Teach me how to shop in Me+Em

[ThisIsMy]

I promise I’m not an idiot and I am very (very!) capable of shopping.

There isn’t a Me+Em store anywhere near me. I’ve had my eye on a particular pair of trousers for while and don’t want to buy online as I wasn’t sure of the fit/sizing.

I happened to be in London last week so called into a physical store.

Instead of having a range of sizes for each item, they had one of each product on display. Everything I picked up was a size 8 so looked great on the hanger, but I’m a size 16 so having an 8 was not useful as there was no way I could gauge what the length and dimensions were like.
(I picked up maybe six items and they were all an 8 but maybe other things were in different sizes?)

The staff were run off their feet hauling stuff to changing rooms and then off to, I assume, the stock room.

I felt quite awkward because all I wanted to do was hold some size 16 trousers up to my size 16 body and get a sense of if they were close enough fit for length and across the waist before trying on. I’m very tall so leg length is the real tell for me in trousers.

Is this the norm for Me+Em?

I don't live in the UK so have never been in a physical shop.

I have a lot of me+em clothes - 6 dresses both short & midi length, 8 pairs of trousers & several blouses & tops

I am 5ft 9" my experience is they are v true to size with great length in the trousers & dresses. I'd say shorter people would find them too long

Excellent cut & attention to detail finishes. I am a 14 on the bottom & 12 on top.

I'm a big fan. Why don't you order to try on & that way you'll guage your size

I meant to add i'm 34" leg & trousers fit me brilliantly

I have a few of their jackets and dresses - I tend to size down. Their trousers didn’t work on me at all (way too long - I’m 5.6) but I’ve a number of lovely dresses that fit really well. I tend to take a 12 but usually 10 is better on me in their range.

Thanks @Whattinger really useful to me, I need a 30/31 inch leg, I was looking at some trousers so won’t bother. It’s getting super annoying because this year all the trousers are way too long, despite the fact I’m not even short!

Returns are really straightforward so just buy online. Maybe get two sizes to workout what fits best?

Their returns are excellent, just order a pair, if you don’t like you can return.

i wear so so many of their clothes, jackets, trousers, tops, blouses, skirts. I take a 31 /32 inch leg, they are long enough for me, and they tend to be generous sized, but trouser waist bands I find true to size.

so look at the item measurements, measure yourself, order, and if you dint like you do the return on line and can organise collection.

Did you not ask if they had any size 16s? I’ve also never been in a physical store, but can’t imagine they only stock size 8s

Is this standard in the shop, though- one of each item in just one size? Doesn’t sound very browsing friendly, and like they’d prefer people shop online.

I’m in Ireland so the cost of online returns is a bit off-putting so I was delighted when I walked past a physical store and thought I’d save myself the hassle. I was wrong!

I didn’t because there was a queue for staff members and also a queue for the changing rooms once staff had fetched items so I decided to leave it.

Don’t think any one can Really help. You didn’t want to wait and you seem reticent to order, it’s unlikely a shop of just size 8s.

no one needs to be Taught to buy from somewhere, you either do or don’t.

Well only as you didn’t wish to wait.

Next time, step up and make yourself known. You are probably more likely to buy than some others.

Some shop/catalogues/brands advise that if you are coming into a store to try things, you should contact in advance so that they can order in all your interests to the store in the right size(s).
Thus when you arrive, they have your 'order' on a rail and you can try on everything you fancied from the catalogue. Presumably, they have a fitting room allocated for you too ...

BUT ... I can't imagine a shop only stocking size 8 since the average clothing size of women in UK is 16. Perhaps somewhere seriously snooty like Chanel. I have heard that shops of similar ilk shoo away 'larger' customers ...
I've been to some shops where they have 1 in every size but if you want to buy it, actually they order it in your size. So, you try on the 14 or what have you, and if you like it, they order a 14 to be shipped to you but keep their 14 for the shop. It was like this for DDs' prom dresses.

I've never done more than look through the catalogue. Me + Em seems v overpriced for what it is and ultimately, none of it suits my purposes.

Sounds bizarre for a high street store even if they are towards the top end in terms of prices. I've only been in one of their shops a couple of times and didn't notice this but it was a few years ago. It would have put me right off them too op.

My question was about whether this is standard for this brand? I’ve been on clothes store before where they have a very limited ranges of sizes available per item but that tends to be smaller businesses. I haven’t encountered it with bigger brands.

They literally had one of each item on display with no way of knowing the sizes or availability without asking.

It just seemed bizarre for a store in a shopping centre that, I’d imagine, relies on passing custom rather than someone planning to spend a lot of time there waiting for each item to be searched for by staff, and brought to a changing room.

I can’t imagine it’s true. No shop would do this, and it would be all over the media if they did.

Don’t know about Me&Em but I went to Selfridges or possibly Harvey Nicks (I get them muddled up as next to each other) and noticed a lot,of the concessions were like this. Only one (small) size of each product and you have to ask for other sizes. I think it’s because they don’t like loads of stuff on the rails….that it looks better in the shop if stuff is easily visible.

That’s prob fair, if space is at a premium,

We’ve got one opening in Bath shortly

Look at the height of the model. In Women's Ivory Striped Fit + Flare Midi Dress | ME+EM

Model is a UK size 8, wearing a UK size 8
Model height is 5'10'' / 177cm

That will not be a good dress for me because I am 5'4".

Why would it be all over the media?

I don’t know if you’re misunderstanding me or being purposefully obtuse, but I’m not saying they only stock one size, I’m saying they only display one of each item. Of the six or so items I picked up, they all happened to be a size 8 but I didn’t look at every item on display.

I’m not saying they only sell size 8, I’m saying that, in the store I visited, they only displayed one of each item they stock. This made it difficult to browse, resulted in a queue for assistance from staff, and a queue for changing rooms (because staff had to ferry items constantly instead of people picking them off the rails and bringing them to the changing rooms themselves).

My question was, is this usual for a Me+Em store.

And I spent maybe 20 mins there before leaving as the queue for staff was so long that I couldn’t wait any longer. I figured that by the time the item I wanted to try was retrieved from the stock room and I could get a changing room, I’d probably end up spending close to an hour trying on a pair of trousers.

It didn’t make sense for me, as a customer, so I didn’t purchase anything. It seems very counterintuitive.

I'm sorry ther3 is no store near me so I order online.

It’s the same in the one local to me, I buy quite a bit from them online but hate having to ask for a bigger size in every item I want to look at in the shop so it really puts me off shopping in store.

I’d say it’s quite common in higher end stores.

It is.

But not common in a high street chain in a shopping centre.