Another 20% off day at Marks and Sparks next Thursday! (4th Dec)

Thursdays_child_3

andyroberts1967 wrote: »

My order was split without asking. The majority of my items arrived yesterday, and one item was dispatched on Sunday, and I'm sure it'll be here within a day. Very good delivery service, especially considering it's free - well mine was as it was over the threshhold!!

Mine too. I do still split my orders up though. Just after midnight at the start of the sale I placed all my orders and have received everything I ordered.

I don't mind my orders being split as long as the arrive.

purplepatch

leezuk1 wrote: »

Also I tried to order wine as well but noticed that they removed all the good wines from the web site later in the day when I had finally decided what to order and it wasn't to do with being out of stock as the number of products had reduced significantly - they'd been completely removed them - very sneeky!

Grrr, I've just noticed that. Went to order in my usual tipples for xmas as it is 25% off online but they've taken off all the reasonably priced wine. Hope they haven't done the same instore as planning to go in to town especially to buy some - does anyone who works for them know??

moneypooh

I would seriously doubt that the M&S profit margin is only 20%, they'd never stay in business. It's a case of some profit is better than none. Besides if we are all in M&S then we aren't in other retailers.

ti1980

I work for M&S and as far as I know there isn't a 20% off day this Thurs. Obviously I don't know for certain but there is recovery to be done from the last one so I can't imagine there is. Happy to be proved wrong though.
Where wines are concerned, instore there is currently a buy 6 get 25% off, if you want 12 bottles though then look out for a wine booklet as you get an extra £5 off when buying 12 bottles.
I can't help with any of the online stuff though I'm afraid.

purplepatch

purplepatch wrote: »

Grrr, I've just noticed that. Went to order in my usual tipples for xmas as it is 25% off online but they've taken off all the reasonably priced wine. Hope they haven't done the same instore as planning to go in to town especially to buy some - does anyone who works for them know??

Just rang my local store and whilst they won't reserve anything for me during the 25% off event, they said they have plenty of stock. When I said that all the cheaper wines online had been removed, she insisted that it wasn't the case that they were being sneaky but that it would be due to lack of stock after the 20% event. Hmmmmmm, call me suspicious but I'm not sure I believe that. Anyway, she said that they have plenty of stock of even the cheaper wines. Fingers crossed it is still there on Friday as that's the only time I can go shopping.

Jolly_Roger

M&S would surely be trading with profit margins much higher than 20% on most clothing items. Turnover would have to be enormous to justify this level of profit.

Pink_butterfly_3

Its definately going to be the 4th December

Charley1234

I will definitley be ordering online again on 20% off day, I ordered three perfumes at £12 each on a on three for two used the free delivery code which went through even though it totalled £24 then they took the 20% off the total of £36 not the £24. So I got three perfumes for £16.80. whoppee

myrtle_2

I have received both my orders from last Thursday...one yesterday, one today

oasisfeverish

moneysavexpert1986 wrote: »

Not true, they're probably making a loss on most things in this sale. It's 20% discount to sales price rather than to profit. If they usually sell 1000 chocolate bars for £1.20, £1 cost and 20p profit, that's £1200 revenue; £1000 to break even before a £200 profit. If they then sell 2000 at £1.20 less 20%, i.e. 96p, the cost of the goods doesn't change but the profit margin does; it's been wiped out so they're making a 4p loss on each bar (£80 overall). Problem is they've bought all this stock but noone is buying it so they've got to get rid of it somehow before it goes out of fashion or goes off in the case of food. When you consider the overheads they have there won't be much that they're selling for a profit margin of more than 20% so I'm pretty sure they're making a loss. That said, they'd make a bigger loss if they didn't do it!

Believe me they won't make a loss on a 20% deduction of RRP, the profit margins are far greater than that. Most clothing has at least a 300% mark up at M&S due to their purchasing power with the manufacturers of their own brand products. Hence why Technology is not included in the Sale, due to brand products such as Samsung, Sony, etc. So M&S have no control over the production of these items.

You don't think that when buying a 3 for 2 offer you are actually getting the third item for 'free'? The total costs are within the price of the two paying items. It just seems as you are getting an item for 'free'.

Just had confirmation that a store in the South East had a sales turnover of £3,733,700 for last Thursday. Assuming the profit margins (that means taking out every overhead such as production, staff, premises, etc.) are at 25% you can see why they want to do it again.

As you correctly stated, stock is dead money, it the current climate all businesses need cashflow, banks are not lending, even to the likes of M&S who recently reported sales down 6.5% on the same time last year. Make good business practice.

M&S only start to lose money on some items after first the store sale, then sold in outlet stores, or the final reductions in store. An example of this was a Weather Clock. RRP in M&S was £79 Dec 2006, £49.50 in Dec 2007, and £9 in January 2008. Thus is wasn't until they reduced the price to £9 were they making a loss just to clear stock a full 12 months later.


Wherever you go, businesses are there to make money and the likes of M&S don't have many loss leaders due to self production of products, thus no third party to take a cut.