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 find them like that at all @Floisme. I can only speak for the Edinburgh store and they do have more staff on the floor than Hobbs or Jigsaw. I think the personal service is part of the experience. I don’t find their employees snooty at all.

The thing is, @Cazziebo, I may not want a personal service. I often just like to mooch around and browse in my own time, and try on things I wouldn't normally buy just to see what they look like. It's why I still like real shops as opposed to buying everything online and the last thing I would want is to have to find a member of staff every time I did that.

You missed out! It may be that's what they do (I shop in store a lot but have never noticed), but the staff are fab and so helpful and once you start trying on they happily bring you all the sizes you need and are great at also suggesting things they have in stock but not on the floor. Maybe it takes more time but it is very helpful and productive!

The shop floor would look really messy and cluttered of they had all the sizes out. Even cheaper stores like whistles etc don’t put all their sizes out.

Think about what Zara, primark, etc look like on a Saturday afternoon! Jumble sale.

Well, maybe Me+Em isn’t for you?

There’s a few stores that are like this, that put one or two sizes out on display and the rest is in the stock room.

I can see why aesthetically they do this (designer brands do this too) even though they are ‘high end high street’ rather than designer. It is frustrating if you just pop in, because as you’ve found it’s time consuming to get your size.

So that’s how you shop there. You expect to ask and try on and take your time. You have to engage with the sales staff. Or you online order.

I can confirm Me & Em is great for tall people and either tts or size down depending on fit.

Yes, I'm coming to that conclusion too. But I probably partly fit their demographic (although I'm retired so don't need their 'boardroom clothes') and I can occasionally stretch to their prices if I like something enough, so it seems a bit odd for them to rule out the custom of a shopper like me.

You're correct OP. The shop usually just has a size 8 of each item on display which means you then have to ask for other sizes - not a great experience. I always buy online. At 5ft 11 I find the styles fit really well and is one of the few shops I know I can order from and it will fit.

To be fair, they are booming. As their uptake is increasing not declining, they are up by about 30 percent. Their clothes are fabulous quality. The cut, the material, the design. So as much as some of their choices may alienate some shoppers ie you, because you want to try lots of things and not talk to staff, they will be fine with you buying elsewhere if it meets your needs. They aren’t looking to aappeal to everyone.

it is a more personal service, you ask for the sizes and gp in or order on line. Once you know your size in their brand then it’s pretty much that size whatever the item,

if for you what’s key is all the sizes out, mooching round, not talking to staff, that’s ok, you can shop elsewhere.

They v helpfully give notes under sizing on their site advising true to size or if between sizes go up or down depending on the cut

I love their clothes!

I love Me+Em.

Totally normal not to have all the sizes out- things look much better not all crowded together like it's M&S. I also suspect that they lose less to general shop damage/wear and tear this way. But they should have enough staff that you're not hanging about waiting for your size for too long.

Gah, I had a long reply typed out, but the app deleted it.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I just found it really annoying. I’m used to shopping in all different types of clothes shops- everything from supermarket to high street to designer, and I’ve never had an experience like this with a store in a shopping centre, a really busy shopping centre that I assume relies heavily on footfall.

It’s not even the fact that everything was a size 8, so even if everything was a size, say, 20, it still wouldn’t have met my needs because I still wouldn’t have been able to pick an item off the shelf and understand how it would fit at the waist. In terms of sizing for me, I’m typically a size 14 to 16. I’m quite narrow across the waist, larger across the hips, and I’ve 34 inch legs, at 5’ 11” , so I do benefit from being able to kind of hold something up to me and see what the stretch in the fabric is like across the hips and bum and waist to get an idea of what size I need.

Just thinking about it, does that mean if somebody is a size 8 and goes into the store, do they still have to ask for something to be retrieved from stock because, if you’re a size 8 and you take six tops off the shelf to go and try on in the change room, a lot of stock is removed from display. So even if your size is there, I assume they have to fetch it for you. I’ve done that in higher end boutiques/designer stores but it feels different- you don’t have to stand in line for a sales assistant, for one.

Annoyingly, they take the absolute mick with their foreign exchange on the website. The trousers I want are £250 or €390 (plus €10 delivery) so an Irish customer is paying £345. Most companies do this but a near 40% uplift is pretty steep.

So pleased it is not just me! I have bought on line but only visited a store 2weeks ago and had a similar experience to yours. I went so far as to email ME+EM to raise the issue of only small sizes on display and to ask how one is actually supposed to shop instore. The reply I received was not enlightening!
There were also only two employees on the floor, the shop was fairly busy, so it was not possible for them to offer a personalised service.

They make all their clothes up to a size 18. They don't have all sizes out on display to avoid having over crowded rails.

I've only bought 2 blouses in Me + Em and sized down from a 14 to a 10.

So far as not fitting their aesthetic, it's quite the opposite. They make clothes intended to look as good on an 8 as an 18.

it's about £20 to have trousers shortened, a lot of drycleaners can do this

You're right - I've been to Chelsea and Battersea Me+Em and yes, they only have one of each item on display, I don't remember which size, but assistant found me the size I needed.

No, I think it’s loss prevention. They’ve probably had people run in and steal a lot of clothes at once. Or just constantly. I’ve seen it with other somewhat high-end stores, like reformation.

The Edinburgh staff were lovely. It wasn't busy when I was in. I knew what I was looking for from the website but tried 2 blouses on in 14,12 and eventually 10 which I bought.

Snooty and unhelpful assistants - shout out for French Sole, Sloane Square branch on Pont Street (?) I'm not sure it's still there and yes it was over 20 years ago I still won't buy that brand.

That price difference is wow. Not sure i would buy in Ireland knowing I would be paying a much higher premium for the same goods.
Its a £4.50 delivery charge here which i begrudge but returns are easy/free

As far as I know returns from Ireland are free, though there’s quite a hike from Sterling to euro pricing. Each item has specific garment sizing on the website which is useful. A lot of the trousers are quite long.

Ahh, I think this mirrors my thoughts too when I went into a shop - think it was on Marylebone High St, can’t swear to it.
I found the whole experience a bit bizarre - haughty even. Very little stock, all very artfully displayed, and the atmosphere didn’t make me feel comfortable just to have a good old rummage which is sometimes what you want/need.
Also felt I wasn’t really their target shopper as a size 14 fifty something year old.
Reluctantly decided they’re probably not for me - which is undoubtedly good for my bank account. Just can’t justify their prices given the material they use.

Also felt I wasn’t really their target shopper as a size 14 fifty something year old

Why? They make up to a size 18. My limited experience is the sizing is generous. Do you think the clothes are too old for you? Or you are too old for the clothes?

I'm sure I'm their target audience but other than the 2 blouses which I wanted for specific reasons I can't see me buying much. It's quite tame - "quiet luxury" which isn't a big part of my wardrobe.

Hmm, I am not sure. I just didn’t feel comfortable/confident/welcome in the shop - like “go away old, mid sized person, you are “uglifying” (I have just invented this word) our beautifully curated collection.
I also have a problem with the huge price hike they apply to eu sales. I live in France and their conversion is much, much higher than similarly sized companies - just feels greedy to me.

That's a shame but you shouldn't feel that way. Ultimately the demographic for any shop is customers who can afford the goods.

I live in London and I’ve never been to a store, I just order online. I have loads of their stuff and love it (I only buy in the sale). I’ve never bought their trousers as they all look too long but I have a lot of their dresses. I’m 5’5’’