Advantages: M&Settes Are Top Totty Disadvantages: Not Dumbing Down with the Rest of Britain
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FEBRUARY 2001
Marks & Spencer can be seen on every High Street and in every shopping centre. I used to be a frequent customer but not anymore.
I can remember my parents buying me clothes from Marks & Spencer from the early 1970s. Although of good quality I was too young to appreciate the clothes. All I wanted to do was to wear the silly T-shirts, which my school colleagues wore.
My parents always said that, as the son of a doctor, ... ...M & S clothes. Luckily the store only caters for people of near perfect figures. So subconsciously I put on weight and I never had wear M & S clothes ever again.
Nowadays nothing is affordable for me and my wife at M & S. The only people buying goods seemed to be tourists. Even during sales, prices were more expensive than other stores.
I grant that the quality of goods is excellent. But we have to live on a budget. Why spend £40 on a jumper when ...
mrpaella 18.02.2001 (06.10.2005)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: great food,service and stores Disadvantages: ladieswear failing
An overveiw:
Marks and spencers came into existance when Michael Marks and Tom Spencer formed a partnership in 1894,Michael Marks having already set up a market stall in Leeds.
It is now a massive highstreet store,with stores in 30 countries world-wide and has an extensive internet store...with their total turnover being in excess of 8 billion pounds per year.
M&S (the abbreviated name) sells clothing,homeware,financial services and foods although ... ...and flowers.
Although their buisness covers a large area I wish to comment on their U.K stores as these are where my experiance and interest lies...................
-------------------------------
What's in store:
Their stores consist of several departments,and are consistantly well layed out and signposted.Many stores are multi-level with access to every level by stairs,escalator and lifts..a definate plus.
The main departments are womens clothing,mensware,childrensware,lingerie,food ...
babajane32 12.08.2002 (14.11.2002)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: quality clothing which lasts, reasonable price, excellent classic items Disadvantages: the 'good' is jumbled up amongst the 'bad', image problems
Marks and Spencer appears to have been a much maligned, and unpopular store over the past couple of years, but despite the fact that it’s not ‘cool’ to shop there, I am still a loyal customer, and this opinion aims to explain just why I think it’s worth a visit. I won’t mention the foods here, since I’ve done a separate opinion on the food hall, instead, I will focus largely on womenswear – since that’s ... ...Another area where Marks score highly is in their suits. Again, these are not for old people. They are also excellent quality, and many of them are now made in washable material. Blouses and shirts to wear with these are also available, and again, come in different styles, suitable for all the generations. Whilst there are some shirts I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole – and the blouses with the frilly collars are definitely to be avoided ...
weebagpuss 16.07.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: good food and smellies Disadvantages: clothing dated and pricey
Marks and Spencer’s or Marks N’ Sparks as we fondly call it has been a long running success, well almost, it has been gracing our towns and cities since the 1920’s, quite an accomplishment in this day and age.
It has however always had problems in finding its niche in society and has often been labelled with the upper class shopper image, and has tried hard to shake this with little avail I feel.
So what’s in Marks and Spencer…?
... ...your eyes on entering, hmmm a lot of what I would call “granny” gear here! Nice little twee cardys and knitted jumpers and tops. These are so drab and ordinary too definitely the middle age range, with colours to match, yes fine if you like this sort of thing in bulk but at around £30 for a plain dingy cardigan. Well scary.
Lots of similar here too, trousers, skirts and two pieces, none of which I would ever be seen dead in.
However ...
broksababe 06.04.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Customer service, changing rooms, Per Una range Disadvantages: Reputation, expensive food
...I was bought up in Marks and Spencer’s little girls dresses and school uniform. I bought my first bra there, and worked there a couple of years ago. You could say I’m quite a big fan I guess. So today I decided that at the ripe old age of 19, it was about goddamn time I had a proper, professional bra fitting, and stop guessing my boob size. Marks and Spencer not only has a great reputation in the lingerie stakes, it’s also a place ... ...my new boob support!
Marks and Spencer do a range of lingerie, from high fashion to very basic. They have a number of rather sexy, lacey ranges, which include under wired or padded bras, matching pants/thongs. The usual starting price for these ranges are £20 for a bra, £12 for briefs and £8 for a thong. Some ranges also include camisoles. I’m not a big fan of lacy underwear, preferring something a bit plainer but classy. Most of these bras ...
drunkenabby007 22.08.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Variety, wide range of sizes, nice food, good staff. Disadvantages: Prices, image.
When I was younger Marks and Spencer was somewhere to take the er, (St) Michael out of. It was where your Mum would buy you clothes from, really geeky things like cardigans and pinafore dresses. And while your Mum would be dragging you around on a Saturday, it was where you would shamefully see your teacher, usually a Physics or Chemistry or equally uncool teacher. The shame of being seen in M and S. Trendy young things should buy their underwear ... ...really, other than Granny favourite Marks and Sparks! (sorry Granny!!) Marks and Spencer had associations with that embarrassing time when I was first taken to get a bra and got measured by a "nice old lady". It was not somewhere I frequented except when forced. When I went away to university I found myself wondering around town a lot (all those hours with nothing to do except spend my loan, life is hard isn't it?) and found myself more often than ...
MissDirect 26.04.2002 (28.04.2002)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Great company Disadvantages: Made some mistakes
Marks & Spencer over the past few years has gathered a reputation for being terrible dated and out of fashion, an image which they are indeed keen to shed. In a different variety of opinion today, we are going to look in to the Marks & Spencer story.
For those of you who find me excessively boring, then an exit at this very point might be an idea because if think I am dull, then you will be left thinking I am even duller than you thought I was before. ... ...wonderful days of 1997-1998 when Marks & Spencer posted profits of £1bn. But from then, the profits collapsed and the magic of Marks & Spencer – cheap clothes that no one else would have faded.
Since those wonderful days, it seems that the profits could only go down along with the quality etc, but the only thing that seemed to go up at the Marks & Spencer camp seemed to be the prices. Customers went away to competitors.
Those Times…
...
danieletheridge 18.01.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Excellent layout fnatastic range an all round great store Disadvantages: bit pricey but that is about it
~ Marks & Spencer History.
Michael Marks came to the UK in 1884 as a refugee from the cold world of Russia; he was looking for a better life and soon set up a market stall in Kirkgate Market in Leeds.
Little did this man or the rest of the world know that he was to become one half of the world’s biggest retail chain?
In 1894 Marks was introduced to Tom Spencer who was a cashier for the wholesale company IJ Dewhirst. The pair formed a partnership ... ...the first company to revolutionise buying products directly from the manufacturers themselves. This soon become their policy and it is what the public craved for, as the prices were the best in town. Business was booming and by 1926 M&S was a public company.
The next five years for M&S was the building ground for a truly successful and well established organisation, the famous St Michael trademark was registered in 1928 and the companies flagship ...
Squidget 20.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Everything under one roof - almost Disadvantages: Being stereotyped
...Marks and Spencer still have a way to go to give shops like Debenham’s and Alders a run for their money, but for a shop that has been trading for well over 100 years, I hope and pray that it is with us for a long time to come. ...
Lizzii 27.03.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Toiletries are getting better, great desserts Disadvantages: Clothes are very frumpy, putting money into big stores, ignoring the smaller ones
Please I beg you! What the hell has happened to this retailer??? After a particularly tiring day of shopping I thought I'd come home and jump on Ciao to give you my findings (all in the name of research of course!). Once, a top retailer - now not so good, so what has gone wrong?
Clothes
-------
Ha! This section is becoming a bit of a joke. I visited M&S today in the hope of buying a new swimming cossy and possible a few strappy tops. Not a lot ... ...smaller branch (Gt Yarmouth) but I was so disappointed with their range that I spent the 5 minutes trying to disguise myself in case anyone saw me. I WAS TOTALLY EMBARRASSED TO BE SEEN IN THEIR 'FASHION' SECTION!! What is it with lemon and sky blue cardigans that do up to the neck??!! This is one of the first sights that greeted me as I walked up the stairs (I nearly ran out again it was so horrid!).
Ok, onto the swimming costumes. Now I'm not particulary ...
moose 04.04.2001 (06.04.2001)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Good food Disadvantages: Expensive. Changing people's attitudes
Poor old Marks and Spencers. They've gone through the mill the past few years with their profits souring to an all time low. More than halving in one year, I remember seeing on the news on one occasion! That's terrible for any business. But, why is this happening? They've tried to put the spark back into their name by adding top brands of clothing to their lines, and trying to cater for the younger generation. But, is all their hard work paying off? ... ...It's still widely seen as the place where Granny goes to buy her pretty dresses and cardi's!
But, no, I don't think they've lost the plot completely. They never used to take credit cards, but in recent years has introduced this. They also do personal loans, and have their own store card where you can pay for your shopping, and get a bill in each month.
Their food hall is quite good. The one in my town isn't that big compared to some, but it sells ...
Robertpowles 13.06.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: womenswear is better than it was, and gorgeous food Disadvantages: menswear is awful and the food a bit pricy
MArks and Spencer is the epitome of UK shopping, it is a high-street store, it combines clothes and food (most of the time) under one roof, most of its employees have that 'Auntie Jean' trusting, reliable persona, and it is, most of all traditional. My mother shops in M&S, her mother shops in M&S, her mother shop ...lifted ...in M&S. In recent years M&S has had to endure a lot of criticism, its reputation has been tarnished, and the gold and green ... ...centre now look old a tatty. What has happened to our favourite store?
IT HAS AGED!
Times have changed, and until recently M&S had not. The problem with M&S was that its clothes were too frumpy for the ladies, unfashionable for the men. If you were a tourist and had only shopped in M&S during your stay to the UK, you would be sure to believe that: all British men wore poloshirts, beige chinos, and brown boat shoes; all British women wore pleated ...
r-rackham 22.01.2002
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Some worthwile items. Disadvantages: Ignorant of today's fashion. Prices way too high.
...groups of women dressed in Marks and Spencer's uniform, standing around service desks chatting inanely to each other?
Downstairs to the food hall, and you'd have to be an Eskimo to not notice the incredible drop in temperature. I know it's bound to be a bit colder 'cos of the open freezers they use, but a brief walk below an air conditioning unit reveals the true reason. Don't those things EVER switch off??
Marks & Spencer, for me, draws the kind ... ...on a Sunday, and yet, Marks & Spencer are blatently bending the rules to fill their own already over-stuffed pockets.
Rumor has it that the Meadowhall branch was taking just over £1million per DAY in the run upto Christmas - the coffee shop alone taking upwards of £30,000 per average day. With prices like this, it's easy to see how that could be true. ...
lyricalt 03.01.2001
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)
Advantages: Worm and pleasant to shop in. Disadvantages: Some items can be a little pricey.
Well I must say Marks & Spencer is not to bad. It was my first visit to the store as I was looking all over the place to get something for my Mom and Gran. So I was just walking down the high street and I thought what the hell. So I went into Marks & Spencer to see what they have to offer.
Well I was pleased by the amount of small gift idea's and a range or alcohol & chocolate Gift box. Very cheap as well. If I new what marks & Spencer had before. ... ...surprised to find out that Marks & Spencer was also a food retailers. Call me stupid but I had no idea. So now I can do my shopping all in one store. But I don't think I would as you always find better bargains and that in markets and that.
I didn't feel I had to rush or go strait to what I was looking for. I felt comfortable and welcome. The prices of the small gift idea's and the wide range of packaging's available was also a bonus. The whole ...
daveylee20 21.11.2002 (22.11.2002)
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Marks & Spencer (Department Stores)