To wonder if M&S uniform is worth it?

[BabyofMine]

Just priced up for what my child needs, worked out as £130ish from M&S, and £66 from Asda George.
However if the Asda falls apart after a few months and we buy twice it will end up the same cost. But maybe it’s hard wearing?
I really don’t have any family with kids or any friends with school aged kids to ask!

YABU - Asda (or other supermarkets) are just as good
YANBU - M&S Uniform is worth the cost

I've always bought next as they are a better fit for very slim boys. They wash really well, last for both boys and are still in great condition when I hand them to the uniform shop.

I tried Asda once and the items looked tatty very quickly.

I also buy m&s as can buy smaller age size but with extra long legs for my skinny dc.

I didn't know you could get extre long!

M&S seem to have done something horrible to their trousers and they are stiff and nasty so we are on the hunt for others.

Sainburys and tesco wash well. Not tried Asda as there's not one near me. M&S pinafores are good and M&S non-iron shirts are non-iron if you hang them up wet (many that claim to be non-iron look terrible after a couple of washes without being ironed).

After trying a range of different brands we’ve tended to end up with M&S pinafores, cardigans and blouses/polos; M&S and John Lewis summer dresses; and John Lewis tights (the best I’ve found - wash amazingly and have shaped feet and never shrink - well worth the extra money. DD’s had JL school tights that have lasted 2 years and still have enough life to pass on!)

I found cardigans from Tesco also decent, but from everywhere else they shrank and looked like rags. Polos too. We ended up with M&S consistently because the quality was just that little bit better and when they do the 20% off, it’s not as expensive compared to supermarket.

I also buy the M&S Teflon zip pinafores, skirts, summer dresses etc. secondhand from eBay; and they look like new. Honestly they seem indestructible.

I always buy a fair number of items, especially cardigans. They need constant washing because primary school kids get incredibly messy!

We used M&S for skirts as they were adjustable waist so I could get the length I wanted and still fir the waist. Also pockets. Supermarket girls skirts and trousers often don't have pockets.

I've always got my daughter's uniform from M&S. Pleated grey skirts, boys trousers (the girls ones never fit her properly) white short and long sleeved shirts and in summer gingham dresses.

It is more expensive than the supermarket but it really does last and washes really well. The pleats are still in the skirts, no wearing in the knees of the trousers. I also like that with the shirts the top button of the collar is velcro on the smaller sizes and the button on the wrist is elasticated so easy to get on and off.

I also think the trousers with the let down hems are worth it. My kids don't destroy trousers playing football and they grow up a lot so they've been worth the money imo.

Trousers from M&S I should have written!

And yes I waited for 20% off offer.

I have a tall and very skinny six year old and I like M&S for the trousers as they have lots of different shapes and he can get a skinny fit in there which I struggle to find stocked in the other shops.

Also, random, but last year most of his uniform was from Tesco but they changed the shade of grey this year and it's not as nice. M&S seems really consistent. He puts the knees through most other trousers but his school ones are fine.

Shirts it really doesn't matter, they are all much of a muchness.

I'm another one who rates Next having tried Asda/Sainsburys/Tesco etc...The supermarkets tended to look very washed out, but Next looked great even after a couple of years of constant use. Really like their girls smart shorts/skorts as an alternative to skirts/pinafore.

There is always a lot of decent quality M&S uniform on eBay too - as I posted above, I tend to buy all the skirts/pinafores secondhand as you can’t tell the difference - but I always get new polos and cardis.

The cardigans are the things that always wash least well out of all school uniform, no matter where you get them from. The Tesco ones I find good are their plain pack of two basic cardigans, priced around £10 for two I think, and those wash decently I find.

Round Easter and about now, you can pick up immaculate bundles of 2 or 4 M&S gingham summer dresses cheaply on EBay as they really do seem to last well.

Another tip is to get your child’s feet measured at a shoe shop, then look online at the start-rite and Clarks, Clinkards etc. online outlet sales. Start rite actually do some great reductions in their seasonal sales, and you can often pick up really good quality shoes from them at half price or more if you keep an eye out. I find Start-rite much better quality than Clarks these days, but rarely pay full price for them.

I've always been able to pass DD1s sainsburys uniforms down to DD2 it really is the most hard wearing. I pick up bits from different stores throughout the year, I only buy when they need it so I don't do a massive big shop in the summer, usually only new shirts and badged stuff for starting back.
M&S shirts are OK but they have a slight blue tinge you can see it when they are next to other shirts.
Asda stuff seems to shrink so buy 2 sizes up.
Next again buy bigger it's quite small made which is odd for next.

Yes i used to get my sons feet measured at Clarks and then have a quick look on eBay as there are loads of Clarks / Start Right shoes on there "worn once for a wedding" or "son had a growth spurt before they got worn" type of thing. You can pick the up for a tenner.

She isn't spending your money, what is it to do with you how much or little she buys?

I would also say to buy cheap cardigans for them starting primary as they go missing no matter if they are labelled or not. DD1 went 9 yes 9 cardigans in P1, they vanished in to that abyss where dd2 new school jacket is also currently hiding!!

TU is my favourite for uniform, especially the summer gingham dresses.

I agree that if you have a boy cheap summer shorts with an adjustable waist can last a long time, no knees to go through and no sizing problems as legs lengthen.

I bought a mix -

Grey items - M&S. They were definitely better quality and came out of every wash looking perfect. They were always outgrown rather than worn out.

Sundresses - M&S. Same again. They also went to the charity shop once outgrown.

Blouses/polos - wherever was cheapest. No point spending any more, as they would be permanently stained with poster paint, ink, grass, mud, sand and mystery substances within 30 seconds of walking through the classroom door.

Tights - M&S. They could take a few kneeslides before needing repair compared to the cheaper brands and seemed to stay up better.

In Secondary, I stuck to M&S for blouses and trousers (they weren't keen on wearing skirts because of boys being arseholes) because the sizing seemed to fit them better - the other shops tended to have things that were far too large for their height - I am sure that the blouses needed less ironing, too.

I would wait until there was a discount on schoolwear and buy it all at once, so it wasn't as much of an additional cost.

My main objection was to the compulsory logo items. They have always been appalling quality, feel absolutely revolting, fit nobody and cost a fortune. So I suppose I also chose to buy M&S because if they were stuck with horrible nylon for everything else, the least I could do was buy them things that felt nicer directly against their skin.

M&S polos have been a game hanger for us in quality of fabric, but most impressively, in keeping the bright colour. Asda trousers and Sainsbury trousers are great. We have to use school supplier for everything else.

Changer! My typing is terrible today. Blaming covid.

DD's F&F trousers are looking as if they'll just about last out until exams are over - but with two pairs having lasted her from year 8-11, that's not bad (although of course lockdown and two days a week of PE kit in year 10 has reduced wear).

M&S for trousers, Asda for shirts is what we do! Did try Asda trousers once but looked worn and bobbly within a term. M&S trousers last all year and we try and buy them when they do their 20% off. Don't see the point in paying M&S prices for shirts though.

I buy m&s trousers and coloured shirts but I buy less because they don’t need ironing, so we can wash and wear. They stand up well to wear and tear.

I bought cheaper ones, but ended up buying more than I’d buy in m&s so across the year, the saving wasn’t as much as it looked at the start.