M&S no better than primark according to Daily mail

[THK]

Do mumsnetters shop at M&S for more than knickers?
Interested to know where you shop?
I tend only to buy white knicks and socks for school as I find the childrens styles uninteresting.
IMO M&S ladieswear is generally unappealing so would agree with the article.
I would probably end up in Zara before M&S.

I never used to buy underwear from anywhere else, and I loved M&S for basics like t-shirts and cardis. Recently the bras fit badly, the knicker elastic goes. The clothes bobble and go out of shape after a couple of washes and everything just looks generally shite.

Debenhams stock good brands like Sloggi and Panache at competitive prices and that is where I buy underwear now. The quality of Sainsbury's t-shirts/vest tops etc is better than M&S I find.

BeenBeta - I disagree about the food. I know plenty of people do buy it and perceive it as the pinnacle of food shopping, but Waitrose is better quality and better value for money IME.

food is yum, the pork pies fill my dreams at night, have you all tried M&S pork pies? they will change your porky world forever...

clothes are so very frumpy and so bloody expensive for what you get as well. and i agree with a poster above, M&S is bad/okayish quality across the board for overpriced stuff, but Primark veers wildly between shit quality and some cracking finds if you are on a budget. For some reason the jeans from our local Primark are the only one my DD's will wear. Sainsbury's clothes are fab, especially this year.

and the underwear. grr, M&S need to realise that they have a reputation in this country for underwear, and if you cant uphold that what can you?
I am a DD cup M&S, not an E, not a C, a DD cup. no i dont want itchy seams [shoddy] poky underwires [even when im IN a size that fits] and crap straps.
i dont want rubbish elastic in my knickers. I have an ARSE and you need to keep it nice and cosy.

and your tights are ridiculously overpriced, even if they are lovely and soft. but i can still get an identical pair cheaper at Primark.

I only buy kids uniforms in M&S. Primark has some really fab stuff but you have to look quite hard. I get DS the boys jeans with a belt for £5 from Primark that look the same as £12 from Next, all my pants are from primark or la senza sale.

And they do amazing pop sock things to wear under trousers with ballet pumps, slightly thicker than tights with a cute pattern that wash really well and only £2 for 3 pairs!

Agree the food is good, I bought the new dipper and dunker tubs of carrotcake and flapjacks and they are awesome! And 2 for £4 just don't look at the calories!

Me. I buy clothes from Limited Collection. And have something from Autograph I bought the other week.

I bought a red/orange dress from LC that has been roundly admired. And an creamy orange dress that has likewise been popular. And many, many cashmere cardis. And I bought a green metallic bag a while ago that was commented on by an uber-fashionista.

So. It seems I buy quite a lot from M and S. And while it's possible that all the people who comment are lying for the sake of politeness, it would appear that quite a lot of people like M and S clothes when they don't know they're for M and S ... .

Funny how the M&S article has now been pulled from the DM site

I dont rate marks

the store layout is wrong, and trying to find anyhting remotely chic is a nightmare

Someone needs to go in there and shake things UP

I buy DH's shirts from there (the non-ironed ones)

Are they talking about quality or ethical policy though?

Kids clothes are rubbish. We were bought lots of baby items and they've all faded or bobbled. Tesco and Boots far, far better.
White seamless baby vests are ok.

I consider their clothes too frumpy and old ladyish for a young thing of 58 like me. I do buy their food and the odd boring work shirt for DH.

I've started buying their scoop neck t-shirts again since they made them longer - definitely better quality than Primark for about a pound more, and I can fit into the 16 I think I am rather than having to buy a 20 or something in Primark's skimpy sizing. I've got some decent work trousers for this summer, and I find the longer lasting bits of school uniform good (ie skirts and pinnies rather than polo shirts). I haven't bought an M&S bra in over a decade though, I stopped buying when I realised my actual size was out of their range, and haven't felt the need to go back. I get most stuff online though - local shop is like a jumble sale, if I go in I pretty much run through to the sanctuary of the food department.

Buy Autograph dresses and the odd suit - but only ever find anything decent in Marble Arch. And would never ever buy any trousers or jeans there, they are just so old ladyish.

I like Limited Collection t-shirts and occasional silk dresses. Quite like their swimwear and their bare leg hold up stockings. M&Scarrot salad is yummy, though I'm never very taken by much else in the food hall.

I wouldn't be seen alive or dead in Primark, for any number of reasons. In fact, I think most of the high street is getting worse and worse. Zara is like a jumble sale and the sizes are bonkers - quality quite poor too.

Obviously it's only me and dp who are propping up the M&S clothes department then [unfashionable gits emoticon]

No, HocusPocus, DH and I are Mr and Mrs M&S.

Things I don't buy from M&S are:

Shoes- crap quality every time. I've had broken arches, heels where the colour wears off in a week, and they soon become shapeless.

Jeans- for some reason they all end on the waist, rather than below it.

All those moulded cup bras. They're just rubbish for a 36DD.

Coats - cheap nasty fabric.

And I hate the way that M&S take something simple and classic - a linen skirt for example, and tart it up with embroidery, or fancy stitching that makes it look cheap and nasty.

I buy lots of stuff from M&S. Ds's wardrobe is half M&S, half H&M. With the odd bit of sale GAP and Fat Face. Actually I think mine is, too (perhaps a bit more H&M than M&S and definately no Fat Face, which is, for the most part, logoed up grimness for women, although their jeans used to be OK).

Ds's underwear is all M&S, as is most of his schoolwear.

Primark is horrible. Much as I like H&M, it's sometimes a bit of a jumble sale in there. Primark however is a jumble sale. It's vile, throwaway crap (or at least what I've seen is).

DP doesn't buy M&S but that's because he's insists on wearing Calvins and stupidly expensive suits. M&S will make something that looks like it will do, and then stick a stupid trim on it (according to him).

I use it a lot these days (but could be because I'm now more of their target age bracket (mid 40s).
Had refused to buy M&S jeans/trousers on principal for years, but have now found that they fit me perfectly, including the afore mentioned basic cheapy ones.

But, Primark is also fine for other things like PJs - no way am I spending £25plus on nightwear from M&S.

today's DM article is about how Primark uses malnourished third world labour.....

Well SomeGuy, did anyone think they managed those prices paying £10 an hour in the Home Counties?