M&S Fitting rooms closed

[samesizetoes]

Went into M&S this morning looking for bras in the sale, picked up a handful only to find the fitting rooms were closed. I asked a member of staff and they said all the fitting rooms in the shop were closed because they couldn't cope with the queues.

Is this just my local M&S (Westfield Derby) doing this? or are all M&S or any other shops doing this during the sales?

Our local one does it too. Really annoying. I'd gone to M&S not for the sale but to buy bras - DH works long hours and it can sometimes be difficult for me to get time to myself to go shopping. He's off over Xmas though so could look after the DCs. Really fed up when I found that I couldn't try anything on. And if you want to return anything you have to go to a special desk at the back of the store unless you want an exchange, when they will let you do it at the cash desk nearest to the exit. I don't understand why they have to close the changing rooms. Other stores manage to keep them open so why not M&S?

Debenhams does this as well.

It's common during sale time as far as I remember.

Reminds me of when they opened in Paris without changing rooms. They had to add them as French women just tried the clothes on the shop floor.

I remember this happening when I was in a M&S about 10 years ago. I don't live in the UK so didn't have opportunity to return on another day if didn't fit. I made my purchase, two different sizes, then went to a nearby store that had a fitting room to try on. Took back the one that didn't fit as well 10 minutes later.

River Island did this yesterday. I tried on over my clothes on the shop floor, most annoying. but I'm not doing a 16 miles round trip and paying parking again if they don't fit.

actually as i recall... maybe in the 80s.. they didn't ever have fitting rooms? M&S I mean..,

M&S didn't do fitting rooms for years, that's why they allowed you to take anything back. Sounds like they still haven't committed to them in their heart of hearts

I was annoyed by this yesterday. My nearest M&S is 1.5hrs away, so taking them back if they don't fit isn't really an option. I put everything I had picked up to try on back on the shelf and went to Debenhams instead, where the fitting rooms were open.

M&S have always done this at sale time.

I wouldn't have minded so much if the shop had been really busy. Although there were a lot of people looking around there didn't seem to be many people buying clothes so there didn't seem to be any reason to shut the changing rooms.

And why do they have to make it difficult to get a refund? Why can't you just get a refund from any till point?

It's just tradition, I think. M&S are hot on tradition, whether it works or not!

I had to queue up for ages at my local store to return two cashmere jumpers at the refund desk.Only to be told off by the assistant for removing the plastic as they were " Cashmere"Its the last time I will shop there as the store seems to have absolutely no idea of customer service.

In Edinburgh the changing rooms were open and the shop was not busy compared to a normal Saturday.

I was in Carmarthen and the shop was pretty quiet. I didn't actually go to the till (as I wasn't buying anything that I couldn't try on first!) but there weren't any queues at the till in Womenswear. I couldn't understand why the fitting rooms weren't open, as the queues that they were worried about didn't seem to be likely to materialise.

Next do it too, don't they? I've always thought it was a ploy to get people to buy more than they intended to try on at home, then they can't be bothered to take them back. Meaning more sales.