REALLY, M & S????? Are you taking the you-know-what...

I agree about the chicken - smaller and smaller and more and more expensive - not as tender as it used to be. The slow cooked chicken is nice but its £8 where as it was £5 about a year ago.

I can’t stand up for their clothes at the minute. I love M&S but they do lose their way don’t they? We are getting a new one later this year near me and I’m quite excited but hope they sort their selves out.

Really? Thats good, will review. I'll need to wait till I go in store is problem.

The new Amazon ones. so nice bought 2 x packs, I like the lace top and v comfy on bum.

My high rise shorts from M&S are identical to the midi knickers. Exactly same fit.

(Oh dear, I know its not mostly about midi knickers but the low rise shorts look the same height but "shorts" don't fit the same at all, tho they may be comfy for individuals. They cut lower across front top legs.

If you type this into Amazon search you'll find my very satisfactory replacement. Medium is a genuine but comfy size 12 I'd say

Wealurre Cotton Underwear Women Lace Waistband Full Briefs Ladies High Leg Knickers for Women Soft Stretch Panties Multipack 5

"Don’t they say something like ‘cannot be used in exchange for cash’ in the T&C’s? "

reckon they do, SueDonim, in 4pt typeface!

What fascinated me is that if you get vouchers via a Barclaycard Credit Card they DO count down. That is, spend £4 on a £5 voucher and you still have £1 left on it.

I wouldn’t expect change from a voucher. Don’t they say something like ‘cannot be used in exchange for cash’ in the T&C’s?

Thanks for the tip off midi knickers being renamed! I did find some v nice midis in Sainsbury’s but I don’t have a clothing store nearby anymore.

Our local M&S is full of garish green items at the moment. There are so many nice shades of green but this is awful! They’re selling a dress with giant green splodges on it - it looks like it’s been bombarded with Brussels sprouts.

I think if you’re choosy, there are decent things to buy in there. Some are not worth it, though, such as their cheap t-shirts. You may as well go to Primark for those. A friend gave me a tip for thin cotton jumpers, which I like in the summer. They don’t seem to have many now so she’s started getting hers from the men’s section. They have more colours to choose from and she finds a small men’s is about the same as a woman’s medium.

The M&S credit card like any other credit card can be used for all companies not just Marks and Sparks. You get points for every pound which comes to you in the form of vouchers that can only be spent in M&S. Most other card companies offer you zilch. The Sparks card is separate for special offers.

I’ve never seen the point of the Sparks card. I used to have one but the offers were never of any interest to me. Ditto the John Lewis. The Boots card, OTOH - the points really add up, especially if you get extra for being a wrinkly - and the Nectar…

We did once take a M&S credit card, I think, but only because dh was spending a substantial amount on clothing, and they were offering 10% off if we did so. Dh was honest enough to tell the salesperson that he’d only cut it up straightaway - she said it wouldn’t matter! Presumably they got points or something, for getting people to sign up.

luluaugust

*Wyllow3*, I hadn't realised the midi knickers had been discontinued, I spent far too much time looking for them.
Our local M&S is huge and they have made the food hall even bigger, I can never find anything.

They haven't, as I discovered after spending ages searching. I decided I'd give a pack of their "low rise shorts" a go and saw on the packaging that they're the midi knickers renamed!

It’s always been like that with M&S. I’ve had a card for years.

I always used to buy my grapes from M+S. They were always crisp, green and fresh and very tasty. Went to buy some the other day, the first time since they’ve done away with best before dates. The look of them was enough to put me off. They looked anything but crisp. They looked soft and past their best. Didn’t buy them and won’t bother anymore to get them from M+S.

I love M&S food. Nothing better. I'd not worry too much about vouchers

John Lewis give change if you buy something cheaper than the voucher.

Wyllow3, I hadn't realised the midi knickers had been discontinued, I spent far too much time looking for them.
Our local M&S is huge and they have made the food hall even bigger, I can never find anything.

I occasionally buy clothes from M&S and their website has numerous other brands now.

It’s easy to knock M&S I but have noticed that M&S brands are usually cheaper than the other brands and have many more positive reviews on their site.

I don’t think you can beat them for quality at the price, but of course have to be picky about what you choose. I like their jeggings, shirts and jeans.

I don’t buy chickens now because I don’t like the conditions under which they are bred and kept, and would only buy free range (as an occasional luxury) which isn’t as possible with bird flu.

They had a whole Jaeger shop. V impressive.

You can use the vouchers online as part payment for goods very easily. I still get quite a lot of basics online - bras, thermals, cotton trousers, I think their trousers are still good) and their excellent Formula beauty range. (Their rich night cream is tops)

I haven't actually been into an M n S shop except the local big foodie on for years.
and I like it they now do Seasalt et al other brands.

Aveline

I'd not expect change from a voucher either.
I almost started a post about M&S on Saturday after visiting a large store. I was stunned that the stock had improved so much. I usually only go to a small local one and am not very excited by what they stock. Obviously, whoever chooses what goes to smaller M&S shops doesn't choose well. I bought one blouse but could easily have bought about six more as well as several dresses - and I don't like dresses!

The smaller stores of any chain are managed by newly appointed managers getting experience before they are promoted to the bigger branches. By the time they reach the dizzy heights of the flagship stores, they have gained more knowledge of what customers really want. At least, they "should^ have.

A reward voucher for money off is a voucher is a voucher. The reason they issue it is to get you to spend, not to give you back actual money. Sometimes a store will give you change in the form of a new voucher for the difference, but the whole point is that you are getting £X off your bill - if your bill is less than the £X the voucher is worth, then you get your purchase free - if you want to get more back than you were saving, you have to buy something more. It isn't rocket science, it is marketing.

I rarely go into M & S. I haven’t for many years. I lose the will to live re. Fashion, and I find their food expensive and unexciting…. A reluctant customer.
Returns depends entirely on who is staffing. I have had both excellent and atrocious service; ditto on the shop floor.

I'd not expect change from a voucher either.
I almost started a post about M&S on Saturday after visiting a large store. I was stunned that the stock had improved so much. I usually only go to a small local one and am not very excited by what they stock. Obviously, whoever chooses what goes to smaller M&S shops doesn't choose well. I bought one blouse but could easily have bought about six more as well as several dresses - and I don't like dresses!

silverlining48

So it’s not just me that noticing a change (and not for the better) in chicken. always bought thighs and legs but now they are cut differently. smaller pieces possibly with less meat. Dry and tough and this is from different supermarkets.

Could this be because they have to be kept indoors due to bird flu? I'm not sure there are any free range birds allowed. The poultry industry is having it really tough at the moment so maybe cut them some slack. You can always use vegetarian alternatives.

cornergran

After asking for a supervisor in M&S I was assured a refund for an item part paid for by a single use voucher would be made with a gift card. The staff member who had initially refused said she had no idea. Admittedly this was 2 or 3 years ago. Worth a try if in that situation.

Oh I have been diddled out of a tenner. Next time I will query it. Thanks cornergran.

In my rather limited experience most vouchers don’t allow a cash payment if not used up, my recent garden one didn’t.
I don’t buy many clothes, but find M&S jeans excellent, the dressing gown I got for Christmas is lush and clothes bought for our grandchildren in the last few months have been great. I buy online, then collect from the local food hall, rarely buy food as it’s expensive.