M&S - is it me?

I like the Boots points system and often get double points on certain items I buy. It's very straightforward.

No idea what's happening with M&S. I've given up with them really. The last thing I bought was a jumper with the old 20% off Sparks offer.

I agree with others that the way the scheme works now I’m less inclined to use it, especially as there are now so many offers. I’m not convinced that M&S did enough research before launching the new scheme. It’s too much of a faff to use and the offers are really random. I appreciate it’s done to get you into the shop so that you are tempted to buy more than the offer item, but I’m not tempted into store by the very expensive candles they keep trying to sell me with £2 off!

It’s not just an age thing, they are complaining about it over on Mumsnet too.

It was a miscalculation but they are not going to admit.
I think it is actually to their advantage.
It is my birthday at the weekend and I received a very special birthday gift from my Sparks card.
A box of grapes or a packet of 8 biscuits which I have to collect in store showing my card.
My nearest store now is several miles away and it would cost me as much as the value to travel to get it.No thank you M&S.

Some of the summer clothing this year is stylish. I have two pairs of wide leg linen mix trousers, without waistbands (bliss in the heat) and they fit as if tailor made. However, I wandered through the Per Una section and the clothes were horrible. Frilly flouncy items in hideous colours, and absolutely nothing that I would buy - or accept if free. I had read that M and S were phasing out Per Una - it looks as if they are trying to ensure that nobody buys the clothes to make it easy to rubber stamp the decision.

Ah - I'm fortunate, as its 8 mins drive, just a foody store.
but thats hardly worth leaving home for...
I do appreciate the points I get sent out to my home as an actual letter as you can use them in the internet.

The points to spend though are from having a credit card.
This is different from the Sparks card which was issued originally as an incentive to use.

I'm told that a small amount goes to charity when you show the Sparks card, so I do that. Otherwise, I find it's irritating and virtually useless.

I gave up my sparks card ages ago as it really didn’t match my shopping habits. I don’t miss it, one less card to have in my purse.

BUT.... my big gripe is that you can't use Nectar points directly at the till in Sainsbury's like you used to. The girl on the till today in our smallish city centre branch says you have to claim the points discount on an app. I'm so fed up with apps. What about you all?

I do buy quite a lot of clothes at M&S and was always glad of the 20% off which was a great deal. However, I've never used Sparks since the new way of claiming was introduced as you have to spend much more in order to qualify for the 'reward'.

I was going to buy a £20 pair of sandals as I thought I would get the discount, but was advised at the counter that I would have to spend a minimum of £40 on sandals to qualify. I don't want/need two pairs of sandals!

So I went to Zara and bought a pair there instead, paying £22 which was fine as they're lovely.

I can't see me ever using the Sparks card now - as a single person I don't need the quantity of food etc, for example, you need to purchase to get the discount. Very disappointed in M&S.

I dislike the new sparks offers, you have to spend a lot to get rewards on their food and it’s not so good as getting 20% off at till when buying clothes. I don’t even bother showing it these days

I don’t want apps, on principle, as I suspect they’re often more for the benefit of the business rather than the customer. I’ve already got money in my ‘ wallet ‘. If I understand it correctly, you can have the wallet money transferred to your Sparks card, though I haven’t tried it yet, so I could be wrong. I have M & S gift vouchers in my purse, but haven’t seen anything in clothing to tempt me this summer. They seem to be catering for a younger clientele. It’s disappointing, as people of my age have been their loyal customers for many years.

Lizzies

Wyllow3 it’s all done through the Sparks card. If you haven’t got one ask in store. It also acts as a loyalty card for the cafe. You get a free hot drink when you have bought six.

They closed down our Foodhall cafe a few weeks ago.

Beware!
I ordered some underwear (specifically crop tops and I knew what size I wanted, see below*) online from M&S last Thursday and chose click and collect at the Morpeth store for the following Sunday. My nearest M&S is eleven miles away. I went there on the Sunday morning and mooched around waiting for the email telling me it was ready to collect. There was no message by about 12.15pm so I asked an assistant about it. She told me that all the orders are scanned by midday so, if I'd not had the pick up message, it wouldn't be there that day. I was a bit annoyed but I went home. A message came at 13.08 saying, Good news! Your order is ready to collect! I'd already made a twenty two mile round trip so I certainly didn't go back. Next day, Monday, I was passing near to Morpeth so I called in to collect. The message told me to 'view order' for instructions on how to collect so I touched that button and was greeted with Hi lizzyp! Welcome back! but no collection code. Luckily a different assistant saw my foot stamping frustration and came over to help me.

I'll not order online from them again but the further annoying thing is that the Morpeth store is hopeless for bras. There used to be a measuring service but no more. *To get the original one I had to strip, try on, no good, get dressed, find the size and style, strip, try on, no good, get dressed etc..... My next nearest M&S, with a trained assistant is more than thirty miles away, in Newcastle.

I don`t buy much from M&S cos they don`t have the quality or appeal they used to have.

Much of what I buy from M&S now is their branded clothing such as White Stuff, and I always look at the manufacturer's site too just in case it is cheaper.
I find their trousers awful, so many are "ankle grazers" or have over-wide legs. I've tried a few pairs recently and all were too short or utterly shapeless in the leg with baggy thighs,
The only things I've bought this year were gym leggings, and even then there was only one style which was the right length and waistband design - out of the dozens that were available. In the stores all the gym leggings are mixed up on the rails and it was impossible to sort out what I wanted, so I had to go home and order online.

Also I've had virtually no "rewards" ever from my Sparks card, it just seems to be a way for them to collect more marketing information about me and my shopping habits.
To be fair I feel much the same about the Waitrose and John Lewis cards, the only reward has been a (very) occasional cup of coffee if I remember to take my own mug.
Boots on the other hand is wonderful, I don't buy a huge amount there but often have enough points to pay for my shopping.

much preferred the old way buy something and get 20% off especially with clothes. This way id I do not make target lose everything.

Much too complicated for me .
I personally loved it when we were sent % off vouchers once or twice a year, usually more than one voucher which you could share with friends & family.
I also miss the fact that food halls no longer stock a selection
of clothes, gifts, basics.

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..... and what exactly was your 'little treat'?

Do tell!
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We don't buy enough of anything to worry to much about rewards systems. We have a Boots card, a Nectar card and a Sparks card and get a little back on any of them.

The Sparks rewards that used to come out every week were usually based on what we last bought so generally useless. If I bought trousers one week it's unlikely I would buy another pair two weeks later, even if it is 15% off. Although I did save a lot on jeggings back in the day when they had lovely colours like coral, burgundy and sky blue.

So the new system is pretty much the same except now instead of getting a saving when I buy the 'saving' goes into a wallet to be used later.

As it is now AI based I wonder if AI will track things we look at online to see what our interest is as well as what we buy.

I don’t like the new sparks scheme, I was far more likely to buy something when you got 20% off etc, now you have to spend money to get something back.

I definitely preferred the 20%/15% off they used to offer. But to appease shareholders with falling profits ( & of course the loss they made during the cyber attack) they cannot afford to be quite so generous with offers/Sparks. I haven't used my £4 so far collected, just curious if you do buy anything and use it and need to return does anyone know if you loose the £4 ?

Barbadosbelle

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..... and what exactly was your 'little treat'?

Do tell!
.

My extravagant “Little Treat” this week, having reached a spending target of £50 at Waitrose, is a packet of Candy Kittens sweets retailing at £2.75.

Wow! Overwhelming…

I don't understand it either.