As you may have seen, we've been working with M&S over the past few months to find out what Mumsnetters think of a variety of M&S ranges. The next one of these is schoolwear - M&S would like to know whether you do or don't buy their schoolwear for your DC and why, and what's important to you when you're shopping for uniform.
Please note - it doesn't matter whether or not you have ever bought schoolwear from M&S, this is open to all!
We've included a few questions to get you started below but please feel free to add any further comments you have. Everyone who adds their thoughts will be entered into a prize draw to win one of two £100 M&S giftcards.
~ When you're buying school uniform in general for your DC, what are the most important factors to you? Is it price, quality, style, fit or something else? M&S would like to understand how you decide whether or not to buy an item of school uniform so please provide as much detail as you can.
~ Do you tend to shop for schoolwear exclusively in store, exclusively online, or a mix of the two? Are there specific things that you buy online and others that you would only ever consider buying in store? How important are factors such as delivery options, the in store/online experience etc to you?
~ Which retailer(s) do you usually buy schoolwear from and why? If you have bought school uniform from M&S recently, how did you find it? Did the item(s) last well or not? If you haven't bought M&S school uniform before, why is that? What would make you give M&S school uniform a try?
~ Is there anything that you think M&S could do to improve their schoolwear range? Are there any items that they don't currently stock that you'd like to see added to the range? Would you appreciate a schoolwear catalogue available either online or in store?
Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ
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TheOtherHelenMumsnet · 20/06/2012 09:56
~ When you're buying school uniform in general for your DC, what are the most important factors to you? Is it price, quality, style, fit or something else? M&S would like to understand how you decide whether or not to buy an item of school uniform so please provide as much detail as you can.
Price, quality and fit are generally the most important factors, but style also counts (a bit - mainly for dd's uniform, rather than ds').
My ds is tall but very very skinny, so I have to buy trousers with an adjustable waistband. Most retailers seem to stop making these above age 5/6, so this also informs my choice.
Finally, I want to know that an item of clothing is going to last!
~ Do you tend to shop for schoolwear exclusively in store, exclusively online, or a mix of the two? Are there specific things that you buy online and others that you would only ever consider buying in store? How important are factors such as delivery options, the in store/online experience etc to you?
I mostly start in-store, so I can have a proper look at the items, and work out which styles I like etc. It can be quite hard to tell from a website. But I will re-order specific items from a website, especially if there is a free or low-cost delivery option.
~ Which retailer(s) do you usually buy schoolwear from and why? If you have bought school uniform from M&S recently, how did you find it? Did the item(s) last well or not? If you haven't bought M&S school uniform before, why is that? What would make you give M&S school uniform a try?
I tend to buy school trousers from Tesco (they last longest, they have adjustable waists and are only £3/pair); school skirts from Asda (they had a lovely skater-style last year) and John Lewis (old fashioned pleats); shirts from John Lewis or Next; socks from Tesco or M&S; summer dresses from Tesco; tracksuit trousers from Tesco. Winter coats from Marks and Spencers. Everything else is branded and has to come from the specialist rip off merchants suppliers.
I have bought M&S school trousers and skirts in the past, and watched as the hems and fabric disintegrated within a few weeks. Knees gave way on trousers, hems on both, and the quality was generally very poor. I do like the boys' school coat selection and these have been pretty good so far; the girls coats last year were a bit shapeless and seemed very expensive (and insufficiently waterproof!).
~ Is there anything that you think M&S could do to improve their schoolwear range? Are there any items that they don't currently stock that you'd like to see added to the range? Would you appreciate a schoolwear catalogue available either online or in store?
My biggest problem with M&S schoolwear is the utter chaos on the shop floor. From early August, it is impossible to find anything, as all the clothes are completely jumbled up, and there are never any shopfloor assistants around to help. If I do find something I want, in the correct size, then I won't be able to find a second or a third packet.....and if you do find an employee, they just shrug and suggest you look some more 
. At the moment, there's not much point in producing a catalogue if customers can't find anything they want in store. Pretty much all the mums I know (in NW London, so it's mostly the Brent X store, in case someone from M&S is reading this and wants to do some trouble-shooting!) feel the same way, and everyone avoids M&S at school uniform time.
And then there's the minor matter of the 2 hour long queues once you do find something you want to buy. So mainly this is a staffing/training issue....but John Lewis, Next and Tesco all seem to be able to keep control of stock and display better than M&S.
When you're buying school uniform in general for your DC, what are the most important factors to you? Is it price, quality, style, fit or something else? M&S would like to understand how you decide whether or not to buy an item of school uniform so please provide as much detail as you can
Fit first, then quality, then price (the latter two within reason and varies according to the item). Although often it was a case of, having bought the logo-ed sweatshirts and poloshirts direct from the school, I'd then buy the trousers, plimsoles, shoes and socks wherever I could find the right size! I don't like buying too far in advance in case he has a growth spurt.
Do you tend to shop for schoolwear exclusively in store, exclusively online, or a mix of the two? Are there specific things that you buy online and others that you would only ever consider buying in store? How important are factors such as delivery options, the in store/online experience etc to you?
Tend to buy in-store as sizes/fit can vary so much between stores - and even between different styles. I want to be able to see the item so that I can judge whether it will fit and whether I like the quality. I also only tend to buy when I need something, so don't want to wait for delivery.
Which retailer(s) do you usually buy schoolwear from and why? If you have bought school uniform from M&S recently, how did you find it? Did the item(s) last well or not? If you haven't bought M&S school uniform before, why is that? What would make you give M&S school uniform a try?
Have bought from Sainsbury's, BHS, Tesco and M&S. It's usually whereever I can find the item required in the size required. For example, I tired recently to buy some white long sleeved button-to-the-neck shirts (uncharateristically trying to get organised in advance of ds going to secondary school in August) and Sainsbury's didn't have any . I'll be making a trip shortly to M&S to see what they have (I'll only initially buy 2 or 3 shirts - depending on the deal - and will buy the remainder up to 5 closer to the beginning of the new school year). I'm wary of the M&S trousers as last time I got them they were far too big at the waist and MIL had to adjust them (seems to be a common problem, looking at the thread). The Sainsbury's ones he has at the moment fitted ok. The plimsole (and shoe sizing in general) is also absurdly generous.
I recently bought a multi-pack of black "school" socks for ds from M&S. On the first day, there was a hole in one of the socks - but for such a small item, I can't be bothered going back to the shop. 
Is there anything that you think M&S could do to improve their schoolwear range? Are there any items that they don't currently stock that you'd like to see added to the range? Would you appreciate a schoolwear catalogue available either online or in store?
Schoolwear catalogue (on-line and in-store) would probably be useful - so that I wouldn't have to do what I did at Sainsbury's a week ago, wandering around to try and find if they even stocked long-sleeved shirts. The fact that basic items are often split between "boys" and "girls" can also make things irritating when you are trying to find things. I'm also now going to be looking for basics like V-neck black jumpers, which I would want to be hard wearing. Black quality sports shorts also seem to be difficult to find.
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