Marks and Spencer's Again

I was always a medium in trouser length but now the short ones are too long! I'm 5 foot six and not shrunk yet seem to have become petite in trouser lengths!

Was a very good customer of m and s but in the past 2 years am very dissapointed.....sizes not up to scratch ..quality has gone down....staff not up to standard......

I took a short cut through M&S last week (about all I use it for nowadays!). I glanced to my right and thought "Oh they've moved the men's department downstairs". On slightly closer inspection it was the new autumn women's range! Never seen anything so drab and boring in my life.

I had a look at the M&S sale yesterday (I mean in-store, not online) and I couldn't believe how much reduced stuff there was - racks and racks and racks of it. In the olden days there would be a couple of garments the same, perhaps different sizes, but I saw rows of every size of every t-shirt, top and trousers. Obviously they were vastly overstocked for the amount of sales they made this Summer. I wandered down the aisles wondering why this should be and I came to the conclusion that, as well as poor sizing, it is the fabrics they use. Almost everything is polyester or viscose or other man-made fibres, some contained a small amount of cotton or linen but not many. I particularly noticed many itchy t-shirts which just felt horrible to the touch. Isn't it a pity? Why don't they listen to their customers? They need not even invest in expensive marketing research - just read the GN threads. I read recently that M&S are likely to end up being just a food shop and I can well believe it.

I like M&S sizing personally.

It's also holiday season so I expect staffing to be short.

I complained in m&s about sizing and staff told me that a size 14 made in China was a different size than a 14 made in Turkey and they sell both !!

I can remember when you could always rely on M&S sizing as they were consistent .
If you were a size 14 then anything in a 14 would fit you. No need to try it on - they had no changing rooms anyway in those days. The lengths did vary though, you could get the same skirt in 25" 27" or 29". It was pretty foolproof. And proudly they boasted that their clothes were made in the UK.
I never see anything I like any more and have stopped looking in there.

Following with interest M&S thread! I often by chino trousers and tee shirts there, wash well. Fit well, and good value! But try and get a bra!!! I found one, fitted well, comfy , no squeezing you out in wrong places, brilliant! Went back next week with all the details off the tag inside to get a couple more! So far so good!! Found what I wanted, lovely patterned ones, tags tallied.......took them home....smug feeling knowing that they would be fine........WRONG....Back to shop again. Assistant a bit off, and told me that they were exactly the same one as I had on! Invited her to inspect my bra which I was wearing and then tried on new bra, and she had to agree, not the same fit at all!! Got money back and hunt continues! Arggggggghhhhhh

about what? grannyetc

M$S used to pride themselves on the fact that there stuff was all made in the UK , if you look on the labels now it is all from the far east etc . I walked through the other day and everything looked so frumpy . I prefer charity shops and buy mostly designer wear I used to find Marks clothes were on the big side but think they tend to be on the small side now .

Granted, nannylovesshopping, and I believe there has been a move towards other brands in their food halls, but these are relatively recent developments and that is not the case in clothing or homeware.

M&S sell many other brands in their beauty departments

CC have gone into liquidation as part of Austin Reed.

I think the difference is that M&S only sell their own brands of everything.

Surely M and s sell furniture too, and cushions etc. I am sure I have seen them in the window as I pass by. Perhaps only some of them do. I would say it is both a department store and a chain store if I could be bothered to worry about that fact , but I can't

not C&C - CC

and Marks and Sparks do not sell decent linen trousers any more

Any idea who stocks them? Although it is a bit late for this summer. I trotted up to C&C the other day and there it was - Gone!

Jalima I think you have nailed it.

I would have thought that department stores sell many different items by different manufacturers whereas chain stores sell their own brand of items.

Kittylester

If I wore that dress someone would try to show their holiday slides on me!!

How about Monsoon? Different styling, good lengths for me because I'm tall AND great sales. Have just shuffled through 70% off rails in local branch and bought 3 lovely tops and my first ever pair of patterned trousers. Hurrah!

If I wore a dress like that, I would be sure to get those sleeves in my soup.

Tights are always a nightmare for me with my funny shape. So, went to M&S at the weekend, bought two boxes of tights in two sizes..tried on 'small' in the loo's and found they fitted me [hurrah] so took 'medium' box back and bought three boxes in different colours and ordered a box in the colour I wanted [but they didn't have]. Got home and tried on one pair from each box of 3 and, blow me, they don't fit [too small]. Weren't exactly the same tights but still with the same sizing on the back and in packs of 3. They always seem to be terribly understaffed at M&S these days [in fact, the ladies in one store we went to told us so].