High Street clothing has definitely dropped in quality

EltonJohnFan

Hi everyone, hope you're well today?

To cheer me up a little, my mother recently took me and bought me some new things from Marks and Spencers and Topman which she knows is where I usually shop anyway. I've always thought that Topman (and Marks and Spencers especially) offered style, quality and good value clothing, but now? I'm not so sure. The socks I got from Marks and Spencers are riddled with little holes after being worn just once or twice and they're so thin you could probably poke your finger through them without too much of an effort. The pants I got have already "greyed" and they look really old. This isn't what I expect from Marks and Spencers and my father said that you could use to buy things from there that would last you a lifetime... don't think that's true now from the looks of it!

The grey pair of smart dress trousers my mother got me from Topman have already burst at the seam, only worn them once or twice and the stitching that holds the trouser leg and the inside together has all came away which means I can no longer wear them because the inside shows on the trouser. My grandma has, very kindly offered to sew it back together for me but do you agree with me that when you buy something? you expect it to be of a good enough standard that it doesn't just fall apart almost immediately after wearing them? My mum says she's more than happy to go back to Topman with me and ask for my money back but I'd quite happy to put this one down to experience and move on, have you had any High Street horror stories regarding clothing? I very much doubt I'm alone in this, just can't believe the poor quality of many iteams I'm buying today. Thanks and have a good day

rihanna09

Hi
Got to say I agree, I'd rather save a little to buy something I like and I know will last!
I used to be an overactive next shopper, for myself and my dds'. I bought a coat from them price £75, second day after wearing it had bobbled over, and all rough to touch, needless to say i dumped that. I've bought sequin applique tops that have lost 75% of sequins after couple of days use, dresses that lose shape despite washing them as per instruction. The little ones clothes are better quality and last longer but its a shame they can't extend this to their adult ranges!
Same with matalan, bought a £50 tulip hooded coat whcih now has ripped pocket seams and had also bobbled over. Similarly like an jumper I purchased from ASDA for a friend as a gift, I did purchase it a week in advance as I didnt want it to go OOS as I'd knew she'd love it, but after keeping it storage in the wardrobe it was in a horrendous bobbly state. When I tried to complain, about it the SA refused to accept (this was before the 100 day quality guarantee) saying she couldn't do a thing as it was unsuitable for resale because it looked worn, even after I told her the situation.
On the plus side, river island, Republic, Designer Outlets *(Nike,Bench,) have great quality lasting stuff for me, but they only fit more uniformed stereo typical long slender people, so not too great for others....

kazzah60

I agree EJF
I think that most companies sell very cheaply made clothes at rather inflated prices!
I know Primark and the supermarkets are priced very cheaply, but at least with those items, you aren't expecting good quality to begin with, so aren't too disappointed.

My hubby and sons are rather hard on their clothes and I have found a couple of places that do clothes that have lasted well!

for T shirts and polo shirts my hubby really likes Cotton Traders - they aren't the cheapest by any means, but he has some polo shirts that are about 6-7 years old and still have maintained their shape and have not gone into little holes like many cheaper versions do - they are available online or in some places on the high street.

The other place I have shopped successfully for them funnily enough is Matalan - their Wolsey department has lovely quality items, trousers, jeans, shirts and rugby shirts etc- again, not the cheapest, but they wash like a dream and are very hardwearing
their other departments, Easy and Jeff Banks aren't too bad either

Hope this gives you some more ideas !
Karen

DCFC79

Im pleased my m and s clothing ive bought, yes its a bit pricey but the socks are very nice

nomoneytoday

It's because too many people chase the cheapest price, rather than good quality..

SaLoGo

I bought some £20 skinny jeans from New Look for New Years Eve and as I was putting them on my thumb went right through the material where the belt loop was sewn on (and I don't have long nails!). Was miffed but really wanted to wear them that night so left them on anyway and I was wearing a long vest so you couldn't see the hole. Then when I got home (a little worse for wear) i squatted down to unzip my boots and they ripped right across my knee from one seam to the other!!

I've since been to the sales and treated myself to a pair of G-Star and Diesel and so far so good. I do have to say though, I am a big believer in you get what you pay for!

sunnysea83

I agree loads of the bits i have bought in h&m and new look recently have got little holes in, stitching come apart etc

I was in h&m today and loads of the stuff had holes in it.

ukjoel

nomoneytoday wrote: »

It's because too many people chase the cheapest price, rather than good quality..

Exactly - Even brands like M&S have to compete with matalan, primark, and new look, and this means that their products need to be cheaper. Having them made in sweatshops in India and China is all very well but at some point the quality of the materials will drop and they push there suppliers harder and harder to do this.

Sharon87

Probably a bit controversial what I'm about to say, but to the people who's clothes tear, are you sure you're buying the right size to fit you? Skinny jeans for example, you expect to be tight. People buy the size they think they are, not what they are in that certain shop. Clothes shops have different sizes from each other. You can be a size 12 in trousers in Top Shop and a 16 in Primark. If you put excess strain in clothes of course they're going to rip.

I agree mostly the quality isn't great in some shops - I bought a coat in H&M in the sale for £25, was £40. The pocket, which I did use frequently ripped after a few weeks, and made me think I lost my phone for a bit!

I found Primark crap quality - but sort of expect that. The best shop I like for quality on the high street is Jane Norman. I generally shop there during the sales, so I get good quality for a good price. New Look can be good on occasion too, I do love their jeans (bootcut, not skinny)

whatmichaelsays

The public gets what the public wants.

If you demand cheap crap, businesses will give you cheap crap. If you demand quality, they will give you quality.

FelinePrincess

I agree, the quality of high street clothes has really gone down hill in recent years. I agree you get what you pay for but topshop isn't cheap in my opinion - the cheapest top on their website is £18 and most fairly basic short sleeve/sleeveless tops cost £35! For £35 I want to be able to wear something more then a couple of times. I had a printed vest top from there last summer which I loved - until I washed it (40 degrees as instructed, inside out) and the colour from the print smudged all over the top. I had a t shirt material batwing top from there which I washed once and was so badly miss-shapen I had to send it to recycling. Last year I brought a ring and a bracelet watch from there - wore both for a few hours and the watch part fell off the watch and ALL the gold coating came off the ring! It hadn't been in water and even the outside parts which had no contact with my skin had worn off. I was shocked as I have a cheap ring from bay trading about 8 years ago which I've worn at least once a week since buying and although the silver coating has worn off the inside and at the back - it still looks fine when I wear it! When I took them back the assistant said about the ring "the same thing happened to me".

While topshop isn't an upmarket shop it's prices aren't low enough for their clothing to be disposable.

I have also experienced quality issues with the clothes at river island and refuse to buy shoes, bags or anything leather from there because the quality of the leather is so poor. These are the 2 main high street shops I shop at as I'm limited with the shops where I live and don't shop in new look or similar low-end high street shops.

As a reformed shopaholic I wont be buying any new clothes anytime soon but maybe we should all take a stand on this poor quality? I know it's easy not to bother but if we all bombarded the high street with returning their poor quality good they might be forced to improve things - and Mary Portas would be proud!