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.

I had earmarked a cashmere blend jumper and pair of cords from m&s as my Xmas present to myself this year. Not going to buy them now. It's not much, but for a store that is already struggling to sell clothes and reporting such dismal profits they are mad to actively turn away customers. I can't imagine the super woke blue hair brigade are buying much at all, and definitely not in marks and sparks.

@boatyardblues I usually use m and s in service stations when travelling. However there are always other shops, so I guess I'm going to use them too.
Solidarity.
May not be much I spend in them around £15 but that amounts up over the years travel I do.
With that and the food I usually buy its probably going to be 500 or more a year that they will lose.
Idiots. Bloody blethering woke idiots.

My local John Lewis has men's clothes and mixed sportswear section miles from the women's section, with one changing room. I asked where I could try on swimming costumes and they directed me to the changing room in menswear. V odd.

What about when these guys want to get fitted for bras? The stick response says that lingers areas are separate to the women’s changing rooms as if that provides women with a separate private space. That will be the next target. I feel sorry for the women who fit the bras it’s only a matter of time.

*stock

The sales lady I spoke to in M&S lingerie has done bra fittings on men (presumably they have to come in dressed as a woman, whatever that means, as they wouldn't be allowed in the lingerie fitting room otherwise). They don't get many, and I suspect they're pretty vigilant tbh.

So some people could order clothes online, try on and return. But that’s not the point, not to goal, is it?

Of course that’s what we will end up doing. But I have never tried on underwear in a store. Ever. Nope.

The sales lady I spoke to in M&S lingerie has done bra fittings on men (presumably they have to come in dressed as a woman, whatever that means, as they wouldn't be allowed in the lingerie fitting room otherwise). They don't get many, and I suspect they're pretty vigilant* tbh

They can be as vigilant as they want. This whole thing is about comfort. Of men. So if a man says I am more comfortable in the (used to be) women's change room, then they have to be let in. No vigilance required. No dressing as a woman - whatever that means.

Sadly there are always men (rarely women) who are known by locals to be a danger to kids and adults alike (I’m thinking of the creature in Dunblane).

He was involved in kids clubs and was the local ‘creepy guy’ that the police couldn’t do anything about because - as you know - being a ‘creepy guy’ who gives everyone the heebiejeebies isn’t a crime.

So now we are giving all the ‘creepy guys’ (and gals) carte blanche. We are empowering people who would have previously been accosted by your mum and gran - thrown out on his ear from the school yard, or shooed away from the playground full of kids - to say ‘I feel more comfortable in this changing room thanks: IT’S THE LAW’.

What are they waiting for?

Absolutely agree LordProfFekko

Vigilant? Not in my m and s today. Went in to changing room with a jumper just so i could scope it out. Not an assistant to be seen. Neither in room nor on shop floor near by. Tis the season to be perved at. Mind you at least I managed to leave some 'no men in womens spaces' leaflets

I have the urge to go into the changing rooms and leave behind some underwear of the ‘wrong sex’ for the next costumer to see and ponder. Because a lot of people want know about this rule because they don’t advertise it and where I am (central London) it’s a lot of tourists anyway who won’t have see all this hoohah.

Do it!!!

People will just think it's a joke and laugh, it won't inform them of anything.

One could also leave a note in the changing room with info about the policy.

The last paragraph of the stock reply says that if anybody acts inappropriately or causes deliberate offence they will “take action.” Pretty much saying; don’t worry ladies if you get perved at/ touched up because AFTER we have Created the situation where that is more likely to happen we will act when it does. Which it will. RATHER than segregating you as per the way history has taught us to avoid these situations from cropping up at because we don’t give a shit about your safety in our stores as long as you keep spending your cash that works for us. So frankly fuck em. I won’t be trying in at home. I won’t be shopping in any store online or in store that allows men into women’s changing rooms.

Today I was our all day with DD. Had a brilliant but exhausting day. We needed birthday cards, some bits for tea, tights, a couple of nice snacks for this week etc. I decided M&S weren't getting my money. And I walked through telling DD very loudly why. This lead to a very nice chat with a lady who put back the coat and dress she was going to try on. In 5 minutes that's a couple of hundred pounds they lost.

Nice work Glen!

Well done. If every shop is
Now doing this then there will be a very big gap in the market for someone. Sadly it’s not possible weed out those who want female rooms for suspect reason and those who don’t. That’s why you can’t just open gate to all and not expect trouble.

Even if everyone does online shopping it’s going cost them much more in free postage (for over £50) then returns then processing all that stuff. Plus in store you are free to try far more on to see what fits that you may afford on a credit card. The death of the high street is going happen far faster.

Does anyone have suggestions for where to buy basic, good quality, knickers? I am in Newcastle this weekend. Bought food for train at Waitrose (and Hotel Chocolate, but lets forget that) rather than Marks. Then, this morning realised I had forgotten to pack knickers. Bought some, with penguins on, from a fashion chain. Eventually, though, I will need to find an M&S alternative.

Generally I dont mind small shops with individual cubicles. The shop I went into also had some nice clothes. Perhaps the push I needed to explore the High Street more.

(Random information. Central Newcastle is really noisy on a Saturday night.)

FUCK. THIS. SHIT.

Seriously.

I don't post that much on MN anymore but thanks all for drawing my attention to this complete and utter corporate fuckmuppetry. Businesses which are this stupid frankly don't deserve to survive.

I spend about - I don't know - probably about £2K in M&S a year? I do all my food shopping there. Not anymore! Hello Waitrose!

(will send a letter too)

This will be used in business schools in years to come as a prime example of companies that lose touch with their customer base.

Where does decent cotton knickers for the larger lady? M&S was my go to for knickers. Won’t be now. Though having spoken to my mum about this I was accused of lecturing her! Hopefully she’ll share a changing room with a man. That might make her think twice.

Primark pants are ok. Debenhams pants are also ok

M&S have been my go to for pants/tights/work winter sweaters/cardigans/tights/nice food and Christmas food for years.

I'm so annoyed at M&S for caring more about being woke than their actual customer base.

The older female women in my family were all ex-M&S staff. Back when getting a job there was a sign of prestige for working women. They would turn in their graves at the thought of men being able to use changing rooms and potentially having to help for men for underwear

This ‘bringing your whole self to work’ approach that M&S is proudly announcing sounds very familiar.

This ‘whole self’ approach embraces rubber fetish wear under your work clothes, filming and then publishing online your lunchtime wank in the staff toilets and a choicy choicy approach to spaces designed for the privacy and dignity of staff and customers.

When staff need flexible working to accommodate caring responsibilities, time off for IVF appointments, space for pumping breast milk or private changing spaces then they are not quite so inclusive as an employer and you can leave THAT self outside the door.

Guess which sex benefits the most?

Exactly Humber

Spot the men's sexual rights movement.

Which M&S are enthusiastically supporting. While expecting women to go along with it and continue to use their service.

Fuck that.