It’s official; Marks and Spencer have fallen, the sequel.......

[MrsSnippyPants]

First thread getting full and and I continue to be interested in responses received to people’s emails and store visits.

Email the suggestion? I might just do that. The business case is surely there.

The only objection to it as far as I can see is that the TERMS (Trans Exclusionary Radical Masculinists) - who allegedly frequent the menswear department and stop some males using their changing rooms - might not like it.

No need to stop at Lingerie for men either. Offer a full range - dresses, shoes, trousers, all cut to fit the male shape. That person in The Telegraph has been saying how their torso is a difficult shape to clothe in women's stuff.

I work in a charity shop and we tried putting larger women's clothes on the male mannequin as they drowned the female one ...and it's true, they don't fit across the shoulders or hang right across the chest.

There are 7 comments on the article above about modernising M&S and 5 of them mention mixed sex changing. Pullllll

Do they not know who their core customers are?

simply penis free

I mailed this morning. Focused only on the need for a female only environment when fitting first bras, nursing bras, post mastectomy bras, and why don’t the demographic with these requirements get to “feel comfortable”?

I’m going to have to change my credit card rewards points to Sainsbury’s vouchers now and find somewhere else that sells egg, tomato and salad cream sandwiches 😠

According to The Times Archie Norman is finding it hard changing the M&S culture.

Bloody hell, that's the name at the end of my last email from M and S

Thank you very much for contacting me. We are very keen to hear from all our customers and shareholders and appreciate you making the effort to write to me.

I am sure you will understand that we receive a huge amount of feedback so cannot respond to every contact straight away. However, we do read every single one and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

Thank you again.

Archie Norman

Chairman

[email protected]

This article is in the Times on Center Parcs - not sure how they can tell whether someone has fully transitioned or not but it’s a start.

Center Parcs stands firm over where trans people get changed

[www.thetimes.co.uk/article/center-parcs-stands-firm-over-where-trans-people-get-changed-vmflsp9gz?shareToken=732d9bbc3a80feeab9162f3418952bde

Go center parks!!

Have M & S shares in my pension plan. Have written to investor relations saying that if they don't change their policy I will be selling them. Said that if they alienate their core customers the shares will go down so no point in holding them.

I'm still constantly astonished that those taking the 'you're transphobic/you're saying all men are pervs/etc' line cannot see - despite the wealth of knowledge that some men are predators and will take any opportunity offered to predate - do not see this is M & S offering the opportunity up on a plate.

Incidentally I did think it was odd after the recent refit in my local store that the changing rooms in the women’s section weren’t labelled as women’s
Thankyou for reminding me to notice these small changes.

Blimey if the staff are baffled as to why there are a lot of people returning goods, then they need informing of the truth behind all this.

I'll be leaving a "Sorry I missed you but you really need to know the truth" card in the changing room for the next woman to read.

So I can really go into the changing room in the men’s section without challenge? There is no signage to say it’s sex segregated anyway.

I bet I could clear the whole area if I stalked in with an armful of scanty panties and bustiers.

That's interesting Mumfun . So often with this attack on women's rights and safety I (we) feel powerless - only able to make a contribution to a crowd funder or write a letter. Yet here this stupid brand have not realised that many many women have shares, insurance, accounts and banking - not to mention reguarly shopping with this brand. And that makes us powerful.
And it seems that some (many?) of us are using that power and abandoning a store we have supported for years..

The M&S shares are in my name at CasaFekko.

In fact since I’m a smart ikkle girly (with 20 years experience working in banking and investment) most of the financial dealings around here are.

WPUK have got a draft email/letter for M&S customers to use to submit a complaint (can be done via an online form):

womansplaceuk.org/2019/11/03/dear-marks-spencer-women-only-changing-rooms/

Excellent. Add a few swears and it’s ready to go.

‘ This is not just sexism; this is M&S sexism’ 😂

Center Parcs understands its customer base. All the families and small children. Can you imagine male bodies in the shower area with girls. There is plenty of communal changing

"This is not just sexism, this is M&S sexism"

Have I missed their explanation about what action they have taken to ensure the inclusion of women with mental health disabilities due to male violence?

Because disability is a protected characteristic and this decision looks like unlawful indirect discrimination to me.

Just wondering.

Yes reality there is a really good block of financial power that I think we are not using. Ideally for me one of the current women's campaigns would broaden to include other movements such as a professional womens group. How powerful would a group be that included woman doctors, teachers, lawyers, engineers and many other professions and could speak with a united voice. There is one for academics I understand. And a group of women with investments or similar that could also act as a bloc. We have power that is not being used as effectively as it might. It is an effective double power for women as consumers and investors in companies. And also the other power we have is that women live longer and due to men dying earlier are often left widowed etc. Therefore there are a lot of women of say 55 and over who may not be working and have more time to work on these campaigns. If the campaigns exist and we can mobilise them. Lots of potential here.

unfathomable you've not missed any explanation as they are not explaining anything. They are just sending out stock replies which is a version of the original tweet.

I finally got a reply. Didn't answer any of my questions so drafting a reply. But read the last bit of this section of the email. The influx of emails are making changes as now it's how they identify themselves, not wherever they feel comfortable. Carry on your emails!!

As a business, we strive to be inclusive and therefore, we allow customers the choice of which fitting room they feel comfortable to use, in respect of how they identify themselves.

So if I don’t ‘feel comfortable’ about them focussing on the comfort of a small number of genuinely discomforted persons and a larger number of people with naughty intent I can just bugger off then?

Who the hell is going to police ‘discomfort’ and ‘intent’! Poor staff.

@LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD I've enquired what their official guidelines and protocol for this and what training staff have received. Again.