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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

M&S + John Lewis - your poor Christmas sales will be due to the contempt you've shown your female customers

482 replies

Sunkisses · 10/01/2020 10:26

It's all over the news that M&S and John Lewis have had terrible Christmas sales. I am absolutely sure this is due to the terrible press coverage they received and viral threads of Twitter about how they allow men into the female changing rooms, the contempt they treated their female customers with when we voiced our complaints, and the 1,000s of us who pledged not to shop with them over Christmas. I stuck by my pledge over Christmas and they lost about £1,000 of custom from me with gifts and food. Anyone else kept up their boycott?

OP posts:
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Dangerfloof · 10/01/2020 22:55

All clothes shops in the UK allow trans women to use the female changing rooms
Not my little independent, which I was too terrified to try before m and s did there sly thing. Let's be honest if they actually believe it's all fine and dandy then advertise it, in every paper, on every stupid jumper advert, on social media the works.
So I didnt spend any money at m and s motorway services, and Christmas was done by pipers farm. No drama, this is affecting m and s but not me particularly.

TheProdigalKittensReturn · 10/01/2020 22:55

I personally would prefer my workers rights to include not having to pick up semen encrusted clothing. Apparently M&S have been failing their workers there for quite some time.

(How expensive are disposable gloves? FFS.)

Tocopherol · 10/01/2020 22:57

Exercise all the choice you want - I haven't told you what to do with your money - but maybe read the thread? Plenty of posts expressing positive feelings at the idea of them going bust. Hoping they do, in fact.

I didn't particularly like regularly cleaning spunk out of the ladies' loos at my former place of work, but to be unemployed and poor is to loose your dignity, privacy, and safety too.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:03

PegasusReturns It’s great, isn’t it. Of course I don’t always know what’s going to be in the vegetable box, on top off the usual veg, such as spuds, carrots, etc. One week it could be squash and the next it might be beetroot, but it’s great, because it has made me think more about local produce and what I cook.

I get a really good feeling from supporting females that run smaller businesses. My veg box supplier is a woman, I buy most of my bread from a local woman that runs a similar ‘box’ business. Actually my toiletries, such as bars of soap, deodorant bars, hair shampoo bars, are even made by a woman who runs a small independent business in Co Down. Thanks to so many going woke, I’ve been amazed by what I can get by staying away from those stores. I never ever realised what was out there. Just today I bought hand cream made by her, from the local artisan cafe/shop, again, run by a woman. Don’t worry I buy from men to, such as the neighbour two streets away who grows flowers or buys them from the market.

Actually, come to think of it, wtf are you other posters talking about, when you try to guilt us because we won’t spend our money in big stores that pay those working class women shit wages? I’m improving the lives of women, by giving my money directly to them. What are you doing to support women in business or the small independent stores. Fucking hypocritical attitude.

NextdoorNeighbourIsATwat · 10/01/2020 23:05

Yup, I stuck to my boycott. Fuck 'em

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:08

"Nothing you do makes any difference" turns into "you, personally, are putting shops out of business" so easily when the first tactic isn't working.

Excellent point, TheProdigalKittensReturn. I thought we were just being silly powerless women. Confused

Grin
LangCleg · 10/01/2020 23:09

I never ever realised what was out there.

Yep. As I said earlier, once you've had the last piece of crap rammed down your throat and you get off your backside and find replacements, you suddenly realise how little you got for your quid beyond bullshit virtue signalling marketing and also how many are the better ways you can spend it. And you'll never go back.

High streets re-energised!

BertsFriend · 10/01/2020 23:10

I would also like to point out that I still spent the same amount of money over Christmas, just not in M & S. So no guilt - M & S's loss was another retailer's gain.

TheProdigalKittensReturn · 10/01/2020 23:11

Actually, come to think of it, wtf are you other posters talking about, when you try to guilt us because we won’t spend our money in big stores that pay those working class women shit wages? I’m improving the lives of women, by giving my money directly to them. What are you doing to support women in business or the small independent stores. Fucking hypocritical attitude.

There you go expecting people who oppose women talking about women's rights to prioritize the wellbeing of women.

TheProdigalKittensReturn · 10/01/2020 23:13

I found a local woman owned small shop where she makes candles, perfumes, soap etc and can basically make you anything you want, so you can go "can I get that scent in the form of a candle in this sort of container" and she'll go "yep! just give me X number of days". Which is a better experience for me, means other people receive nicer gifts, and provides an income for the shop owner, who then employs other local women to help run the shop.

Anyone trying to present this as the less ethical, less woman friendly choice is going to have to try a bit harder.

turnthebiglightoff · 10/01/2020 23:17

John Lewis is an employee owned business and if they go bust 83,000 people will lose their jobs.

Every clothes shop in the UK allow trans people in their dressing room. Men are also allowed to work in women's dressing rooms.

HTH.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:20

There you go expecting people who oppose women talking about women's rights to prioritize the wellbeing of women.

I’m so sorry. How could I forget to centre the men? I’m so sorry for being a failure as a woman. dabs eyes delicately with silk hanky

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:23

Every clothes shop in the UK allow trans people in their dressing room. Men are also allowed to work in women's dressing rooms

Why are you talking about transwomen? We were talking about letting men into female changing rooms. Are you saying that transwomen aren’t women? How terribly transphobic!

P.s. no they don’t. HTH

Tocopherol · 10/01/2020 23:23

I don't see anybody in the thread telling anyone not to spend the money in a different shop or use small businesses as they please (why the hell would I, a small business owner, not want that?) but whatever.

Maybe, just maybe, there is a way to discuss this without gloating over mass unemployment? Or assuming anyone who doesn't see things exactly the same way as you is the other side Hmm

YourOpinionIsNoted · 10/01/2020 23:24

John Lewis is an employee owned business and if they go bust 83,000 people will lose their jobs.

The they should alter their business model to remain sufficiently appealing to their customer base to turn a profit. They are a business. That's what successful businesses do.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:25

This was the beautiful cake I got from a local independent female baker. It was amazing. My apologies to my local slimming world leader. 😳

M&S + John Lewis - your poor Christmas sales will be due to the contempt you've shown your female customers
BoogieFeet · 10/01/2020 23:32

Stuck to the boycott. Found what I needed in other shops, and wasn’t tempted by things I didn’t really need but fancied after browsing. Also meant I ate fewer ready meals (don’t really buy them elsewhere) which must be good for me and the environment as well.
Sure, it’s just a drop in the ocean to them but that’s several hundred pounds they’ve lost from me. Maybe they’ll change their stance in a year or 5 but will I want to come back when I’ve already changed my shopping habits?

boatyardblues · 10/01/2020 23:34

That’s one tasty looking cake.👍

LangCleg · 10/01/2020 23:34

"If you don't spend your money at virtue-signalling corporate capitalist stores draining the life out of town high streets in favour of inaccessible bourgeois out of town malls, but instead seek out local businesses, especially female-led ones, you're harming working class women."

Not the most persuasive argument I've ever seen.

By the way, I also put money Timpsons way whenever possible, but I'm sure the reasons for that will past most wokeists by.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:37

That’s one tasty looking cake

I’ve absolutely no doubt that cake made by a female would taste very bitter to some. 😁

YourOpinionIsNoted · 10/01/2020 23:40

Lang I just looked up Timpsons, fascinating!

MaButterface · 10/01/2020 23:42

Oh well ive spent 1k+ with them. Very happy with them actually.

Uncompromisingwoman · 10/01/2020 23:42

Good grief - the efforts to blame women for this. Why are women suddenly responsible for putting the business in peril (according to a couple of posters)? It's M & S management who made a crap decision to remove sex segregated changing rooms.

It's their Ratner moment. They're a business and their job is to keep customers happy and they've failed. Why would any woman choose to spend their hard earned cash with M & S when it treats women with contempt? They've created the problem, they need to sort it.

T0tallyFuckedUpFamily · 10/01/2020 23:45

Who are Timpsons? I assume they’re a uk company.

PurpleCrowbar · 10/01/2020 23:47

Also, my cousin is an M&S store manager. She regularly passes on surplus food to my parents because she's got a holiday home close to where they live, & gets great perks in terms of taking away short dated stock.

She's fully aware of the issues with men in the women's changing rooms, & thinks it's a ghastly perv charter.

She also, when I told her I was boycotting, said that a) she didn't blame me in the slightest & b) there was lots of discussion at area manager level. She said 'they're shitting their pants over this one, it's all anyone's really talking about'.

I've known my cousin for 50 years. She loves her job with M&S. She's worked there since she was a teenager herself. I absolutely believe her.