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?

I have big feet and by the time I was 14 I was wearing a 9/43. Next was the only high street shop that carried a decent size 9 collection, one that didn't make me look as if I'd raided a podiatrist's supply cupboard. The quality tanked and I don't shop there any more because the shoes wear out so quickly. It's sad, and it just feels so wasteful to see all that tat on the rails that will only end up as landfill. I hate fast fashion.

“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".”

Nailed it. Fuck knows that the next designers are thinking. Just about every item festooned with some gaudy batshittery, rendering an already uninspiring article completely unwearable.
And the fabric! Bloody nasty.

I worked for Next in the late 80s/early 90s and it was designed to fill the space between M&S and Jaeger, and it was great at doing that. There were some beautiful clothes in lovely fabrics. Now it’s just Primark with notions.

Honestly I just buy stuff from supermarkets now. I'm not exactly stylish but next stuff is just so expensive for what it actually is.

I think the quality in Next has gone right downhill too. They're not alone, M&S isn't far behind.

@Iamthewombat

It's easy to see the difference if, like me, you collect vintage clothes from 90s/00s and compare them to the same brands today - modern high street clothes look like joke shop fancy dress kits in comparison. Sadly, people nowadays accept scratchy plastic fabric, rough or see-through cotton, raw seams and a complete lack of care, because finding anything better is near impossible.

I’m not a collector, but you are absolutely right.

Fast fashion has changed the rules. People expect to have the latest fashion each year. It's just not possibe to buy a full wardrobe every year at the prices of good quality clothing.

Agreed. That mindset shift happened in the late nineties. Around the same time that Primark started rolling out its megastores like the ex-Lewis’s store in Manchester. And when Next changed tack and went down the cheap road.

buying power has gone down I think in recent years and often people can't afford to buy those basic but more expensive pieces ayway.

Yes, all the disposable income that might have been spent on good quality, stylish clothes is being hoovered up by mortgage and housing costs: it’s no coincidence that cheap clothes and cheap everything started to become the default option from the mid-2000s onwards.

I agree with a lot of what you both say but I would add that I don't think many people would be prepared to go back to having a very small wardrobe of maybe three dresses, two pairs of smart trousers, etc etc, bought after saving up. I have recently bought a few pieces from Community Clothing and they are absolutely fantastic quality but I really have to train myself not to baulk at the prices, and I should know better - I am a dressmaker and detest fast fashion. We have completely lost sight of what an individual item of clothing should cost if it is made from decent quality fibres by people who have earned a living wage.

@pictish

“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".”

Nailed it. Fuck knows that the next designers are thinking. Just about every item festooned with some gaudy batshittery, rendering an already uninspiring article completely unwearable.
And the fabric! Bloody nasty.

Indeed. See also Per Una. Never knowingly underembellished.

I've noticed the quality is shocking over the last few years. . I've had things that don't look great after just a few washes. The kids stuff seems to shrink easily - more so than any other brand I know.

Umm this thread is food for thought. I just got my 14 long jeans in blue and black and are a perfect fit, am very pleased with them, as with the clothes i have bought my daughter since she was a baby. All have washed nicely, so nothing negative to report.

I agree! I bought a pack of 5 babygros in the sale (was originally £25!) for £5 and one of them already has a hole in, despite not been worn that much. Asda is much better quality for baby clothes!

Next furniture used to be full of solid wood, oak, birch, mango etc. Clothes were decent fabrics and workwear/suits were great.

Now it's pure overpriced rubbish, the odd gem but who is bothered to search through the crap...

Fast fashion sucks, so I try to shop with sustainable brands like Thought. Unfortunately they are also weird shapes and prints, crazy sizing and high prices. But at least the jersey will be made from cotton, and will be nice and thick. At leats this way I only have to do half the shopping since the clothes themselves last much longer!

@pictish

“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".”

Nailed it. Fuck knows that the next designers are thinking. Just about every item festooned with some gaudy batshittery, rendering an already uninspiring article completely unwearable.
And the fabric! Bloody nasty.

I suspect the Next designers are thinking "Thank goodness I got a job at Next having been fired from Per Una once M&S realised their target market wasn't regional drag queens of a certain age".

I think it’s everywhere lately, at Christmas I couldn’t get a pair of decent heels anywhere, it was either trainers or big gallumping boots, same as the clothes, they’re either horrible garish colours or grungy shitty greens and browns, the coats look like sleeping bags with sleeves and the jumpers are hideous, I had a look on the m&s website and nearly all the models were wearing horrible bag lady dresses teamed up with Frankenstein boots and posing with legs akimbo laid on their backs or in shitting position.

Everything has gone down the bog in recent years. Get furniture from Ikea. It’s cheap and the majority of it is great. Don’t know about clothes - everything is crap these days.

I completely agree. I tried on a ton of stuff last week - a lot of the William Morris fabric range, which I loved the look of, and some jeans and summer dresses.

It was all shit. Mostly just very poorly fitting - either hugely oversized or very skimpy on the hips or bust, wonky necklines, weird sleeves, thin fabric. The jeans just didn't sit right (and I've always worn Next jeans). I was so disappointed and came away feeling like I was the problem, but gradually realised everything was the clothes' fault, not my body.

Goodness knows who's going to buy them. It's such a shame.

A word of warning to anyone with a Next online account - I’ve had one for years and am now intending to close it. I have a credit limit of a hundred quid or so, and despite opting out of automatic credit limit increases, I’ve had to ring them to take off increased limits they’ve applied without my consent. It seems they’re now going down the same route as credit card companies and they like you to have huge amounts of credit available, which I think just tempts people to get into debt - I set my limit to suit me, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

They’ve also made it impossible to pay off the total balance of the account in one go. I bought a few things over Christmas and in January, when the statement arrived, I went online to clear the balance. I found that the statement date had crossed two orders and I could only pay the balance on the statement instead of the full amount showing online - the online payment system now imposes an upper limit on what you can pay as well as a lower one - presumably so they can charge interest the next month. As others on the thread have said, the quality has gone downhill and prices have rocketed, so it’s time to go.

Whatever you do stay away from the next Anderson range. Got it for our bedroom and the quality is shocking. The fronts of the drawers are constantly falling off even after DH glued them. I’ve bought better from Lidl!

I am a (seemingly rare) fan of Next. Just before Christmas I bought an amazing stripe wing chair which nobody, including a boujie interior designer, believed was from Next.
I find their lounge wear affordable and comfy.
I was also told by an employee who works at the Leicester HQ that the staff were really happy with the way things were handled at the start of the pandemic. I think that counts for something.

Most fashion houses go through halcyon days at the start Eg White Stuff, Next, M&S Per Una, Fat Face.

They've all gone down the pan.

I'm bracing myself for Sea Salt next - their stuff is higher priced but it comes with quality fabrics, cut and design. I hope they don't deteriorate...

I always find that long sleeve t-shirts from Primark are better than next. I've literally worn them to death and are 5+ years old. When I tried one in next it was shapeless and cost more than twice as much.

@SuitcaseOfWhine snap! I was ironic a couple of fitted,3/4 sleeve cotton tops that I’ve had for years the other day. They’re still in good condition and the colours are true. I had to check the label as I thought maybe they were M&S but no, they are Primark!

Ironing not ironic

YANBU

I'm tall, and Next was one of the first high street to introduce a tall collection for women (at least to my recollection), and although the tall range wasn't great, the stuff they did do was decent. I was just grateful I could actually buy something in a shop, and not online!

These days, their tall range offers lots of choice, but it's mainly crap. Last time I looked, there were over 500 dresses in the tall range, but most of them were awful, with some really unflattering patterns and fits.

Very disappointed with how standards have gone down.

Yes, Next is dire. Truly appalling quality for not inexpensive prices. I feel itchy just passing through it. Mil got me a voucher and I just cannot find anything to spend it on! I will have a look at vases again I think....