M&S closures

M&S T shirts used to wash and wash, not now.
Daughter bought me nightdress and dressing gown a couple of years ago which get worn only on the odd occasion, they both went to holes. She bought herself the same nightdress a month later, it has washed and washed, still perfect.

I think more people are shopping online for basic clothes.

We have had a large food hall open near us which is busy as is the m&s shop in the local BP garage. I think food and basic clothes are their way forward.

I visit the M&S in our local shopping park, which is easy to get to, has free parking and a variety of shops but I would not go into town for M&S with a more difficult drive, paid parking, a longer walk and closed or depressing shops.

hm999, I think ? read somewhere that if you was clothes with items that have open zips they can cause holes in your clothes.

I live within easy reach of an M/S Outlet store where they sell off end of lines. It's my favourite and it's going to close at the end of July. I am gutted. I will miss it very much.
I still like a lot of their stuff.

Wash

Hells Bells, grannybuy!

Those trews in the piccie look as if they've been designed by a Martian who's never seen an actually Human Being and is just guessing what the shape of our legs might be like......

They are in the process of building another store near us, it's supposed to open this summer. It's taken them months of work so must be costing a fortune

M&s lost the plot some time ago. I last bought from their holiday and 'cruise line' about 15 to 20 years ago. I find as I am older I do not want dresses with strappy tops but with a 3/4 sleeve and some tailored interest not a sack with straps.

For work I enjoyed per Una but that soon went down hill too.
and i now go to Matalan for my swim suits.

My husband no longer buys his trousers there because the pockets are not deep enough and everything falls out!!

I usually find alot to like in asda, but this year matalan has had alot of nice things xx

Couldn't agree more with all the comments. I used to buy everything from M&S, but the quality is rubbish, I would rather pay. little more for something suitable. Whether they like it or not they do not appeal to the young market. Whenever I visit a store it is full of people my age (74) trying to find appropriate clothes i.e with sleeves or elbow length.

M & S has just opened a large expensive food store in a suburban high street near me, with limited, expensive parking; it already has two butchers, two green grocers, two bread/cake shops, two newsagents and two chemists, plus a Tesco Express. Bad business decision, particularly as the two previous supermarket chains on the site both closed.
Where do these Chief Executives come from?

I do still find some good value basics like cotton T shirts, and their summer linen is often very good, but so much of the rest does make me wonder who on earth would be seen dead in it. Horrible colours and patterns, nasty cheap looking (and feeling) fabrics, tacky, fussy 'bits' and trimmings added to things that would be far better without.

I've said it before, but IMO they need to sack most of their buyers and get different designers in.
I'm sure their buyers must often think, 'Well, I wouldn't be seen dead in it, but it'll do for M&S.'

Trouble is, they never listen.

I buy M&S cotton T shirts, love the colours and different neck lines, but have found equally good ones in Matalan recently,they are good quality too.

I have not been able to find my usual linen summer trousers for about 2 yrs now so have bought at Next or Tu .
In todays DM it shows a dress which M&S are hoping will be popular this year it shows the dress on 6 different ladies all different shapes and there is not one it looks good on,and the material reminds you of deckchair material.

I too am sorry to hear the position they are in and feeling guilty I did not give them enough support over the past decade like I used to in previous years .There is so much out there for the consumer we are spoilt for choice and at one time it was just M&S then along came Next followed by other names we could also buy on the internet. Hope they can get their act together before the name M&S bites the dust.

On the other hand they are opening two new stores in Northern Ireland. We love M&S here.

hidagard
I'm just on 5ft and a size 12.
I find Wallis a good fit. The same with the Ben de lisi range in debenhams. The waistline is where it should be and non of that saggy underbum thing.
Most of M&S trousers seem to made for hermaphrodites.

I have to admit to buying a lovely linen shirt at Marks yesterday - saw it just as I was walking toward the door muttering “Why do I waste my time here?”

M & S has only recently come to our town so therefore I have never been an avid shopper of their goods.
However in the past, I always turned to them.....via another town...... for underwear and sweaters......both gents and ladies.......they were always great, assuring us of good quality and a long life.
Nowadays they could be classed as another Charity Store........look long and hard and you may find a few good bits......but generally just walk on by.

As for their Food Hall,take it away and my DH... who does the shopping... would be lost.He swears by them for all our fresh fruit and veggies, which are by far fresher than any of our stores these days.

It seems "On line Shopping" will eventually have all these High Street stores close in our Towns,we are entering a new era.

I agree with everyone's comments. M & S has always been my go-to store for clothes, for both quality and fit, not to mention easy returns, but I struggle to find anything I want these days. I too, am a shorty - only 5 ft, and their shorter length trousers used to be the right length, but about 5 years ago they suddenly got longer, and I would still have to shorten by several inches if I purchased them.
I get almost weekly offers on my Sparks card, but rarely find anything to buy, not for want of trying!
Fabric quality has gone down, styles are either ridiculous or boring, so no wonder they are in trouble.
Per Una needs to go - all those frills and furbelows have had their day, younger buyers certainly don't want them, and the Autograph range isn't very inspiring either. (Years ago, they had an Autograph Weekend range, with a more casual slant, in lovely fabrics, but that was discontinued - I still have a few tops from that range).
They need to accept that the younger generation isn't interested, and aim for an older clientele who are looking for good tailoring, better fabrics, and competitive prices.

I'm surprised by all the negative comments about M&S. Since moving to France 5 years ago I always make a bee line for M&S when I return to the UK and find perfectly fitting cotton trousers, shorts, shoes and underwear. I'm 70, size 10 and dress fashionably. Perhaps the M&S stores in central London have a better range? I have never shopped in Primark or Tescos etc for clothes. The food range is superb (although nothing compares to shopping in a french market!).

They haven’t got a clue and don’t listen to their customers.

I have shopped at M&S for years and used to be literally "spoilt for choice" when shopping for clothes there many years ago. That no longer applies.

Don't know who they employ as "buyers" but they need to "let them go", then identify their target market and stop trying to be everything to everyone - which so obviously does not work!

When I do buy anything from M&S, sometimes it is in-store and at other times online. In fact my last purchase could only be bought online!

Hope they can get their act together and return to selling good quality clothes at sensible prices.

They (the M & S management) have only themselves to blame.

There have been SO many comments from their customers over the years, in the press, all ignored.

I feel sorry for the staff though, there must be job losses and not their fault.

I think you should send that picture to M and S grannybuy. Sorry but I did have to laugh. I agree the clothes are very odd sizes, not sure where they are getting them made. Everything is too cheap an materials are poor quality