M & S Food outlets

Don't buy much anymore. Sometimes there is nothing in the enormous store that I like. If I do see something, I make a note of the code and wait for the 20% offer to happen. It annoys me so much that they overprice in the first place just so they can do promotions where they actually charge you the more realistic price. Do they think we are idiots?

M&S has always enjoyed a fantastic reputation, but it is far too expensive. They say you get what you pay for, but a lot of the stuff just dosn't seem worth the money. As for the food, I bought some bananas there recently, because I thought they would be top notch but they actually tasted very odd, not like bananas at all.

It takes extreme talent to muck up a business as good as M and S - well done to all involved. I used to buy all my clothes there for decades - no longer

There is an M&S outlet clothes store 5 miles from here and they do have absolutely bargains. I am too old to care about fashion, although I like to look reasonable, and I find I still like lots of their tops, knitwear etc.
I am very very old, mind, so maybe you younger grans do find them out of date. They also do food at this store and I love most of it, but don't buy much regularly as they are a bit pricey for me. Nearby Asda is more my price.

I wrote to them a while back suggesting that they concentrate on "classics" available to fit all shapes and sizes. I particularly recommended that they produce a good quality plain navy blue blazer in different torso lengths and cup sizes - as I am a very short waisted person with a largish bust, finding a really nice blazer is high on my list of desires. I explained that they wouldn't need to stock every single size combination, just sufficient that, in combination with a fitter, the right size could be determined and ordered for next day-ish delivery.

I got a very nice reply back from a customer services type person who thought it was a wonderful idea and she'd pass it on.

But I haven't seen anything like that in their shops, have you?

M&S has an image problem as it is seen as the go-to store for the old and frumpy and school-kids. The trendy young will not go near it, even if it has some good lines including well-priced cashmere. Whenever I look at the web-site, It occurs to me that it offer good value for money as the stuff is pretty reasonably priced but if I am tempted to order it always goes back as I think their fashion cut is poor and skimpy; the clothes are not nice on the body.
My store is next door to Primark and a cut-through from the car park. You see a steady stream of people walking straight through the clothes to get to Primark!

I still buy M&S clothes. Their jeggings are very good and new colours each season - they are straight, stretchy and comfortable. This season all shops seem to have the same colours and they don't suit me - they are either very dark or very bright lime green or mustard. M&S however have a few things in better colours.

I agree glamma about their sizing. You can try on three things in the same size and one is too big, the other too tight and the third might fit.

trisher quite possibly

Rosina let's hope their 'classic clothes' are in good, plain colours. Some of the patterns they're selling at the moment would look better on curtains. Yuk!

Their food has always been outstanding, and the homewares very high quality but the clothes over the last five years or so - oh where to start. They have deserted their traditional customer base, as everyone knows, tried to get teenagers and the fashion mad into the stores, where they are NEVER going to go, and spent several years making clothes from foul sweaty itchy polyester despite promises to have more natural fibres. However, I read recently that they are now going to turn to classic clothes in 'better fabrics' Yippee. Or perhaps I should save the enthusiasm until it happens. I loved their stylish plain clothes in good material because I prefer to dress things up with chunky jewellery.

My mum likes the elasticated waist trousers, but she is 94, do you think this is their target age group?

I'm finding alot of my similar aged friends are now changing to shopping at Next as opposed to M&S,the sizes at M&S are so wrong I find a 16 is too big and a 14 to small but in Next a 14 is perfect and the cut suits me much better so this year I have not bought a thing at M&S clothes wise and just used the food halls for my shopping I only shop for the two of us so never any wastage and great selection of different meal ideas.

Hadn't bought any clothing apart from undies at M& S for years but I fell for a super navy quilted jacket with a fur collar - ideal with jeans & looks very expensive. I wore it for the first time the other day & bumped into 2 friends. Both commented very favourably & asked where it came from - incredulous faces when I said Marks & Sparks! So they are still getting some things right.

The only thing I buy in m&s i's bras (big bust, good bras).
Although I don't rate their bra measuring service! I was wearing one size (a D) and it wasn't big enough. I had them measure me, she said I was a B!! Ridiculous ☹

Thanks for that Maranta. It has been many many months since I bothered to go near an M&S clothes store that I have no idea what they are selling. I agree that they cannot have their clothes made in sweat shops and then sell them at the highest possible price.

M&S food is good quality and tasty. What I like about the foodhalls is that the layout is uncomplicated and I can whizz in and quickly find exactly what I want. This also works at their "Simply Food" shops on the motorway, and I can easily pick up meals for a couple of days. I know I will find what I want.
So why are the clothes departments so complicated in comparison? I only have a limited amount of time to shop, but have to spend ages going round all the racks looking for blouses or jackets to go with trousers. I think they are trying to be too many things to too many people and they have never accepted the fact that NEXT has taken the 20 - 30s market.

I agree about the trousers Charleygirl but their Heatgen(?) leggings are good under trousers, I am wearing them regularly already.

I stopped using M & S when they started not just using but actually promoting workfare.
They can't get away with being both unethical and expensive.

I was really surprised recently to find several things to buy; two evening-y pleated skirts, one velvet and the other a bit metallic, and a lovely cream blouse with lace top. It has been ages since I got anything there.

I've become keen on Zara; lots of the stuff is too young for me but there are some wonderful things to be found, but buy them when you see them and don't "think about it". The stock is always changing.

I am a fan of M&S jars of coffee and I would be devastated if I had to look elsewhere for coffee. Otherwise I can live without M&S. I used to buy trousers there but they are so thin now I could not wear them in winter without decent leggings on underneath.

I love Marks and Spencers! We buy all our food there. Always good quality and absolutely nothing wasted. I've not needed to buy any clothes recently but DD who is extremely smart and fussy gets lots of things there and is especially impressed by their footwear. She's currently sporting a beautiful cashmere tunic over leggings and fabulous over the knee black suede boots. Go M&S!

I used to rely on M&S a lot. I have a beautiful cashmere-mix black coat which I bought at least 10yrs ago & still wear for funerals! They used to be the go-to place for well-cut, quality basics. Now they've totally lost the plot. It's either twee Per Una or ghastly Classic range trousers with elasticated waists. You can't even find a simple black wool jumper or white shirt now. AND so much of their stuff is made in Romania etc. I do buy food there; it's overpriced but good quality.

But, where will the frumps shop?????

The food is overpriced..........

Better to let M&S fade away completely.

I keep the boxed chunky cod or haddock in the freezer. It is useful when in a hurry and is the best battered fish you can buy from a supermarket. We used some this week when coming back late with a friend. Aunty Bessie's oven chips and marrow fat peas. Instant dinner along with a glass of white wine. Cheaper than eating in a restaurant which we had intended to do.

One tip buy when on offer. Second box half price and empty into plastic bags when you put into the freezer to save room.

And I thought it was only me Anya who did sneaky things like that

Lamb shank sounds delicious. Bought a small pheasant covered in bacon for £5 from Waitrose, just adding a few nice veg and a glass of Merlot and we will be sorted for supper tonight.

My nearest food shop is an M & S Food. I have been known to transfer some of their produce (eg Gastropub slow roasted shank of lamb) into a roasting dish and pass it off as my own.

Three of their lasagnes (meal for 2) fit exactly into my big lasagnes dish and by the time it's heated up and with extra melted cheese on top you can't see the join