Marks and Spencer.

Monty Pigeon said:
M&S should play to its strengths: food and underwear.

Last year, when we were last living in UK, we switched to doing our weekly shop mainly from M&S because the quality was noticeably better, and the cost was about the same as elsewhere - especially if you scout for marked-down items and then stick them in the freezer.

Their underwear has always been the industry standard. I bought a set of underpants from - er - Sports Direct, and the 3-inch label on them went down my bum crack. You never get that with M&S.
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They do good basic suits and shirts but, perhaps demand isn't there, they've scaled back at the the Sunderland store which is a real shame.
 


zwartekat said:
They do good basic suits and shirts but, perhaps demand isn't there, they've scaled back at the the Sunderland store which is a real shame.
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Admittedly, the M&S store we shopped at was one of the biggest in the UK.

The best M&S food outlet has got to be the one just along the road from Harrods. A couple of years ago we spent a week house-sitting in Kensington. We had an allowance for meals, and discovered that if we went into the M&S branch after 4pm they were marking down many of the ready meals to half price. We ate well and pocketed ££s.
 
Monty Pigeon said:
Admittedly, the M&S store we shopped at was one of the biggest in the UK.

The best M&S food outlet has got to be the one just along the road from Harrods. A couple of years ago we spent a week house-sitting in Kensington. We had an allowance for meals, and discovered that if we went into the M&S branch after 4pm they were marking down many of the ready meals to half price. We ate well and pocketed ££s.
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Shocking behaviour. :lol::lol:

The gen on this Kensignton house-sitting sounds like it could have legs. I basically lived in the Copthorne Tara off Ken High Street for 9 months during a project and there are some extraordinary houses / apartments round that way.
 
I once met one of their bra manufacturers who told me I wouldn’t believe a) the number of components in a bra and b) the increase in size of the average British breast since World War 2.
 
zwartekat said:
Shocking behaviour. :lol::lol:

The gen on this Kensignton house-sitting sounds like it could have legs. I basically lived in the Copthorne Tara off Ken High Street for 9 months during a project and there are some extraordinary houses / apartments round that way.
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We were in a £3 million flat just off the Brompton Road. Exactly beside the traffic lights that the Saudis and Emiratis used as the start line for racing their supercars at 3am. Then, at 5am, the Russian playboy next door arrived back home to PARTY.

If we were offered that flat in exchange for our current life in Spain we wouldn't take it. You can only sit in one chair and sleep in one bed at any given time. The cost of said chair/bed is immaterial. Quality of life all that matters.
 
Le Chuck said:
Daft thing is, it'll probably cost just as much if not more in petrol to metro than pay to park locally. Add in the frustration of traffic jams on the A1.

You can park for free if you're prepared to walk 10 min.
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That's what I used to do park around by parklane, it's not even 10 minutes walk. I've got a mate who hasn't been in Sunderland centre for about 10 years. He always goes to the metro centre, he and his mrs prefer it even though it's hassle to get there and the fuel cost. I'm the opposite I'd rather go to Pallion than the bloody metro centre.:)
 
Monty Pigeon said:
We were in a £3 million flat just off the Brompton Road. Exactly beside the traffic lights that the Saudis and Emiratis used as the start line for racing their supercars at 3am. Then, at 5am, the Russian playboy next door arrived back home to PARTY.

If we were offered that flat in exchange for our current life in Spain we wouldn't take it. You can only sit in one chair and sleep in one bed at any given time. The cost of said chair/bed is immaterial. Quality of life all that matters.
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Understandable. The hotel was a bit out of the way but could be noisy from the tube and seemed to be a favoured stop-off for long haul airline staff. The Middle East shopping parties were certianly a sight to see.

Some lovely old pubs (despite gentrification) down that way such as the Hereford, Zetland and Stanhope.
 
zwartekat said:
Understandable. The hotel was a bit out of the way but could be noisy from the tube and seemed to be a favoured stop-off for long haul airline staff. The Middle East shopping parties were certianly a sight to see.

Some lovely old pubs (despite gentrification) down that way such as the Hereford, Zetland and Stanhope.
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Living - if only for a week - in Kensington was an eye-opener.

Yes, it was amazing to be 2 minutes from the V&A in one direction, and 5 minutes from Harrods in the other.

But the main impression when we walked past the local cafes - we may as well have been in downtown Tehran in the era of the Shah.

Expat Iranians rule the cafes, Saudis and Emiratis rule the road, and mainly Russians live there - but the Russians are only at home when nightclubs shut.
 
DisillusionedOldGit said:
Possibly closing their Sunderland branch . According to the cronic .
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Funny, because theyre actively hiring amd looking for staff in the sunderland branch atm, and the M&S food section is regarded as having the best service in the industry, not to mention the aforementioned 500 mil annual profits.
 

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