To think Next are up their own arse

[Rawtinhail]

I swear Next used to be pretty well rated, decent quality. Now it's just a load of over priced, cheaply made tat.
I have to shop in the petite section, which is a joke because at 5"2 (not that short I don't think), I still struggle to find any jeans/trousers that aren't a good few inches too long still. But it's so hit and miss because even in identical styles the sizing is all over the place. I can fit in a size 14 in one colour and the size 18 is too tight in another colour but has a saggy crotch chucked in for good measure or a waist so high I could tuck it under my tits.
This is the same even with their exclusive brands. Bought two identical Lipsy dresses in different colours. One fit ok but a little loose around the bum. I couldn't even get the other over my head for fear of ripping the waistband.
Their own clothing is so often just frumpy crap in horrible fabric with some big tacky sparkly star shoved on the front to "jazz it up". The stuff that is actually nice is horrendously overpriced.
Then you get to the furniture. It's all MDF and oak veneer. AKA cheap tat. But it's not cheap, it's expensive. You could literally buy the same quality of furniture for half the price in Argos.
And there are never any discount codes available or cash back affiliations like Quidco. (other than their quarterly sales where they roll out the extra crap crap). Even John Lewis isn't so stuck up that they aren't willing to chuck out some cash back offers or release little discount codes.
Oh, and you can't review anything, you have to be invited to leave reviews!
I get this is first world problems but Next happens to the be only department type shop anywhere near where I live and I keep trying with them, but I'm hacked off that I can't find a single pair of trousers that fits my dumpy ass properly.
Is it just me? Am I just being to unrealistic about what to expect from a major retailer?

Yes Next very disappointing these days. Frumpy beyond belief. Think I will start searching on Vinted should I need anything.

I only look online and there is far too much choice that I don't enjoy shopping there.

Yes to the furniture looking a bit cheap, but I prefer to just buy cheap solid wood and paint which isn't for everyone either.

The thing that once pissed me off the most was when I ordered something online years ago and they charged me £5 for a catalogue!! I was fuming and had to call them to get reimbursed and didn't even keep what I ordered anyway.

I still buy their bedding and towels though.

@Lightning020

I still buy their bedding and towels though.

Asda bedding and towels are really good.

Next was amazing! Affordable, great quality etc.

Now it’s an overpriced primark.

The women’s clothes rub up terribly.

DH has always got his underwear and socks from Next but the waistband of the boxers come away after a few months, sometimes less. We bought a five pack of socks at Christmas to find they had holes in; he’d worn one pair and tried another two on to find they were just shredded and I had to argue with the woman at the returns desk for a refund as they’d ‘been worn’. One pair had the rest hadn’t.

The children’s clothing is faddy; the sizing is never consistent and it shrinks and rubs up. The furniture is glorified IKEA flat pack. Again, very en vogue, but appalling quality. We bought DD a bed from there last year. One panel was missing, it then arrived three days later cracked. Customer services demanded pictures of the assembled bed (we hadn’t even taken it out the box yet) and it took a month of multiple customer complaint calls for them to issue a refund and collect it (which they wanted to charge us for).

After being a loyal customer for years I don’t shop there at all now and if I ever get anything next it’s gifted or bought on eBay. M&S and HM all the way for high street. The quality on everything else is just rubbish.

When you're tall you don't have much choice! I don't wear dresses or skirts but buy trousers and jeans from there.

I used to buy Next suits 20 plus years ago. I returned to work without much money a while ago and bought some Next suits and the cut wasn't good, fabric looked cheap and skirt lining gathered up. I only wore a couple of times. I don't know if because I was smaller everything looked better years ago.

That said I have just bought a bright striped jumper. I love the colours and was far cheaper than others I had looked at. Will see how it wears.

Could it possibly be that 10 years later Next are now aimed at the demographic 10 years younger than you

no, something changed about 10 years ago. As a pp said I got work suits and also a suit to wear at a wedding from there, and then one day, they just had nothing I liked and that never changed.

Yes, now I am older, but I wasn't ten years ago.

It used to be my go to online shop for EVERYTHING - work stuff, weddings, kids bits and bobs, nice underwear but i've not bought owt for years now, it seems the only decent bits are always sold out or long delivery times (their next day delivery was such a game changer when it came out).... and so many things are overpriced, usually as they are from branded concessions as opposed to being Next's own stuff.

The sale is invariably full of so much tat also, they must have a warehouse full of 2010 cold shoulder tops to shift.

Interesting that it might be my age that's changed my mind on things! The styles don't seem particuarly "young" to me though.

Agree with others regarding what's available at M&S and Tu Sainsburys. Sainsburys have the price point right for the stuff they're selling and they seem a bit more varied with the styles they offer - kind of more to suit most age groups/tastes for every day stuff.
I've tried M&S jeans a few times and they just don't quite fit right around my legs (length is good though!).
I am of course aware there are dozens of places you can shop online with, but when it comes to finding clothes - particularly jeans - I have such a huge problem finding nicely fitted ones that online shops are a minefield. Once I've narrowed down from 6000 pairs to 10, I have have to guess at which ones to order or pay hundreds of pounds so I can try them all on, before sending them all back again.
Think I might look up Cos and and few of the other places mentioned on this thread.
Oh, totally agree with people saying the menswear is much better too! I can walk in to mens and pick up various things my DH will happily wear that look reasonably stylish and feel quite nice.

My first Saturday job was at the Next flagship store in Regent St (going back some!). It was a great place to work, fab clothes, well priced and a bit different and it was always packed with shoppers. I too find it so disappointing these days. I love the kids clothes and they do some really funky women's trainers but otherwise, not a lot catches the eye. I can't remember the last time I bought an item of clothing there for myself. It's a shame.

@Theworldisfullofgs

It's not you. I'm old enough to remember Next from the late 80s and early 90s when their stuff was great. I still have a pure wool jumper that I bought then.

Yes, me too. I have wide legged silk trousers from the late eighties still looking beautiful on my skinny teenage daughter.

I’m 35 and tend to shop in Fatface and Wallis.

@annlee3817

Let's not forget the hoody type material jumpers with shirt sleeves...... I find a lot of stuff on there totally bizarre, I'm probably not really someone who braves being fashion forward, but some of the stuff 😬

They've changed their lift, slim and shape skinny jeans to a rougher material, they were my favourite and now no where near as comfy

They have changed those jeans they were my favourite!! They're horrible now, really stiff and uncomfortable.

Their 360 ones are similar to how the LS+S ones used to be. Thick, stretchy fabric. I quite like them. £50 a pair though!

Generally Next has gone down the pan though I agree OP.

The quality is rubbish
I used to buy almost all of my clothes there. Work clothes would wash and wash and were really easy to care for.
I can't remember the last time I went in there though

So true!
Next used to be great, I still remember and have their zip up hoodies with Est 82 on it!
Lovely, cool trendy.
Now it’s a poor crap, horrible clothes.
They never have any discounts, only shitty sales which are their leftovers anyway.

So which high street shops do PPs think won't jump the shark and let the accountants pander to the shareholders by value-engineering the products to rubbish?

DD ordered this dress in 2 different colourways to wear to work and it looks lovely on her.

whoops

www.next.co.uk/style/st846262/670831#670831

Not "cheap tat" at £24. Not super expensive, not super cheap.

@LightDrizzle

My gripe not just with Next but with other stores with Petite ranges is: 1) They have decided all short-arses aspire to look like Lynne, Alan Partridge’s long suffering PA. Only the dullest, ugliest lines from their full range will be offered in Petite 2) Despite being a tiny offering and the store offering size 6 in many “normal” lines, there will be tops, shirts, cardies and skirts offered in Petite taking up rail space when our problem is overwhelmingly trousers and dresses.

And yes, Next is pretty shit.

100% agree with this!! I saw in Sainsbury's petite section the other day jeans that for some reason had daisies embroidered all over them! I'm short, not six!

And I don't need a petite fit t-shirt. Stop wasting time on that and give me trousers, jeans and dresses please.

Wouldn’t shop there for myself in a million years. I like lots of their home stuff, but as you said it’s bloody expensive.

However it’s one of the only places that actually has a nice selection of boys clothes that aren’t exclusively dinosaurs/cars/TV show print. But they are expensive compared to everywhere else.

@BigSandyBalls2015

Next used to be brilliant for school uniform, has that changed as well now?

I find the girls grey pinafores good.

The checked summer dresses are awful, awful awful. They crease terribly, literally scrunch up like paper. I know they're supposed to be thin as they're summer dresses, but they really are super thin. The polo shirts shrink even when washed and dried correctly. Dreadful. I'll go to M&S this year!

I've hated Next for about 15 years.

I've just re-read this part of my post and realised why people are confused about it. I have to shop in the petite section, which is a joke because at 5"2 (not that short I don't think), I still struggle to find any jeans/trousers that aren't a good few inches too long still.

I mean their petite section is a joke, due to it being miles too long for someone who is 1 inch below the petite range length. I didn't mean it's a joke that I have to shop in petite. Sorry for my poor wording

I mainly buy children's clothes on there now, but none of the hideous frilly, sequin stuff. They're good for chino shorts, t-shirts, socks etc.
They stopped making the jeans I like, but I was able to get some nice River Island jeans from them online, so can't complain. I also like their PJs. But actual work or day clothes for me....nope. They're like bad 1980s catalogue tat.