M&S sale am I missing something?

[Stumpedasatree]

M&S are advertising their sale. I have the app and am browsing for example, Goodmove range. Click on anything reduced, but then it’s all out of stock in the colours that are reduced by 50% and all colours available are full price. I can’t find anything actually reduced! If out of stock why are they even advertising the reduction? Such a waste of time unless I’m doing something wrong?

I agree. I looked online on Boxing Day and wasn't much. Same with John Lewis, although they did seem to have a bit more.
Independent retailers and smaller shops seem to have more on offer

M&S have had much more of the sale in-store this year, rather than online. I am sure they used to have all stock on both. I got a few good bargains in-store just after Christmas but haven’t been tempted at all online. Usually it’s the other way around for me.

I also agree that there is just less “excess” this year, which is probably good as a bigger picture. I have always been able to get PJs in next for the whole family in the sale. Not Christmas ones, but the nicer winter weight ones like scion etc. Nothing at all available this year. It got down to the dregs very quickly.

I ordered a duvet type coat online a few days before Christmas, to collect instore. I was due to collect it on Christmas Eve, however I noticed it had been reduced 50% in the sale that morning. I immediately re-ordered it, then collected and returned the full price one. On the 27th I went into the shop again and noticed the same coat wasn't reduced instore - not sure what that's all about!

But on the JL website/app it's very easy to filter out the out of stock items

I found loadssssss in store

I popped briefly into a store on 28th and there was loads in the sale with some really good reductions. I didn't spend a lot of time in there as it was horrendously crowded and I couldn't be arsed to look, but I picked up a top reduced from £25 to £8, and good move fleece top reduced from £39.50 to £16.

Online I got a pair of cyber jammies and a lovely Sosandar jacket.

I also ordered some blue velvet wide leg Sosander trousers but returned those.

It's not a great sale but I found more in store than I did online. Got a nice merino jumper, some bras for DD, and a Living Proof hair styling cream all half price.

Totally agree. Small reductions, almost everything out of stock unless you want an unusual size or horrid colour. Not dissimilar to trying to shop in their stores at any time- never stock of common sizes and colours

They are taking the 'mick' because we are all intelligent and know they and other stores have all switched to using the same computer programme so that suddenly every store is out of their sale stock within minutes of clicking onto an app. This is not possible. Maybe on the odd occasion then yes but not every single time. So someone is taking the Mick out of 1) people's intellect and 2) mathematics and mathematicians because the probability doesn't add up. Especially when it has not been the case previously before more sophisticated programming has been used on UK websites. In addition, you aren't telling me that M&S, with it's years of excellence in customer service and produce, can't afford to get someone to correctly categorise their food items so that when you type in 'butter' or 'vegetable spread', into their search engine so only that product initially comes up at the top of the page. Also to the person saying they walked into M&S and bought items on sale, that's great if you are on a break and have all the time in the world to stroll around shopping malls and superstores but many people need the convenience of online purchasing (housebound disabled, sick, elderly and busy parents attending to DIY on their properties and gardens for example) and shouldn't be impeded by one-sided software doing exactly the same thing, in every single store at the same time because that's just ignorant. Programming should be individually tailored to the needs of both the store and it's customers and also a waiting system in place when it comes to sales/promotional items so that you are placed in a queue for the item, in the nearest store and this should be clearly indicated on screen. If there are too many people waiting for that item in that store, for the online allocation of it, then they are sent to 'queue' for the same item at the next nearest available store with it (unless it it coming directly from a central main warehouse). Once you are are the front of the queue for the processing of the item your device can call you back, in effect, to let you know the item is ready to be paid for. This means people wouldn't be waiting for ages on their phones to process things. They simply submit a shopping list so to speak and they are alerted when items are available to process if they are not immediately able to do so.