My middle name is ............

[Muttley]

Yes, M&S t shirts used to be really great quality and I still own 4 years old ones I wear. Now, they are as thin as anything. They have ones at £12 and the quality is no better than ones at £8!

I've always bought t-shirts in M&S but not so much recently. I bought two from Peacocks this year, one mint green and the other white with black spots, both v-neck and the white is not see through. The cotton is excellent quality and they fit well, £7.00 each. I'll check out Peacocks for the autumn season.

 

[donna255]

40+ years ago, my dad worked in a factory that manufactured a lot of M&S stock and he says, even back then, the quality tests they had to adhere to were extremely stringent and goods would be rejected at the drop of a hat if they weren't 100% perfect. Factory visits by M&S were very regular as well to make sure that the quality was as they expected.
I highly doubt that any of this happens now though.

A few years back I bought some jeans from M&S loved them so decided the next year's more in different colours. For some reason, decided to try them on in the fitting room, totally different fit. I said to the woman at the desk who handed out the number of stall you went into. She said, it depended on the factory they were made, it might say a country, but they have different factories making the same clothes for them. One factory will follow the sizing, give others can make them smaller or bigger.


Oh, and my main rage and I have mentioned this many times. Leg length! Being 5' one and half tall, 27 inside leg is perfect, they changed to 28, and I had to move to straight leg jeans. Now short length is 29! No way in hell and who decided this needs to be beaten with a rolled up newspaper. I found that ankle grazer or cigarette length in short are what I have to buy.

 

[merryone]

Where do I begin? Almay foundation, Innoxa, Tescos Belgium Buns with lemon curd and fresh cream, Colman’s Mango Chutney, Colmans Wholegrain Mustard Powder, Sarsons Vinegar with Lemon, etc. I am like the ‘kiss of death’ to products …

I've just seen this! A good few years ago, I bought a pack of 2 fresh cream belgian buns from the Co-op and quite honestly they were the best thing I've ever tasted in the world of fresh cream cakes. They were large, had a good smattering of plump raisins, a generous dollop of lemon curd, and of the course fresh cream - The icing and the cherry on top was exactly that, the cherry on top! They were never to be seen again in the Co-op, I didn't realise Tesco did them but too late it seems! The Belgian buns you get now are just unspiced chelsea buns topped with a bit of lemon flavoured icing and half a glace cherry, and of course no cream - rubbish in comparison!
Everything I like seems to get discontinued or changed beyond recognition. Some companies advertise things as "New improved"- they never are, otherwise they just change things and hope nobody notices!

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Same here Donna. Short was perfect, then they were only good with heels or wedges and then it would have taken bliddy stilts! Now it’s cropped or ankle grazers to wear as normal length.

I so agree about colours being a completely different fit therefore I always try on the actual item I’m buying rather than just taking it off the rail because a different colour was a perfect fit, infact if I try on something and then say I notice a mark or pull I won’t just put it back and take the same one off the rails as even the same size and colour is no guarantee they will be fit the same. If I try on something and it a smidgen big/small I will try on a couple the same size as it’s possible one will be a better fit.

 

[Clothescloth]

I tried on some cargo pants in M&S, couldn’t quite make up my mind, so didn’t buy. Did the rest of my shopping, had a coffee, then decided that I would buy them after all. Picked a pair up (same size) from the display and bought them. When I put them on at home a couple of days later, were a completely different fit! Took them back for a refund, mentioned the reason for return to the assistant and she said ‘ the sizing is all over the place at the moment, they’re all different’

 

[Rowan]

M&S quality has gone right down, you only need to look at the hundreds of 1 star reviews on Trustpilot to see how a once great company has gone down the toilet. The Guardian reported some time ago that M&S ready meals are now made by whoever makes Morrison's ready meals, but the M&S prices are substantially higher. Also, I read an interview with the then UK head honcho, who said that time had moved on and Marks now needed to compete with retailers like Primark, thus bringing younger customers in. Their customer support is now outsourced to South Africa, and some of the experiences detailed in reviews are terrible, very far from the old reliable customer service which most of us grew up with. Their
clothing is now mostly made in Bangladesh, India or China, and the quality and sizing is now dire. As mentioned by others earlier, the knickers, tee shirts and nightwear are nothing like they used to be, the sizing is all over the place and the material is often thin and rough.
Another one bites the dust, a sign of the times, unfortunately.

That explains a lot. I frequently buy the Indian and Chinese range from marks but recently both had changed. They taste so different and are all really oily and are now quite nasty.