M&S

[kelly58]

Lovingly wrapped in a nice creamy white envelope,with gorgeously detailed fine gold writing and a first class stamp.....................

This isn't just any P45 its a Marks and Spencer P45..

[J9withdogs]

Oooo...cutting!

 

M & S opened a Simply Food store in our little town just before Christmas. It's lovely, but I don't think it will get the custom it needs to stay open.

 

They are finding that they are having quite a problem with shop-lifting, and when they asked the local bobby if he could suggest why this is, he pointed out that they are situated right opposite the bail-hostel!

 

 

[GJH]

It doesn't surprise me that M&S food doesn't sell as well as they hoped.

 

Apart from the pricing, with hereditary diabetes in the family we always notice how much fat and sugar there seems to be in the food which they advertise on TV. Certainly doesn't attract us to shop there.

 

Graham

[Patricia]

kelly58 - 2009-01-09 9:14 AM

Lovingly wrapped in a nice creamy white envelope,with gorgeously detailed fine gold writing and a first class stamp.....................

This isn't just any P45 its a Marks and Spencer P45..

Just read in the newspaper that there was a similar comment on BBC radio yesterday: "These are not just job cuts, these are M&S job cuts". Another big row ensuing.

I have been a very loyal customer of M&S for over 50 years but in recent months I have seen a marked lessening of customer service in the stores, in quality and in consistent sizing. At one time all staff had to pass a certain intelligence level (needed several "O" levels at one time), were trained to help customers and not to gather in clumps talking to one another and treating customers as an interruption, quality was excellent and you knowingly paid more for this and you knew your size and that size meant that it would fit.

For the very first time I have had to contact M&S with a complaint about instore customer service when returning goods for both bad sizing (the assistant argued forcibly that it was not listed on the ticket but it was! No apology when I pointed this out to her.) and another item for bad wear and faulty (falling apart after less then three months wear). As a big, big favour I was eventually given a credit note despite having the original receipt and spending a small fortune on Xmas presents in the store and online with their credit card I hasten to add. Online goods were delivered in massive boxes (one pair of knee highs in each packed by people with completely unpronouncable names - will these be some of the first to go? I doubt it) and a set of saucepans arrived excellently packed but badly damaged (no quality control now?). These were replaced f.o.c. immediately - well done for that - but this set was in an equally poor state. I managed to make up one good set between them though. Both sets did not just have dents (and there were plenty of them) but pieces gouged out of the metal. I could probably have bought these cheaper and in better condition on a market stall.

So, very sad, but I am not impressed. We have waited two years for a local store to be opened (Malvern) but not sure now how often I will use it in future. On the same retail park there is Morrisons (much cheaper for every day shopping), Next, Evans and Matalan etc. I think they are going to find the competition hard. I went into M&S the week before Xmas on several evenings during the "open until 10" period and it was virtually empty.

I know some of my remarks are very generalised and I do feel very sorry for people who suffer job losses. I just  hope that it is the less helpful staff who find themselves in the job queue and not the many who work hard and realise that they are getting paid to do a job properly.

Sorry for the rant but I do feel sad to see a once well-respected firm going down hill.