M & S - not a happy shopper!

I think most clothes in the UK are made abroad as the overheads are less.

Princess Diana wore Damart thermals in the cold I believe.

I have swapped from M&S to Next for my underwear. I looked after Christmas and they had knickers piled up that looked like bits of tat. Thin fabric and poorly made. How things have changed from years ago. On the plus side their knitwear is really good just now.

Primark seem to have lots of thermal type tops and vests and a great range of loungewear.

25Avalon

Princess Diana wore Damart thermals in the cold I believe.

Yes she did!

Marks and Spencer thermal tops are lovely , our local store is only in a small town, but they have a great range, I always buy a few new ones every year.

I honestly have never heard of them. I thought it was an American firm but I think I'm thinking of walmart

When I get paid I'm going to buy some socks from there

Uniqlo heatech have vests, t shirts with long and short sleeves and long johns. People buy them for skiing and just as a base layer in the cold weather. Very light to wear and pack down really small.

Might be worth checking out Bella di Notte - functions as from a small paper catalogue or can be found online. It's an Italian firm (and the clothes don't appear to be "chinese"). Just tried them out by buying a cardigan from them.

Their clothes probably cost around about what Marks & Spencers clothes would cost if the quality had been kept up to 1970s/1980s standard and the cardigan looks "normal quality" - rather than today's goodness-knows-what country made it quality.

JaneJudge

I honestly have never heard of them. I thought it was an American firm but I think I'm thinking of walmart

When I get paid I'm going to buy some socks from there

Walmart used to own Asda but only has a very small stake in it now.

I get my Thermal tops from Menswear .. nice and long

petra

Netherbyg84

Plenty of thermal tops and leggings in larger M and S stores.
I agree finding an assistant on the floor to help you find them is becoming increasingly difficult.

That’s how shop lifters are having a field day: no staff on the floor.

Not to mention nowhere to pay!! Not long ago I was bemused at finding nowhere to pay on the upper floor of M&S Richmond - the checkouts I’d used before were gone , you had to go downstairs, where it’s largely self-checkouts anyway.

My 10-year-old Damart thermal vests are great and even double as long-sleeved T- shirts when required.

There’s a good selection of thermals in M&S in our large food hall. It’s very odd that they didn’t stock them in a high street branch.
Which town was this Astitchintime?

I wouldn't buy underwear from Bella di Notte it is very expensive for what it is. Some of their clothes are nice, but their sizing can be on the small side compared with other makes.

I can never find what clothes I want in store at M&S so always use their app..I have Heatgen vests and Heatgen long sleeved tops in light ,medium and thick styles. All are very soft and warm . But I would say buy bigger than your normal size as especially the long sleeved tops are a tight fit . I made the mistake of buying my normal 16 in the thickest long sleeved top felt like I my body and arms were being strangled . But they do keep me cosy and warm .

Oreo

I haven’t heard this about France, but their HQ is in Bingley, in West Yorkshire.

It's always been a French owned company, it's UK HQ is Bingley, it's overall HQ is in France.
I know point it out as many think it's one of the UK's long standing British companies, their intention l guess, they've had some dubious marketing ploys in the past.

Witzend I also hunted for a sales counter upstairs in the Richmond MS branch. No staff either on the floor to ask. And a rather grubby loo.

Shopping is so disappointing these days.

However a friend bought a very smart denim jacket from Damart and is pleased with it.

I prefer uniglo ‘s thermals . I have long sleeved tops which I wear dog walking . They’re long in the body , so easy to tuck in . And short sleeve ones to wear under my scrubs when I was working .
They’re popular with skiers as pack really small .

Our M&S rarely has anything I need. I'd happily buy online to collect from my local store but if you don't pick it up within 7 days (even though you've paid for it) they send it back! Their website is also painfully slow so I tend to look elsewhere now. I also find them expensive which used to be ok because stuff was made in the UK and was quality driven. I don't think you can say that now.

I gave up on the women's thermal tops as they all seem to have a wide 'boat' neckline, which means cold neck & shoulders; I now buy the M&S men's thermal tops - not so pretty perhaps, but they're better value & have a sensible neckline!

pennyg
Uniqlo have heattech with several different necklines including polo neck. They have some that is a cashmere mix too.

Lucky you for having a M and S close, mines over 20 miles away, I can order online and pick up at a M and S food hall which is 10 miles away, I don't live in the back of beyond either.

I don't know about nowadays, but M&S used to categorise their shops as A, B and C.
I learned about this on a uni field trip to M&S years ago.
So A flagship stores were the central London ones, cities like Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Belfast had B flagship stores and the shops in provincial towns and suburban shopping centres were C stores.
The best items, including the best finished ones and with the best fabrics, and those made in certain factories, went to the A stores, the good but not best ones went to the B stores and the least well made ones to the rest of the stores.
I hope that's not still the case.

Allira

JaneJudge

I honestly have never heard of them. I thought it was an American firm but I think I'm thinking of walmart

When I get paid I'm going to buy some socks from there

Walmart used to own Asda but only has a very small stake in it now.

I keep hearing that Walmart might leave the United States soon because of Trump and his tariffs. Probably unlikely, but the way things are going, who knows?

Our nearest clothing M&S is 45 miles away but we do have the benefit of a food store in town, easy to collect and return orders.
No Primark, Sainsbury’s or Waitrose/JLP near us either.
It sometimes feels we’re in the back of beyond on the Lincolnshire coast