Why can't M&S stock enough basic products in popular sizes? What's the matter with them?

[BigButtons]

I hardly ever go in there but wanted some plain, basic black leather heeled shoes.
When I asked the shop assistant if they had them in a 5 she was genuinely surprised that I had bothered to try and find any the first place and had her back to me most of the time.
Where else can I go that will actually have stuff like that in stock?

M&S really are completely and utterly clueless. DP went into one of their supposed flagship stores at Fosse Park, near Leicester on a recent Saturday morning wanting to buy a couple of plain black polos, size XL. It would be hard to imagine a more basic item of men’s clothing, yet they were out of stock. Unbelievable.

@Tolleshunt try Boots for black opaque tights. I buy their 60 denier small/medium, super soft and I find they last really well AND they are often in stock!

Thanks for the tip, Wisteria, I’ll give them a go.