Marks & Spencer

Okay, so I was a little apprehensive.
(Marks and Spencer? Isn’t that for old people?)
But I really enjoyed the experience.
Nearest parking to this one is the Grosvenor Centre– its a two minute walk from the main shopping centre.
This M&S is huge, with a bunch of departments, first stop was lingerie.
They were able to offer me a fitting appointment within half an hour, and they were extremely friendly and helpful. The selection was a little bland for me, but there were a few lacy numbers which caught my eye around the back section. We quickstepped to the café to wait for the half an hour till the appointment.
The café was lovely, a little fuller than I had expected with older people, but the food and drink was pleasant and the staff particularly friendly. The drinks we got were a little overpriced– we opted for the homemade lemonade type drinks in glass bottles which I expected would be a little pricey– but the toasties were definitely worth it; I don’t know what they did to the bread but it was lovely (I did have to pick out the bacon which wasn’t mentioned in the description). Halfway through our meal, a woman from the lingerie section ran over to let us know that the appointment would have to be five minutes later than arranged as the computer system had messed up, and she didnt want us to rush our lunch. This really impressed me, for five minutes it was unnecessary really, but really great of her to come over and let us know.
The bra fitting itself was a little less than I had expected– I find myself quite nervous with absolutely no reason to be. I kept my bra on, and she measured around my chest to check the strap size. When it came to cup size, rather than measuring, she took a guesstimate and brought a range of different bras with different sizes for me to try. She even selected one of only three bras that I had liked in their enormous selection!
Really lovely experience, mega friendly staff, a star taken off because it is STILL a little pricey for me to shop there on a regular basis.

Marks and Spencer is situated in the middle of all the shops in Abington Street and it is a large store which has two floors. It sells a wide range of products including clothes, lingerie, shoes and accessories, gifts, homewares and there is a food section at the back.
I can never really find what I am looking for in the food department as the layout is not great, but I don’t buy much in the way of food in Marks and Spencer as it is quite expensive.
The best part is probably the lingerie section as they do some really nice pieces and there is a bra fitting service if you are unsure of your size. The women are really nice and helpful and put you at ease right away.
The clothes always seem geared towards older people although they are trying to change that with the celebrities advertising for them such as Take That.
The nearest parking is in the Grosvenor Centre which is within walking distance.

Since it has been refurbished this is a nice little M&S with a great food department, although if you like the clothes (which I don’t anyway) then it might not be the store for you!
Good service is always available and very friendly staff who always say hello.
This store is good for food but maybe not for clothes!

This store has recently been refurbished and I prefer the new lay out for most of the store, but I don;t think it has done the food department any favours. It is dark and cold, and although bigger the ranges seem to be smaller and not as well stocked. However, the clothes are much improved and the gift section is brilliant. The home ware is upstairs, but it is worth looking at as there can be some good bargains. The Christmas stock is very good. Marks and Spencer stuff is usually very good quality. Staff are usually friendly and although the store gets busy, the queues are always quick moving. There is now an in store café too.

This is not a great Marks and Spencers. The food department is good. Good size and range. However this takes over nearly half the ground floor. Obviously this is where they make their money but I don’t use M&S for food that much. What they have compromised on is space for the kids department. It is rubbish. Such a small area thet you are driven out to other stores.
The women’s, per una, lingerie and men’s department are of good size.
However, this M&S is too small to be big and too big to be small!