fibres and to get rid of all the acrylic and polyester fabrics?

It's the catalogues - they're obsessed.

I deliver the things and they pay MORE per catalogue than they do per parcel, so you'd think I'd be happy about them but they're so unwanted its ridiculous.

Next send down extra security when catalogues come, and its obscene seeing the giant pallets of huge bricks, and we know 90 percent at least go straight in recycling or worse. We get customers desperately refusing them, but even if they do get themselves removed from the list of people that pay for one they just send a free one anyway.

We used to deliver 4 issues a year, but there's now loads of supplementary issues too so some people get one a month. It must be at least 5 years since I remember someone being pleased to receive one, but you get so much grief if you try to return them, and next just repeatedly send more out. I've heard some groups of couriers have resorted to hiring a skip when they know the big lots are due and keeping a list of everyone who doesn't want one just gets theirs skipped immediately. I admit to just doorstepping, I can't risk the disciplinary for bringing some back.

Everyone in the whole world shops on the internet, haven't they noticed?
It should be outlawed on environmental grounds.

Women's clothes or shapeless horrible fabric and far too big I am a 34 FF nork and I fit into a size 8 and 10 bloody ridiculous.

Also where is the teen range what teenagers these days want to wear the same range as the clothes that are the same as three-year-olds, have no idea what they're thinking, my daughter has refused to wear next since she turned 10 m, they're missing out on a whole market

Yeah I think they'd be better off sorting the clothes.

Every time I go into next everything is square shaped, polyester and eyeball withering yellow/lime or grey coloured. Their sizing is ridiculous - some things are way too big and other items in the same size cut off all circulation to the extremities. And to top it off, this shite is all overpriced and shitty quality.

If they sorted this out, their sales would soar. Either do good quality with a mid-range price or go cheap and nasty, although there's enough cheap and nasty about imo.

I agree that it's like a dated work waedeobe. I don't rate the children's.wear either - I find it's mini versions of adult clothes which I don't think look nice on children.

I get most of my jeans there. But little else.

Good for kids clothes though, and bed linen etc.

The only thing I’ve ever bought from Next was an overpriced polyester suit for an interview, it fell apart after a couple of wears. Their clothes are so dull, it’s probably the only high street shop I completely avoid because I know I’ll never find anything I’d want to buy in there.

Next is full of nasty overpriced clothes in a variety of plastic fabrics, badly cut, either frumpy or so hyper fashionable that they will look terribly dated within a year at most. Sizes are ridiculous - I still have some clothes from Next that I bought nearly 20 years ago & the same sizes on the rack now absolutely swamp me. In addition, the 20 year old clothes, which were worn almost continuously at university, have lasted considerably better than a few things I bought within the last decade, which mostly fell apart within a year.

I used to be the typical Next customer - at least half my wardrobe came from there when I was at university. I still should be as I'm not tremendously adventurous regarding clothing.

They have just took over a former supermarket site here and have built a brand new store attached to the shopping centre. The store is huge . Yet we have a home store and a clothes store there too , 1 being in prime location so not sure if they will shut that one.
Its way too big especially with Primark expanding too in the shopping centre , into one of the biggest Primark stores in Britain . Next won't be able to compete.
Prices are ridiculous now !
My friend used to be a vivid next shopper for herself and her husband and she said they ask family for cash now instead of next vouchers because the clothes are awful now . We went in recently and saw some vile versions similar to the pink marks and Spencer dress ..shapeless and horrible .... God knows who's designing this fashion but they ain't doing it for modern day women !

I hate almost everything they sell. I was given a voucher for Next for Christmas and just spent it on wrapping paper and gas the remainder on the gift card to the next person behind me at the till.

Their clothes all look like office clothes from 1999-2000.

I stopped buying anything except basics, from there years ago when every man and his dog bought their clothes from next. So many people wearing the same stuff that was instantly recognisable as from next. I didn't want to wear a top that I knew I would also see 2 other women wearing when doing the weekly shop at the supermarket, or see other women out and about and think. "I've got that top at home"

Perhaps I should go back. Doesn't look as if I'd have the same problem nowadays

I'm another one who doesn't shop there because of Lord Wolfson and his politics.

Doesn't sound like I'm missing much.

If you want cheap clothes go to Primark. Next clothes are no different ... maybe more staid .... but why pay top price for the same kind of quality ?
Cars and barber definately a mans idea !

Who is buying all that polyester? The young uns?

It's just crap. Everyone I see something that looks ok, I look closer and yep - it's manmade rubbish.

I had a voucher last year for my birthday, it went on dds school shoes which are actually quite nice and sturdy, so at least it wasn't wasted. Otherwise I'd probably be rattling round the home department looking for a candle or something to buy.

The website really confuses me. You click on tops and are suddenly faced with a woman wearing an Adidas hoodie next to a model in a slinky Lipsy dress. Why? And why are all their tops wider than they are long? Nobody wants a t shirt that rests on your hips like they're a shelf.

I love the kids clothes - they are a little overpriced but I find the quality better than H&M which is a similar style and they do fun colours and prints.

I think in my 8 years of shopping there I have brought about 5/6 items of clothing from there for myself. Normally jumpers as the quality is good but most of it is quite old fashioned and boring. The jeans are awful!

DH has quite a bit from there - good quality chinos for £22 in a nice selection of colours and basic t shirts and a few hoodies. It all washes really well and his family thought some of it was designer with the little stag logo!

Yep - next is overpriced, cheap looking, frumpy clothes. It is the hyacinth bucket of clothes shops. I never find anything I like for myself, and the kids clothes are over priced and chavvy

When I think next, I think black trousers in slightly shiny fabric and a smock top in mustard swirl print.

There was a dress in there the other day that had me open mouthed in horror.

And I totally do gaf about what fabric my clothes are made out of. Synthetic fabrics just look and feel shit.

Not keen on their adult clothes (except Lipsy clothing which larger stores and website stock) and agree there isn’t much of a market for them

I do like their baby/kid clothing and home range though

I used to love Next but I find that I actually return most of the stuff I buy from there now as the cuts are awful. I'm a size 12 yet when buying tops from next I buy a size 8 otherwise they bury me. The last size 8 top I bought from there was like a massive tent on me and I'm not a skinny person! Ridiculous. I'm also finding less that I want to buy from there anyway, crap designs, old fashioned and frumpy.

20 years ago I got loads from them, and all my shoes as they did size 8 before most shops did.
Then the quality went down and the prices didn't, just like M&S and others. A few years ago I bought some cotton cargo pants which were great, so went to buy another black pair and a blue pair. Which didn't fit because the cutting is so bad that there's over 3 inches difference between the top and the bottom of a pile when cut at once.

Last year I got drenched and went into the Next at my station, found some good stretchy loose trousers in black and some mens socks. Both went bobbly after a couple washes. I've got dd a couple things (age 6), which were reasonably tasteful.

Where on the High Street can I get clothes in decent fabrics that might last more than a couple months? Monsoon used to be where I'd save up for, for their sales, but they've gone batshit.

They definitely need to sort out their clothes. I used to be able to buy a few bits from them but I went in last week and it was full of frump. It looked more like m&s and somewhere my mother would shop. Awful designs all round the store. I don't shop there anymore for 13yo DS either as they only stock kids clothes up to age 12.
Their only saving grace is their homeware department.
Don't even get me started on the shit over hyped sale.

They need to sort out their online stock taking at sale time. Sick of trawling the sale to find some bits I like, only to find they all say out of stock in my basket at the end

I have given up with their sales, it's mainly very old stock that you haven't seen for years. I have a list of things I need, didn't find one bit in the sale the other night. I will go somewhere.

I’ve stopped shopping in Next as I can never get through one of their stores with a buggy!