Is anyone else suprised to be finding Marks and Spencer Really Good?

[MalagaNights]

I've been looking for winter dresses, struggling to find warm everyday styles. Saw a few knitted dresses in places like Arket/ Cos usually about £100 which I was prepared to pay.

Went on the M&S webisite and I've found loads of dressses which fit what I'm looking for an they're around £40!!

This alos happened to me in the summer when I was looking for everyday midi stye dresses. Prepared to spend £100+ and found just wahst I was looking for in M&S for around £40. So git twice as many!!

I've orederd about 7 dresses. A few knitted styes and a a few midi styles with long sleeves. Waiting for them to arrive so will comment on quality, but my summer dresses were a lovely crisp high quality cotton.

I'd really given up on Marks and regarded them as done and out, and never go in the shop.
Anyone else suprised to find they're really good again?

😆 at the photo comment. Or about to perform some light surgery?

The high neckline thing can be very unforgiving for me as big boobs. I also find them a bit uncomfortable.

I bought some nice cords today but failed to find tops in decent heavy cotton or wool jumpers ( mind you, had the same problem in John Lewis last week, nothing affordable that was natural fibres).

I like their wide leg jeans and cords but they never seem to have any mid-sizes in and constantly out of stock in store and on website!
I find it's not bad quality if you pick the right pieces but the leg lengths are strange. I'm only 5'7" but the regular legs seem incredibly short.

I am always reading in newspapers gushing reviews, the turnaround etc. But like so many on this thread, my local store is awful. They do seem to stock the emtire jeans range (takes up about 25% of the entire floor) so that's been good as I do like the range designed to flatten in the right places!

I can't take dd in there as she quite likes some of the clothes, but the range for older girls 7-14, is so limited she gets annoyed!

But their range of non-wired bras for larger busts is improving constantly and my local store does sell a good selection, which is handy.

The children's clothes are lovely.

It’s not too bad and the choice is better but I agree about lack of natural fabrics, too high necks and too high waists.

Theres a thread about how fantastic M and S is every couple of months and Ive often bought clothes on the back of it. And sent them all back. They are just frumpy and ill fitting. The only thing that saves them is their tights and H size bras. Honestly I prefer Sainsburys if Im going for that style.

I'm sure this is the second M&S thread I've seen that is clearly started by their marketing department.

There’s one every three months

I agree. They have a lot of nice knitwear at very reasonable prices. And also some great stuff which is more expensive like the Jaegar knitwear. Their jeggings are v good too. Only thing is though they come in a range of sizes anc colours they rarely seem to have the particular size fit and colour you want.

Poorly stocked, neglected smaller branches are hardly something only M&S is guilty of.

The pandemic has just about finished off my local high street but it had been quietly dying since an out of town mall opened 30 years ago. I've been travelling to bigger and better high streets for years and I actually shop more now at M&S because I can order things online that my local branch would never, ever have stocked.

The fabrics are poor but I assume that's an attempt to keep prices down. I imagine they would launch a higher quality range if they thought it was commercially viable but they've tried that in the past - remember Best of British? - and had their fingers burned, plus they know what happened to Jaeger.

Also if you're suspicious about a thread I suggest you just report it.

I'm a long time poster, and I've criticised M&S stores on the thread.

So no prizes for your sleuthing.

I think they've definitely decided to keep their prices low. They are aiming between Primark and Cos/ white company etc I think, and £40 for a dress really seemed cheap to me!
I guess you can't expect those prices and top quality.

As I said I buy a lot in Zara and I think they're cheaper than Zara and better quality. I feel like in Zara I have to pick through lots of night club type wear for teens to find the stuff I can wear, at Marks I feel like I have to pick through lots of classic for older ladies styles to find what I can wear.

Boden also used to be a staple for me with dresses. But I couldn't see anything on their website that fitted what I was looking for and the prices were double M&S.

A local to me M&S just has this pale grey vibe to me - I'm not sure if it's the lighting or the flooring but it's a bit depressing.
It's a largish store in a big shopping centre and other big stores there are light and bright.
It is very understaffed too.
But some of the clothes, bags, shoes,foods and homeware are lovely. That's why I keep going back.

I buy the trousers as I'm short. But saying that I invariably have to wear well-stacked trainers nowadays with the 'short' wide legs. It's so useful to be able to order in-store to try on for size.

I do love a little browse around my local M&S 12miles away. As there are now so few shops left in my local town. Last year I bought a fair few Faux leather items - trousers, leggings & jackets. This year I've bought 2 pairs of the wide legged cords. I love their Cashmere but tend to buy it new off eBay for a lower price & always in extra large/size 24 although I'm a 14, as the sizes are tiny & very fitted. I think they wash well & I've had far more issues with cashmere from the likes of Wrap/Poetry & Boden over the years.

Did you know M&S now has an automated returns process in all their stores. I also hate the faff of returning goods but it's just about the most customer-friendly slick process I've ever experienced.

no paperwork at all, they don't even provide paperwork as it's all logged on the online account you use to order goods. Very eco-friendly. Just self-seal what you don't want back in the bag they supply the goods in, using the tear off strip, scan the bar code at the Returns kiosk in the store and put the parcel in the flap underneath that the lovely assistant empties regularly and it's done.

The refund was made back on my card in days - an email confirming the goods were returned within 24 hrs of them receiving them.

I agree. I've also picked up in my local store, tried on and returned before leaving the shop for an instant refund.

Regardless of my other issues with them, and with online shopping generally, the M&S returns process is the the best I know, and it's made shopping there a lot easier than when I had to trek out to a bigger branch to look at something my local one didn't stock.

I always got my underwear there.
Not anymore.
Hardly ever 34 bras in-store and knickers either frumpy or see through lace.
Pyjamas are thin material and slim elastic waistband now.
I did get a great colourful jumper in there and more recently 2 pairs of cords for the price of one else where.

They are crap quality now. Very disappointing. I have a dress I got from there about 8 years ago that has been washed and worn a million times and is still going strong. I bought 2 pairs of trousers there last year and they basically fell apart in the wash after a couple of months. Bought a dress and it faded very quickly. Don't know what's happened to them but I don't think I'll be shopping there again as I can't afford to throw stuff out after only a few wears. Primark stuff lasts forever - I think they are absolutely better value than M&S in every way.

I was in M&S the other day and everything was shit and overpriced. Menswear wasn't too bad.

and also the boxy cut that doesn't work on anyone with more than a b cup as you have to size up massively to get the boobs in. THe new head of women's wear was interviewed recently and said that they had given up on "frumpy details" like bust darts..... imo that means they given up cutting for women's bodies. Needless to say she was a tall slim flat chested woman.

I find returns at M&S a bloody nightmare. I haven't got a phone, so can't scan codes. It was much better when you could just take the item/s and paperwork to the shop. I now don't buy anything from M&S online as I can't return it easily.

But that's what I normally do - pick up in my local store, try it on and if it's not right, return it on the spot. Can't you do that any more?

Not if you've not got a phone. When I tried to do that, they wanted to see my email with the order confirmation, which I obviously couldn't show them.

Ah ok.