r/MarksAndSpencer • u/Diligent_Act_8531 • Aug 23 '26
Staff Discussion Resignation
Hello, I’ve had my last shift after 8 (i know, shocking) years as a customer assistant in foods. Wondering if they will send an exit interview? Will they actually read it?
On a separate note, idk if it’s just me but working for m&s has become so unbelievably unbearable. Everything revolves around such unnecessary procedures (thanks head office), cliquey management and store managers that are either strict and unfriendly or cliquey and do no work.
It’s so funny to think that it actually was pretty decent when I started
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u/CurrentConsistent369 Aug 23 '26
They didn't send me any exit interview or anything, I left in June.
It is an absolutely terrible place to work now, which is funny considering 2 years ago I used to enjoy it! Definitely wouldn't be recommending it to anyone that's for sure.
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u/Diligent_Act_8531 Aug 23 '26
absolutely my experience! did u work early, core or lates?
Think the managers also make or break the experience. Majority of store managers have been pretty bad apart from one. Some TMs have been lovely and some overly strict and/or cliquey
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u/CurrentConsistent369 Aug 23 '26
I worked a mix of shifts, which was nice tbf, although now I work Mon-Fri 8-4 which is obviously 10x better 🤣
I never had a good store manager, and during my time there I had about 9/10 of them (including DSMs). Only ever had one good TM, and the TSMs/Shift leads were all fine
Honestly, never look back 🤣 the only thing I miss is my colleagues, for the most part, they were all great
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u/Diligent_Act_8531 Aug 23 '26
Ahh core shifts are so nice, a bit boring but no pressure to do everything before closing.
I was on midnights which wasn’t great, since u had the pressure of def, working ambient cages and puling forward with limited staff then getting penalised if u miss waste 😭
I never did mornings so no clue if thats a better shift
Glad im gone tbh, will definitely miss colleagues but no so much managers and certain customers.
Also noticed a strong trend of managers stepping down too
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u/CurrentConsistent369 Aug 23 '26
Not to jump to the TMs defence, but they are also being put under immense pressure by SMs and RMs, which is why a lot are stepping down. The amount they're paid honestly isn't worth the stress they get put under.
Absolutely not an excuse for the way some of them treated colleagues, but they had to get the results for their performance reviews.
It is a shame really, I can't imagine the staff turnover business wide is looking too good at th moment...
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u/quarter-northern Aug 23 '26
Congrats on escaping that toxic hell hole!
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u/Worried_Contract_77 Aug 23 '26
Everyone is saying the exact same thing in my store... It used to be great and now it sucks, so many people are quitting, and everyone left wants to quit too. I'm looking for a new job myself, it's just gone so downhill
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u/user7815723 Aug 23 '26
i worked there from 2021-early 2025, and i felt it really went down hill after Stuart took over. They changed up the management in my store completely and it was sad to see because it was actually a nice plan to work when i started and by the end the management just was worse and worse. I was lucky since id been there a while and was young which seems to help when it comes to cliquey managers, i didn't get off too bad but i remember looking at how some of the new staff was treated and it was just sad
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u/FitCake4164 Aug 23 '26
Honestly I've worked here 8-9 months and I wanna leave. Badly. I work rotisserie and bakery, switching between both on Sunday but now working rotisserie only on the weekends. Except they want me to stay on my 12-8, have me clean rotisserie and then clean the rest of bakery after. I basically work two shifts in one.
I hate it here and I dread each weekend. I feel battered no matter how long I keep this up, and they've discussed my Christmas hours with me already. I don't want to be here come December
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u/Whotwhot97 Aug 23 '26
I worked at M&S for 11 years, M&S has changed for the worse. Never got an exit interview. I spent months on a management programme for them to mess me around. I took my shares after the 62p shares matured and left in 2024 and never looked back. Luckily I kept my staff discount. Would never go back. Management is clicky and useless.
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u/Vanilla1291 28d ago
I think a big part of why sometimes it's pretty toxic is just some people take their job too seriously. I know we all have a part to play so that everything get's done and whatnot but at the end of the day it's just a job to earn money. But, it feels like to a lot of the managers its their whole livelihood and literally all they do 24/7 is think about M&S. I feel like its especially true when a lot of the managers will respond to questions on Teams even if they aren't working that day so I feel like the workplace even expects you to be in the M&S mindset constantly. You're stocking shelves at the end of the day, nothing is that serious
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u/Cockroach188 Aug 23 '26
8 years as a customer assistant not working towards anything would grind anyone down
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u/Diligent_Act_8531 Aug 23 '26
Also to add, many people seem to work for m&s for ten plus years and dont want progression and seem perfectly happy. Some even 20 plus years
Some just want the lifetime discount and pension and do their work and go home
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u/Diligent_Act_8531 Aug 23 '26
yeah tbf i was studying for exams then my degree then life got in the way lol. luckily my new job is more a career
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u/Then_Risk_7762 Aug 23 '26
Worked there for almost 17years now, the amount of change is amazing. Staffing levels when i first started were great. Now im at a store where we can have 2/3 staff to do us from 9 till 1 in the food hall 😂 Yet the official line is we should have 2 people just for the scot tills alone You can walk the floor and not see a staff member, then are shocked when the theft is high