General Chat

Went to M&S yesterday in Gloucester and they have taken all the seating out of the changing rooms. Have you tried to take off shoes and trousers without the help of a chair? Well maybe if you are fit and active and under 60 you'd be OK but I need to sit to get jeans off and it is really difficult bending down to get shoes off. Anyway, I wrote to customer services and complained and the following is the reply. I won't hold my breath, it seems they have made up their minds I think.


Thank you for your email about your recent visit to our Gloucester store.

I am sorry to hear that you are unhappy that the chairs have been removed from the changing rooms and I can understand this must have been difficult for you.

They have been taken out to make more space in the rooms, however I can appreciate that the chairs do prove useful for some of our customers. I have logged your comments and the store management team will review this policy. While I cannot guarantee the chairs will be placed back in the changing rooms, we will be happy to act if it is a concern for a number of customers.

Thank you again for getting in touch.

Thanks again for taking the time to get in touch.

How daft is that!! If there's a chair I always find it handy for parking shopping bags on, as there are never enough hooks in changing rooms. Next thing you know they'll be taking the mirrors out!! :D

K

Was in M&S in Hamilton , south Lanarkshire, Scotland today and they have the chairs in the dressing rooms but like Karen in the desert I find there is only 2 hooks in our changing rooms and they are really high up , I am only 4'11 so have to jump or stand on the bench without shoes on I may add to hang anything up.

I allso have great problems reaching T.Shirts or tops down from racks on the shop floor , I have mentioned this to staff, because I always have to ask someone to get me the item down. especially in the Mens department.
It would be very handy if I always took my Son-in -law shopping with me, he is 6'4 :D

Hi I never thought a post about changing rooms in shops would prove so interesting!!

I want to "big up" NEXT store-I was shopping with my 15 year old disabled son and was after a pair of smart trousers for him, now he is at an age where he is almost into adult sizes I wanted him to try on a couple of pairs. Bear in mind he would need me with him to help him with changing etc.

I was worried I would have to go into a mens changing area but the assistant couldn't have been more helpfull, she showed me the "disabled" changing room which was really big, large enough for both of us and a wheelchair and it had a seat and lots of handrails at different heights. It made a pleasant suprise to be treated so well by the designers of the changing area and the staff in this particular shop.

Good on you NEXT!!!!

Made me wonder do M&S have disabled friendly changing rooms in some of their shops????? As you say a seat really is a must-I wouldn't class myself as disabled but it is a neccesity in all changing rooms surely??

Make mental note to check out M&S changing room seats and make feelings known!!

Happy Shopping!!

A small stool in each cubicle wouldn't take up much room. I would find that changing trousers & taking off & on shoes near impossible without some where to sit. :-(

They used to have quite small stools which really didn't take up much room. Gloucester do have a large cubicle with a rail used for disabled people. The sales assistant told me that I was lucky, I could pop into that cubicle as they'd had a disabled lady in for whom they had fetched a chair (yes they have taken the seating out of the disabled one too). But after I had used it somebody would come and remove the chair again.

REALLY!

It is suprising they don't blame " 'elf and safety" isn't it!!!!!!

Do you know Ann thinking about it I think the chair in Next was one you pull down from the wall-can't be sure as son used his wheelchair to sit back in whilst I did his shoes for him.

Can't belive M&S think a seat is not necessary- maybe they have had to cut costs-I mean they have all those "celebs" to pay for in there fancy TV adverts!!

Don't get me started on that one!!!!
Tina

Next time I go to Cheltenham I will go into the changing rooms to see if they are the same.

There don't seem to be seats in any changing rooms these days.I think it disgraceful.Trying to get a leg in trousers and trying to prop up against the partition is no joke.Fold down seats sound a brilliant idea.
I think all the seats have been taken out for the husbands /partners to sit on while they wait for their other OH's lol :-(

Ann,I 'll ask my sister later when I speak to her as she lives in Cheltenham and a frequent visitor to M&S

OK Jane, I was in there last Saturday but didn't go into the changing rooms.

Count me in on the undercover chair survey!!!!!!!

Gawd - I get in enough of a muddle with a chair! I hate trying on clothes as it is, especially when they don't fit, and without a chair I shall get seriously ratty :-(

I shall check my M & S out soon.

Perhaps they had some nicked.....?

Just spoke to my sister and (typical) she hasn't been in the changing rooms in Cheltenham (M&S) for a while.She did say though that was a chair outside the changing rooms,and Settees (where most of the men wait lol)

I never try anything on in any shop as I need a chair and a bit of space otherwise i get very hot and bothered.

I now prefer the internet for shopping because I can return goods without much hassle.

Vera

We must be spoiled as the M&S stores here have fixed seats and various hooks etc.

Think I'd be slightly annoyed Ann with the answer you received,because in my book... 'one happy customer should = lots of happy customers!'

Mau

Ann, when I go to Derby on Saturday I'll check the M&S changing rooms there. I know they did have them, and also two hooks in every cubical, although the hooks were set far too high for me to reach...with me being only 5ft. tall.

I think Vera has made a good point here, no wonder more and more people internet shop. I mean lots of the main stores offer next day delivery and free collection of returns and the like, all in the comfort of your own home.

With my (disabled) son I ussually do order on-line because as is evident from the posts on here you can't guarantee having good service if you have mobility problems or just general age related problems. It's so hit or miss and it can make the difference between having a pleasurable shopping experiance and a downright miserable one.

Maybe we should pledge to mention to the "changing room staff" - "A chair in there would have been helpfull"

Maybe if enough customers, young or old did this it might filter back to the powers that be.

People Power??? !!!!!!

I think the comments need to be directed to their main customer services which is who I wrote to. I found their e mail address.

There used to be a wooden bench in the largest cubicle and that was fixed. The sales lady told me 'they have evven taken that out!'