It's official, Marks and Spencer have fallen

[MrsSnippyPants]

I know we have 'known' this for a while, but this is now their official response. How many 'inappropriate' incidents will be necessary before they see sense?

#BoycottM&S

I’m so going to use the area in the men’s area next time I’m in. It’s rather quiet and at least some men of ill intent won’t be in there.

Olympus has fallen.
London has fallen.

Marks and Spencer have fallen - Mike Banning takes a trip to buy some new cotton rich socks, and finds himself besieged in the local M&S. He must use only what he has to hand to escape, and there's only so much underwire and elastic available...

Fekko you should live stream this! In disguise obv

Didn’t have time to investigate Zara fully but this signage made me laugh.

Oh god I have a new hobby don’t I?

Tezenis fancy knicker store will be my next undercover op.

God help anyone on the changing room hoping for an oggle when I try to squeeze my fat ass into a teensy knicker and bra set. I imagine agent provocateur will be more of a challenge...

Online Pick Up can also return and exchange woman or man 😂😂

Could I return mine please??

It's pretty pointless for me to boycott M&S because their clothes are shit and I don't shop there. Even my late-70s MIL says the clothes remind her of her nan.

You’re good lordfekko. 👍👍

Zara fitting rooms also sexless... wonder what their policy is.

I’m in a different branch but the sign still amuses me.

I've emailed the big bosses too.

I rang my local store to see how this policy works on the shop floor. The person I spoke to said they would try to steer a man wanting to use the lingerie fitting room to the menswear changing room. However, if he insisted they would let him in because that is what the policy required them to do. She was very sympathetic to the view that this meant putting the 'comfort' of a tiny minority over the majority. She clearly felt very uncomfortable that M&S put both its staff and its female customers in this position.

Ok going for try another store. There’s a person there with a beard who wears the same clothes me - I know because they had the same blouse as me and wasn’t amused when I said ‘ooh snap - same top!’

Again sexless changing rooms. In the ladies wear but generic ‘fitting room’ signage and no visuals.

Ok so going for The Gap. What do we think?

This is the first boycott that will actually affect me because, over the years, I've spent lots and lots of money in Marks (although not very much in recent years on clothes to be honest). I've emailed the CEO and cancelled my credit card account. I also mentioned it to my hairdresser earlier today. She was properly horrified. I hope she tells lots of her other clients.

Well no surprises - generic wording and no visuals - but it does have disabled access so I guess that’s something.

I have been in to my local M&S today to see if all the staff were aware of this and to get the policy confirmed 'on the ground'. The 2 ladies I spoke to weren't sure and got a manager who was very helpful. They confirmed that all the changing rooms are now unisex and you can use any of them. This store is a typical M&S with changing rooms in each section. They perfectly understood the points I raised and all agreed that the policy wasn't right.

I'm not a big M&S user however I am very unhappy about this and think it is a massive mistake on their part. However unfortunately whilst many of us will vote with our feet, I don't think they will feel an impact big enough to them come to their senses. There are too many woke people out there, too many who just won't say anything, too many who won't actually encounter/notice anything untoward and too many who just understand why this is important. Additionally the poor staff will be in fear of using their jobs if they do speak out, unfortunately I can imagine the majority of their shop floor staff are female.

I think the only way to get the message through is for women like us to constantly cause a bit of chaos. I have thought for a long time, like others, that other men need to be really disrupted and inconvenienced for this to be taken more seriously by big organisations. From now on, when I do use M&S, I will be using the mens changing room.

That Zara sign is amusing Fekko!

Tail end of the street now - another M&S (no point), Anne summers and Primark left.

Oops forgot Monsoon - well what a surprise ‘fitting room’ signage and no sex indicator. Individual cubicles off a wide hallway.

I wish my photoshop skills were up to snuff, I'd really like to create the undercover penguin scoping out the changing facilities. It just needs a good score...

Anne summers (shudder) is fitting room but - would it? Could it? Nah.

Ok - Wallis, Evans and topshop will have to wait for another assignment as I need to catch the bus and make the tea.

Now I know that there will be an element of the stores saying ‘oh but common sense dear Fekko, common sense’.

But you should never underestimate human nature, and the antics that some people will get up to for laughs and others reasons.

molly

Sadly, I agree. It will also involve an incident for them to take it seriously, such as:

www.nytimes.com/2016/07/15/us/target-transgender-idaho-voyeurism.html

Target has seen a number of incidents involving voyeurism/indecent exposure by males.

M&S bosses should read this piece too:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sex-pests-target-women-in-mixed-changing-rooms-x3vw2lnv8