What's happened to Next?

[Runningupthathill82]

Or has it always been so awful and I just haven't noticed?!

Went in today as I had a voucher to spend, and really really struggled to find something even halfway wearable.

Harem pants in hideous designs, "tropical" print T shirts with slogans on, cheap polyester tops in garish colours, leggings galore, office clothes in shiny, nasty fabrics and a raft of Fat Face-esque baggy tops in washed out colours. Even the underwear was horrible and cheap looking.

Is it just me? Or has Next become worse than ever?!

Next used to be my go-to shop for jeans and tops. Even something 'nice' for an occasion. It's awful now, I don't know what happened in the last 12-18months but it's really gone downhill and some things are just odd.

The kids range is still lovely though.

YANBU. Next has declined massively over the last few years. Quality, visual appeal, type of fabric used, pretty much everything. Their basic range of t-shirts are sometimes ok, but I don't like anything from there now. The last couple of thimgs I bought (a couple of years ago) started to fray & come apart at the seams after just a couple of uses. Money decidedly not well spent. I have Next clothes in better condition from 15 years ago that are in better condition than recent purchases.

I like H&M for cheapish basics now, although their sizing varies enormously so absolutely everything must be tried on prior to purchase.

I will only buy accessories and kids' clothes from there now. Everything is badly made, their sizing is bizarre and it's very overpriced.

I got a Next voucher for Christmas and have been looking online every couple of weeks to see whether anything grabbed my attention (apart from the Label stuff). Last week I finally admitted defeat and ordered some sunglasses and some boxers for DP, just to use the voucher.

The only thing I like in Next are their knock off perfumes.

I only buy kids clothing from Next.

Next used to be the best, but competition forced them to cater for a larger audience.(a manager friend tells me) now it's full of tat.
Like Lego said 15 yrs ago they were great good quality,

I flicked through the online catalogue a few weeks ago and thought the same, everything is so frumpy and garish... Polyester sun dresses are not my idea of fun!

My GF aid last night that she thinks they'll go the way of BHS soon.
I not sure about that tbh. They have the directory still don't they? I bet loads of people get stuff on credit still.

When I was at college 20 yrs ago, Next was a posh shop. The store was very plush. Lovely sales assistants. Sliver jewellery in a display case, then they made a big deal of wrapping it-tissue paper and a nice bag.

It then went very cheap. It is very cheap fabrics, and washes badly.

Not sure where is good on the high street any more.

It's so hard to find something that hasn't been ruined by a naff slogan, a gruesome print, an unnecessary pocket, a pointless trim or appliqué or else it's made of 100% polyester.

I like their boys shorts, and that's probably it.

I don't remember it ever being posh.

I cant remember the last time I bought anything in Next. I'm not sure if it is me that changed or them.

It definatly was a bit more upmarket in the 80s and early 90s. The quality isn't any better than Primark these days.

I don't think its that bad. I dont go into the shop that much but i have a few things that i have bought from the directory. It was never posh and I never ever remember things being wrapped in tissue paper and I have been around long enough to know. All shops have gone down the polyester line. The only difference they charge £££ for it.

I'm showing my age but I was a student in the late 80s & used to read Vogue in the library & the More dash than cash section often had items from Next. I remember getting my first office skirts there & they were brilliant quality for the price - probably equivalent to Hobbs quality nowadays but much cheaper. My local Next is next to Poundland & its huge & the shopfloor just has hideous prints & fabrics. I find the website awful too. However last summer some helpful MNers linked some cotton dresses & trousers in plain colours. I went looking for them in the shop & they had the items in loud prints on the shopfloor but the plain colours were in the stockroom. I did wonder if the staff keep the good stuff hidden away.

I don't buy anything but kids clothes from there. I ordered some 'premium' sandals recently when ordering for the kids and they were awful, really poor quality for nearly £70, so not even cheap!

Can you use your voucher online? I only buy from the clearance online and at 50% off some of it is OK and the label stuff is 50% off too.

Next was posh (when I was at school at least, I'm talking about 1987 or so when it was still quite new).

Minimalist, small shops with just a few clothes in, it was one of those places you aspired to buying things. Not saying a 15 year old me was the most sophisticated customer or judge, but it was definitely a different shop to the Next superstores they have today.

I agree it seems to have gone awful and over priced, like the worst Debenhams concessions but about twice the price.

Though weirdly, we have a Next seconds/discount shop near here and I find loads of stuff I want in there (maybe it's just more attractive at half the price!)

The stuff online is miles better. I'm not sure how they choose the stock in store

Next online is good. Their jeans are very nice - especially the high waisted skinny ones. They wash and wear well and for £25ish you can't go wrong really.

Some of the prints this season are pretty horrid though! The harem pants are particularly grim.

I cannot abide Aztec prints, why do next think anyone likes them. Plus that hideous colour they insist on making things in, a sort of ashen rosey pink colour, usually on pintuck t shirts. They were good in the days when the directory used to have fabric swatches, I like some of the jeans but yuck to the prints. Just bought a nice white linen shirt from there, though.

Its been pretty bad for years, but their stuff gets worse in the spring/summer, I think. They just go nuts for hideous prints, weird colours (the weird faded pinks and blues, horrible burnt orange, maroon...why?), shitty fabrics and fads like 'Aztec print' or 'colour block' about 2-3 years too late.

They used to always have something passable in the workwear section, but its pretty much all hideous shite now.

I did get a nice coat from Next last year, though, and occasionally they come up trumps for shoes, too.

Oh, that brings back memories. I had forgotton about fabric swatches in the old next directory. They used to put quite a bit of effort into the directory.

Next has been quite frumpy for a while now, still like some of the boys clothes though and actually I was in there the other day for the first time in months and I thought some of the jeans in there looked okay.

I do like their online site and the fact they have a large selection of 'labels' - very useful when you have teen boys that will only wear labels.