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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To tell trading standards

50 replies

hipslikecinderella · 08/08/2019 07:34

On holiday in a uk seaside town and I didn't bring enough underwear. I went to a small shop in the town to buy some knickers and noticed she has basically opened up m&s multipacks of knickers and individually hung them on little hangers. Charging £2.99 per pair and upwards. The labels clearly say they are part of a set of 5 etc and I know multipacks are cheaper than she is charging.
Plus she is not m&s.
It pissed me off as it is so disingenuous. This is a town without an m&s clothes store in it. Would TS care?

OP posts:
Bezalelle · 08/08/2019 07:42

Log it with the cops while you're at it. She must be brought to justice, and no mistake!

msmith501 · 08/08/2019 07:42

Is she breaking any law? I don't think it's like multi-buy vending packs of walkers crisps where you're not allowed by Walkers to sell them individually as they are smaller packs than usual. As far as I can see, she's bought some pants from M&S, split them into pairs and offering them for sale quite openly. I'm guessing that in the event of any issue with the pants that she will be responsible for replacing them and not M&S. I'm not suggesting it's ideal but pants have to come from somewhere and I'm struggling to see what real law she has broken. They might also be returns or sub- standard garments which are often resold through wholesalers.

eternalopt · 08/08/2019 07:46

They have a national consumer line to call. Can't hurt to see what they say

To tell trading standards
OtraCosaMariposa · 08/08/2019 07:47

I don't think it's illegal either.

What M&S charges is neither here nor there. She can choose to charge whatever she wants for her products. You can choose to buy, or not.

PixieLumos · 08/08/2019 07:48

I take it you’re not having enough fun on this holiday...

Original poster
hipslikecinderella · 08/08/2019 07:50

Lol there are other issues!

OP posts:
Julykthat · 08/08/2019 07:51

I live in a small seaside town. There are no shops that sell knickers here so if someone does what this lady is doing I would think: good on you for providing something that is obviously needed (on a short term basis). The £2.99 is cheaper than driving the 90 minutes (in our case) to the nearest knicker selling M&S.

It is hard to make a living in a seasonal town which is becoming more and more holiday homes so the full timers need to make the most of their short season in order for there to be services there when you go on holidays in that area.

AmIRightOrAMeringue · 08/08/2019 07:52

I guess you could contact m and s, if they're happy with it then fine

CloserIAm2Fine · 08/08/2019 07:52

I think you need to get a life tbh

She’s providing a service to numpties who don’t bring enough knickers on holiday. I would expect to pay more for convenience rather than having to drive miles to the nearest M&S

YobaOljazUwaque · 08/08/2019 07:53

I don't think this is a crime or a trading standards issue. The town doesn't have an M&S. There are people with money needing pants. Why shouldn't someone provide a service of importing M&S pants and selling them on at a markup? If you don't want them, don't buy them. The "not to be sold separately" instruction is there solely for the benefit of M&S staff so that they know what to do if a cf removes a single pair of pants from a multipack in-store and tries to buy them as an individual item.

TheBrockmans · 08/08/2019 07:54

If you really want to do something then I would contact M&S they are big enough to defend their own goods. Do bear in mind though that the next holidaymaker unable to work out how much underwear they need to bring will need to travel further to get knickers.

Mileysmiley · 08/08/2019 07:55

Tell M & S they will deal with it

Tink1990 · 08/08/2019 07:55

Let it go and enjoy your holiday!

CharityConundrum · 08/08/2019 07:55

I'm not sure I understand what's annoyed you so much? Is it that instead of finding a knicker wholesaler she's chosen to stock M and S ones or that you think she should be selling them at the price she bought them for?

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 08/08/2019 07:57

It's probably not "right"... but you'd be making life difficult for the next person who forgot underwear, like you. You aren't being forced to buy them, but £2.99 for comfy; well-made pants isn't a total rip off.

I'm sure M&S or TS would probably contact her and ask her to stop, I'm just not sure what you'd get out of it. Presumably she paid what M&S wanted for them, and in a remote place, she's sold you underwear to stop you having to go further afield or rewear some....

I'd just go try and improve the holiday Smile

KC225 · 08/08/2019 07:58

Bloody hell OP - is the crazy golf shut?

AvocadosBeforeMortgages · 08/08/2019 07:58

She's not doing anyone any harm. If you don't like it, don't buy the knickers, but don't deprive someone else of the choice and don't shit on someone who is just trying to make a living. Retail is a hard enough business without people going out of their way to cause trouble.

Malvinaa81 · 08/08/2019 08:02

I'm glad I wasn't on this holiday.

Give Trading Standards a real laugh, and report it, along with a pair of the knickers as evidence.

Also write to the Chairman of M & S.

This must be stopped!

AuntyMarysBigRedPants · 08/08/2019 08:03

For goodness sake, they are filling a hole in the market. Either buy them or don't. They can charge what they want for them

Jeezoh · 08/08/2019 08:05

You really need to book a better holiday next year Grin

Laiste · 08/08/2019 08:09

I know multipacks are cheaper than she is charging.

Erm - you do know that everything you buy in a shop is going to cost you more than the seller paid? It's called making a profit ... you're not at gun point to buy them.

What honest difference is it to you where she got them from?

Dancinggertrude · 08/08/2019 08:13

Op ... get a life
Like seriously. We get ONE life !

Passthecherrycoke · 08/08/2019 08:14

I have seen something like this through to fruition although it wasn’t knickers. The small business owner was of course being cheeky, however.

The multi national company annihilated them. They ended up having to liquidate the business- this was from some fairly straightforward PR on the MNat side, to discourage customers from using them. They potentially would’ve been in liquidation from the legal fees too. They nearly lost their home.

I wouldn’t report this to anyone in a million years. The consequences can be far in excess of the cheek of the crime. MNats go a long way to protect their brand.

Frouby · 08/08/2019 08:15

Step away OP.

Then go home, rinse a few pair of kecks out in the sink and stick them on the shower rail to dry.

It's no wonder you have run out of clean ones, it's all the frothing going on. That and the hoiking of bust will have you with no bras left soon, the fuckers will wear out.

purplelila2 · 08/08/2019 08:15

Is it any different to selling unused M&S items on ebay

Shes not doing anything wrong ....

Book a more interesting holiday next year 😂