Marks and Sparks

Yes they have list the plot where clothing is concerned! Having trouble spending my vouchers too!

Squiffy thanks for sending email please keep me updated ! Forgot to say previously I still buy and wear their bras, good fit. Apart from one bra, cups were two different sizes, no quality control!

I have always bought trousers from M&S but bought some last week and had to return them i need short, and this time short was about 3 inches too long, the explantion was they are made longer to cover boots[they were bootlegs] but short on me will still cover boots,
Alo the last ones before these shrank a lot
They are mostly made in Bangladesh now, so there is probably the answer,and think how much M&S pay, and what we have to pay,their profit must be enormous

Well I must be in the minority then. I buy the majority of my underwear in M&S, plus I got a lovely pair of casual trousers and a jumper before Christmas and a pair of jeans plus a down & feather jacket, very light but warm, in the sales. The jacket is short but that is fine as I wanted it for riding. I don’t buy their food, as I feel it is overpriced.

I use M & S for food that I cannot get from Aldi. I have noticed that the "use by dates" are getting shorter and shorter. Fortunately I tend to ignore these dates.

I have on occasion tried to buy a bra in M & S but appreciate I am a very "odd" size (32 H), whilst I know that I am getting on in years I have always worn nice matching underwear, and do not see why I should compromise and wear M & S boring and ill fitting ones. My Grannies always said "make sure you have nice clean underwear in case you have an accident"

They do normally come up trumps in their footwear, I have small feet and managed to get two pairs of flat leather boots, both pairs under £30 in October and they are so comfortable and "on-trend".

Also I notice that their pants wear out in a matter of weeks. I still have some old pairs that are perfectly wearable.

Yes, they think if we are a larger size we must have enormous thighs.

We had a local M & S shop when my children were small, this was thirty years ago! Beautiful top quality clothing and underwear at knock down prices.In those days everything was made in England.

My husband, who generally chooses dreadful clothes, got me the pale grey long jumper for Christmas and I really like it. I think M&S is like any large shop - you have to search for the clothes that you like and suit you. I still like M&S for a bra design (good price & fit) I've been buying for years.

I haven't bought a thing in M&S for years as I can't bear the depressing racks of synthetic fabrics and their never having my size. I ordered a coat and had to take it back because it felt so horrid. It was over £100 but wasn't even half wool.

The food, though, is luvverley....

<waves>
Hello Hildegard !

The worst thing is the way they display things within their own internal brands so if you want a pair of black trousers you have to look at their general trousers, Autograph, Per Una and whatever other group they have come up with. Makes shopping very difficult

Wonder whether it's worth doing it again just to see if anyone's paying attention? . . . . .

Well, I decided it might be worth it, so another email has just been sent to the CEO! . . . . .

I thought it was just me! I wanted a simple pair of black trousers size 10 tried on 7 pairs in M&S all were badly fitting and horrid material. Went into Debs selected 2 pairs tried them on and bought them both. It's time M&S started listening.

Suki70 I did exactly the same as you! I received very nice replies to my emails, but deep down, I never expected anything to change! I even sent links to the thread, from time to time, when it was updated.

Wonder whether it's worth doing it again just to see if anyone's paying attention? . . . . .

Miepl.....I'm not far from Newton Abbot, towards the moors.

When an identical thread to this appeared around a year ago I emailed the CEO with a summary of the points made here. I received a reply from his office regretting our disappointment with M and S and saying that the concerns would be passed on to the relevant staff for action. Well, nothing has changed! I walked through my local M and D yesterday and saw rails and rails of sale clothes and the new season's women's clothing seemed to be dull or in garish colours. Such a missed opportunity on their part.

I agree with you Hildagard, I was in M&S this week and felt very sad, the latest stock was dreadful and I too used to buy my trousers from there, not any more as they are awful.

I think M&S lost the plot some years ago when they decided to ignore their core group of customers and appeal to the trendy market. They ended up doing nothing well. I can't comment on the food as I no longer live in the UK.
I use the online French site and it has gone downhill noticeably in the last couple of years with a much more limited availability. Such a shame, I remember buying lovely clothes for my grandchildren when they were young and sending them to my daughter in America. They were always much admired.

I agree with Liz and Joy, M and S trousers are baggy at the thighs. I noticed this years ago and stopped buying M and S jeans for that reason.

I bought 2 pairs of M&S trousers, same style, different co,ours. When I tried them on at home, one pair was too large and the other too small - yet both had the same size on the label. They both sent back to the store. Hopeless.

Be careful your vouchers don’t expire, Chewbacca!

I agree with most of your comments about M&S women's clothes but their range of men's clothes is excellent. My OH, who is fussy (I say he's vain) loves their clothes.
I'm glad someone has mentioned the cafe. I've stopped going there. The tables are not cleared or clean and the coffee, which used to be the best in town, is like dishwater.
I wonder if anyone from M&S reads what we are saying, or if they care.

Old habits die hard. I’ve always bought my trousers and jeans from M&S – originally because I knew exactly what size and stated inside-leg length fitted me. They long ago dispensed with logic, helpfulness and especially quality control, yet here I still am, spending far too much time toing and froing to my local M&S Food shops to pick up and nearly always return items. M&S give the impression of regarding their long-term customers with contempt. Not only do they use meaningless made-up terms, but they fail to explain them anywhere: ankle grazers? roma rise? peg trousers? Oh please… And some product descriptions don't even pay us the courtesy of telling us what a garment is made of. They seem to think "other materials" is all we need to know. It's a disgrace, let's face it. Time some journalist picked up on this and shook them out of their complacency.

On the rare occasions that I go into town, I don't bother to go into M & S anymore, expensive tat.

Agree, M&S has certainly gone downhill over the last few years. Quality is rubbish, styling now idea who is it supposed to suit, and colours, who suits mustard, bright purple and orangey pink. The tops are either at your knees or up at the waist and trousers if any sort, well take your pick of 4 or 5 pairs in same size and style and they are all different. Too expensive and too exhausting to shop there any longer. Local branch is closing in a couple of months. Don't think it will be missed.