to think we can come up with good ideas to save M&S

[FleurDelacoeur]

M&S definitely on the skids. Profits down, stores closing, Chief Exec saying radical transformation required. Fairly clear that this has happened because they're not listening to their core market, which I'd wager has a fairly large crossover with the MN demographic. So Steve Rowe, if you're listening, here are a few bullet points.

1. Scrap the Sparks card.
2. Sack your womenswear design team. All of them. Now.
3. Ditch the Per Una brand.
4. Rethink your over generous returns policy.

The food is lovely, no complaints there, but please maketops and jumpers longer in the body, they are all way too short and boxy. And less of the frills and bows!

I love their tights

I don’t understand the Sparks card. I get different offers to my Mum every week as I understand it’s baes on your shopping. What makes me very cross is that my Mum does not use the internet or have a smart phone do she doesn’t know what offers she has unless she asks in store and they check her Sparks card. I don’t get why they don’t just have blanket reductions highlighted on certain items in store. Work wear is boring and they have no decent wool trousers. Get rid of Per Una. Their underwear is good but some bra designs remain unchanged for years. No decent wool jumpers only cashmere ones. I just want a lambs wool polo neck!! My local stores never ever has my size in trousers. Same with boots.
I like the food but then I go into Waitrose and I see so many new and exciting things in comparison. M and S has had its day.

I bought the Best Ever burgers this week and they were gorgeous, particularly with the brioche style bun.

I hadn’t been in M&S for years until recently when I went in to buy Christmas cards. I did a short circuit of the women’s clothing and honestly I was left confused. I remember Marks being for stuff like a good quality navy cardigan or like a decent but plain dress for the office—like basic things to have as staples for your wardrobe. But my god, everything felt so random! Like hideous patterned blouses and skirts that were cut for a young person but patterned for an older woman (sorry that’s really generalised in terms of young/old tastes but it’s generally true)—I think they’ve lost sight of their target market. They need to pick something (anything!) to do well and then stick to it. At the moment it feels like they are trying to be everything to everyone and failing miserably.

Ok, off the top of my head....

Produce your ballet flats in standard width too, not just wide fitting.

Stop skipping out random age sizes in school uniforms. Example, girls cardigans go from 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 but then no 6-7 instead you go straight to 7-8. Then no 8-9, but straight to 9-10. My poor daughters end up in cardies with short arms at aged 6/7 because they are too big for the 5-6 but the 7-8s are too big. Nuts.

The kids school shirts with Velcro instead of a top button. Fine for a while but the velarised doesn't last for long and never sticks. Sort it out.

Let us return clothes items to food shops. If I can pick up from there, then let me return it there too. Getting to a 'proper' store is a real pain.

Sort out the location of things, in the clothes areas and also in the food hall. I am stick of traipsing up and down aisles looking for something particular. I'm sure you do it on purpose in the food hall but I've given up so many times and gone elsewhere that it's been your loss.

As many others have said, produce good quality staples in key colours. Think uniiqlo. Stop overthinking details, we don't want them.

Beauty - do not change a thing here please!!!

Changing rooms - I do not need someone to take my items and walk me to a room, funnily enough I can do this myself. Instead, be useful and get me alternative sizes if I need them.

Sort out your website. The photos are awful. And make the stock numbers easier to look up. I don't get the vast array of numbers and letters that sometimes work and sometimes don't. The amount of times I have seen something in store only for you not to have the colour or size I want. I try to find it online and it's impossible. The name of the item often doesn't work online or the stock ref doesn't exist.

I get that you must have different manufacturers for the same styles (trousers in particular) but the labelling, sizing and material is all to often inconsistent. I have actually given up on trousers from you for many years now. Far too confusing. Sort it out.

I'm sure there is loads more but it doesn't appear M&S are listening so what is the actual point other than then a cathartic rant?!

Food needs online shopping option. Great quality but convenience always prevails for me.

Re longer length sizing, when I worked for M&S I read in staff literature once that 80%, of their customers are under 5 ft 5.

I worked for a strategy consultant M&S hired many years ago. They paid us to tell them what you are all saying. They wouldn’t listen then and they won’t listen now.

Yes food delivery would be fantastic

God I’ve just read something and totally forgot this -
WHY DO YOU TOTALLY MOVE YOUR FOOD AROUND ABOUT ONCE A MONTH?
I’m pretty sure, many years ago, some merchandise expert told them if you move your bread to one place and your biscuits some place and your store cupboard stuff another place very often it meant people had to look around your store for stuff and probably buy more stuff they wouldn’t have seen. That might have worked years ago but now NO-ONE has the time to bloody search around your store for something that used to be in one aisle and has now moved to another. It literally drives me nuts that it’s not in the same place it was last week and I have to walk up and down looking for it. People like to be able to dash in, get what they want and dash out, not to have to search for it or try and find someone o. The shop floor, which seems harder to find these days too.

Our closest m & s regularly has 2 assistants on the tills very obviously chewing gum and quite happy to give anyone a death glare. I try not to get served by them. If they're on the shop floor I'd never approach them for help.

I want longer jumpers and shirts. No frills, ruffles, tassels, weird edgings.

Want consistency in sizing. One cut of Jean's size 14 - perfect. Bought another, too small.

Less acrylic/polyester/nylon more cotton rich jumpers and cardis.

And stopping us off with the exchange rate in Ireland. The euro is rarely 1.5 sterling but that's the unchanging m & s mark up.

I remember an episode of hyacinth bouquet with an indoor- outdoor buffet. M & s last summer sold a frock that would have camouflaged me perfectly should such a buffet opportunity ever be offered me. Hideous greens, yellows and massive palm leaf print. Would swamp any woman even of gargantuan proportions let alone average 5' 4" me.

I'm surprised how many people love the food. I am almost always disappointed with it having paid over the odds. This might be because I am veggie and they don't cater for me much in terms of sandwiches, £10 meal deals etc. Given how popular vegetarian and vegan food is now there is a demand for this.

I bought my swimming costume in there years ago and still wear it. Very flattering and comfy and has worn very well. Not that I do very much swimming!

Have bought kids' tights twice which have gone in holes on the first wear without DD doing anything very rough and tumble in them. Aldi school tights have worn a lot better.

I agree about veggie food. They are way behind the times. All the supermarkets have much better provision.

I used to really like M&S food, but the quality has gone right down.

Bought a salad box for about £5 95% iceberg lettuce, tiny amount of egg and about 1 tomato.
Plus even though they must get more than average people in wheelchairs and with buggies (elderly and people with babies) the automatic doors at the store where I live have been broken for ages. They clearly don't care about their core customers.

So in short- make the food better and care more about the shopping experience of their core customers.

Sorry thus was a bit ranty.

Our local food store has had the overhead signs wrong for months. If you keep changing things round you need to have accurate signage or I’ll give up & go into another supermarket.

Sack your womenswear design team. All of them. Now.
This. Who exactly are they designing for? Not me or anyone I have ever known....

Their 'curve' range is UGLY and is designed to accentuate every possible part of me I may wish to cover up.
Why do you hate us M&S? Would you really send us out looking like this???

There are more...

If everyone on MN shopped in there for Xmas I think that might be a good start!

Don't know what I'd do without M&S food, but the clothes are dreadful for adults and pricy for kids which is a shame.

Recent success:
Black suede ankle boots with narrow ankle in half size.
Percy pigs.
Nuxe Oil (not a M&S product - but that's where i buy it)
Above the knee warm skirts.
Summer handbag, bucket shape, white leather.

Recent disappointments:
No little nighties for DD4 (4)! I was convinced i'd walk in and see a selection, but no, just PJs. She doesn't like PJs.
Tights are shiney and go bobbly.
Tops are ALWAYS too bloody short.
Recently found a nice pair of high waisted skinny jeans, but no 14 or 16s to try on in the white or red.
Bras, just ... no. I'm 34/36H and anything in my size looks hideous.

M and s are fecking crazy. They did sort out the kids wear bs k along and did some Biden type kids clothes I loved. Now they are back to tat that costs a bomb. This is the first year I haven't bought anything except uniform. I think it will be a shame if it goes but they need to start selling us what we want, not what they think we want.

Mind you the kids bedding I wouldn't have anything less than marks. Still a bench mark there

My mum is 80 and finds the clothes frumpy.
I still buy pants from m&s but they go baggy and don't last as the cotton content had gone down and they are thinner.Bras I gave up on as I really don't need padding and finding matching sets is impossible.
Dd has some nice bras at the moment,unpadded and unwired but she is still growing.
All their nice vests indifferent colours have gone.
I still buy jeans from them but they keep changing them,the leg ends have become wider in their slim fit.
Sizing!!!I can't buy online as I never know what size an item will turn out,but 12,14,16 are never in stockings store.
I agree with everyone on clothes.I had an interview,I would always look in m&s for classic smart clothes,nothing.I can live with naff brass buttons,M&S have always done them and they are easy to change,but the material and garish patterns!
The thing is if people like me who still go there in the hope they might stock good quality,non high fashion clothing stop coming then who will they have?

Sack your customer service team. I used to spend about £500/year with you. One £12 return I couldn’t do because I was given the wrong information by M&S and you lost my business.
Oh and I told family not to buy clothes for DDs there either so that’s another couple hundred a year lost.