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?

That doesn't seem like a good model of retail, unless they have tons of staff.
Mind you, shoe stores have always worked that way; small model on display, and a request for your size to try on.

I looked at the dress from a few posts up and it is beautiful, although they have really increased the price to Canadians. 325 GBP = $600 CAN, but the site is selling it for $735 which is 398 GBP. That's quite a markup, then there is shipping charge. I wonder why they do that.

Also, I've never let the length of trousers stop me from purchasing - just bring them to a tailor.

The main way to successfully shop in Me+Em is to be tall, as others have said. I'm 5'3" and the couple of pairs of trousers I've owned have been far too long, but were also designed in a way that made them hard to take up (e.g. long zips at the bottom of the leg).

The sizing is also gigantic - size down at least one size, if not two. If you're normally a 16 I'd order a 12, 14 and 16 to try on. I'm an 8-10 and my size 10 Me+Em trousers are practically falling off me - I'd try on a 6 and an 8 next time.

Personally I'm not a huge fan for the price. I really want to like it! But for high-end high street workwear I prefer The Fold.

I am a Me+Em fan mostly online but do go into the Edinburgh store when I’m in the area. They do seem to have one of each item (and not all items) on display and the staff have to fetch the right size for the customer. It does seem odd because it’s always busy.

Re not all items - I’ve gone in for a closer look at some things I seen online that weren’t on display and they did have them in the stock room. The staff are lovely - really helpful- but do seem rushed off their feet.

It’s not your typical high st chain though, it’s 200 for trousers. 400 plus for a jacket, 200-300 for shoes, 100-200 for tops. 400 for a bag.

This is their stores. They have none in Ireland, so not sure where you were…

https://www.meandem.com/stores

edit see you were in London.

I wouldn’t say Me and Em is high street despite it being in a shopping centre. If you go to Westfield you’ll also find Gucci! Not comparing Me and Em to Gucci but you get my drift.

It seems odd not to have more than one size out. Maybe next time you’re in London order some to where you’re staying and return it before you leave :) I’ve done this in America when I was travelling.

I buy a lot from Me & Em (mainly in the sale) online. I’ve been to their Marylebone store a couple of times and found it a disappointing experience - mainly because they only stock a very small selection of their online range. I think they only had each item on display there too, and as a fellow size 16 I’d also have had to ask them to find my size from the stockroom, but the couple of times I’ve done that they haven’t been hugely busy and have had my size in stock to try.

Essentially I think it works better as an online than a physical experience, but I can see that’s frustrating if you’re paying more for delivery and returns than if you were in the UK. I find their sizing accurate to generous, if that helps, and their trousers often have some clever mechanism for slightly adjusting the size. And at 5’ 8” I’m just tall enough for them 😆

Only had one size of each item, I mean. I don’t remember specifically if that was always a size 8, but it definitely wasn’t a size 16!

They are not next to each other! Harrods is near Harvey Nicks. Selfridges is a schlep to Oxford Street.

Im not sure why one poster is being an arse to you on here, it's quite clear what you're asking, and understandable why you don't want the hassle of returning.

No idea if it's common in their shops, but I agree it would be frustrating. The size range on show would absolutely just be for aesthetic reasons- picking one or two sizes, probably an 8 or a 10, to make it all work better together (as merchandising a size 16 top with 8 trousers doesn't really work), but they are missing out on the walk in customer there. I imagine that because of the prices, they're trying to give a more designer vibe, as £200 for some trousers is a considered purchase for most. Which might work for them Monday- Friday, but it sounds like a weekend in the store is not a fun experience.
I would definitely drop an email to customer services about the experience- it's not user friendly, it doesn't feel size inclusive, and if they're going to do it they clearly need to prioritise space for more fitting rooms and provide more staff. But they don't know unless people tell them.

That will please my SIL, her SIL and her mum. Mum and her SIL live in Bath.

Edinburgh usually has one of each item on display, then you ask for your size to try on

works when the shop isn’t busy, but obviously not when there are lots of people

I guess they want to have a streamlined “look” - plus less stock out getting damaged (stolen). If you are prepared to try on in the changing room, more likely to buy and keep?

but I agree - sometimes I want to see the item in my size - and I don’t want to engage with a sales assistant (especially if I’m feeling scruffy)

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

No.

So basically in a Me+Em store they only display size 8 clothes.
That would put me off.
So, me at size 16, I don’t fit their aesthetic.

The physical shop I know on Marylebone High Street is a really large shop, but has such a large range that if they had every size out it would overwhelm. You just ask for a 16 and then they bring it to the changing room. I’ve been in there when it’s busy and I’ve never been waiting an hour. They’re also great at doing things like bringing you different trousers that they think might also suit. So much prefer that experience than browsing somewhere where you are heaving through racks because they’ve stuffed every size on them

Surely if they only show one size then anyone not that size can say the same thing, they go up to an 18,

I’ve not been in an Me+Em despite living in central London and being interested in clothes and probably being the target age group but it does sound like they want a curated boutique vibe. The opposite of pile it high. You are presumably meant to be attended to, with the assistants bringing out what you want and advising you. It kind of makes sense with the prices. I find Massimo Dutti can be a bit like that, or Jigsaw, so it’s not just designer places. I think it’s all meant to be part of the experience but obviously you need time and to enjoy being waited on. And if they want that vibe they need enough staff to achieve it.

I also think they want to discourage casual triers on.

Yes this is standard for all the me and em stores I have been to. Just the one piece on the rack. You are meant to ask for them to bring out the correct size. I also struggled to find what I wanted in there and could not be dealing with forced interaction so I buy online. Sizing down is a good idea or buying 2 sizes and returning the second. Trousers from there are worth buying IMHO.

Yes. Like shoe shops.
You need to allow enough time for them to go to stovk room. or go at a quiet time. Lengths are looong
You may need short even if you not petite in other stores

Yes, your experience of a Me & Em store is an accurate description of their in shop service. Can’t understand why so many posters are being such arseholes.
The clothing comes up bigger than the label size in my experience. I take a small/10 in there and I am a 12.

But on Marylebone high street its the same in sezane and wyse london. Just one or 2 pieces on the rack.

I go into the Marylebone store regularly. They display one of each item, usually in a size 8. I browse then go away and order what I want online in a 14 or 16. I’m in my late 50s and ignored by the assistants anyway so I never ask for their help. They’re always busy as everyone buying has to ask for the item in their size. I love Me & Em clothes and wish I could justify the spend on more of them, but don’t like the in store shopping experience.

They’re next to each other where I’m from. In Exchange Square. London is not the only city. 😀

lol. 😂 granted London is not the only city. 😌

I get that some shops are taking a business decision to reposition themselves as high end boutique-style stores. But they're still basically shops and, as far as I'm concerned, a shop that chooses not to display all their goods needs to a) employ enough staff to deal with enquiries (no, I don't think it's up to customers to come at the right time) and b) make sure their staff are well trained so that customers aren't intimidated from asking for perfectly normal help.

I often take 3 sizes into a changing room and I'm getting the sense I'd feel somehow difficult for wanting to do that. They're starting to remind me of those snooty department stores from my childhood.