Anne H.
Yelp
M&S - Marks and Spencer - or as my friends often call it - 'Mundane and Staid' or some even say, 'Mash and Sausages' - being the very staple diet of any REAL British person. And, just like Mash and Sausages, 'Marks and Sparks,' (yet another nickname) has gone through countless stages. In ancient times their clothing ranges were made of rather good quality materials. You just knew were hard wearing and close to 100% pure natural fibres. Durable and reliable. But, unfortunately in modern times, it's been a little bit like an 'Old Moll at a Butcher's picnic' 'once the skirt starts a liftin' the Asian cracks start appearin'!
One can almost conjure up an image of back room sweat shops somewhere deep in the orient - churning the garments out at a high speed turnover rate. But, to give them some slack, isn't that High Street Clothing stores these days, everywhere. Turning any collar in any clothing store means the odds of seeing the 'Made in China' label is very high.
Let's face it, M&S have a lot of competition out there these days, even if they do have Twiggy at the advertising helm. In today's society Big Chains are geared to take a 'little off a lot' - and, as we all know, newspapers never lie - and they did state recently, women buy close to 62lbs of clothing every year, most of which they don't even get to wear - men say, 'go figure' because the result doesn't show in 'The figure!' Which means, women buy for just the look and seldom for practicality or the longevity of the garment. So, dispensable buying is basically just therapy - perhaps far cheaper than going to a shrink. SUMMARY: As long as it's pretty and brightly coloured, it makes many feel good inside. And, as M&S made a profit this last year, they must know what they are doing...even if I personally cry 'It's not cricket!'
Marketing and clever psychology. You look around any M&S store these days and your gaze wanders to all the brightly coloured items hanging from clothing rails and from a distance, they do look great - The designs are clever, so you think, 'I could virtually eat this stuff - and then, the wizened shopper wanders a little bit closer, hesitating momentarily to say, 'Hang on, this is really sub- standard fashion, almost bordering on 'cheap and nasty', what's happened to this place?
Their most famous customer, Princess Di would now scuttle out of the doors poste haste. Yes, sadly, style and numbers have taken over from quality and substance, just like the population of the globe - all in order to compete with all the 'cut price' stores out there. I guess, they have little option. But doesn't the devout M&S shopper deserve better than this? After all, M&S goes back 'Donkey's years' and should be far superior...Like all British Citizens. Shouldn't it?
M&S being a household name, always struck a chord for generations to hardy, wholesome and herringbone. I am not saying that they really need to be boring and conservative. You can have sass and panache as well as maintaining finesse by choosing better quality cloth. Their expensive marketing and television advertising certainly portrays that, but maintaining that visionary image when actually in the store? No way, Jose! So why do they sacrifice one thing for something else? M&S, so sorry, but it definitely shows, old mate!
Their leather goods these days - shoes, handbags, belts etc are hard and brittle like yesterday's beefburger - making you think, what kind of awesome old cow was slaughtered in the process to reach this rather decayed end result? Must be right weary oriental heifers...or is that just a load of old bull, because I personally would prefer to go off and shop in Milano? You decide. I almost have. Just need the fare, please.
On the upside, which earns them an extra star here from me, their food range is always great, I could never complain about that and I must say their innovative healthy salad ranges - which tells you every possible food intolerance - gets two thumbs up from me, so they are doing something well on the inside. Maybe, that's all that counts! Logically, sustenance beats rags, anyway.
By the way, just so that customers don't need to use their GPS systems in M&S stores, as well as outside, I suggest better store directions inside - cause finding certain ranges of clothing and even certain departments is often harder that driving backwards in the Gobi desert in a heavy sand storm.
