Subscription boxes have become the modern way to shop. This new retail trend handpicks, curates and ships items straight to your door. Operating them is pretty simple. First, choose the type of box service you want to indulge in. There are hundreds of options to choose from– beauty, toys and even food. Second, complete a survey to determine your taste and style preferences to make each month’s box as unique as possible, and to ensure that you like what you’re sent. Third, patiently wait each month to be surprised with new, awesome products carefully selected just for you. It’s like your own personal shopper arriving at your doorstep with goodies.
There’s a subscription box out there for everyone, regardless of preference.
DRINKS
For the booze aficionados, Club W is the right community to join. It’s the world’s only personalized wine club. Six simple questions and the completion of the Palette Profile will let you know which bottle is the perfect match for you. Each month, a group of wine connoisseurs will suggest a bottle that suits your style. Next thing you know, you’ll get three wines from the vineyard shipped straight to your door. You can also easily skip a month or swap a bottle of wine for another on the app.
Price: $39 per month
CLOTHES
For the guys who hate shopping but need to update their wardrobe, The Gents Pack is the way to go. The process is very simple: you choose your underwear, sock and grooming style and the rest is up to them. Each month you will be surprised with products ranging from sexy underwear to woo your lady, socks to make your classmates smile and shaving cream for your next big presentation. It’s like going shopping without having to deal with the salesperson. You can choose to receive all the offers or customize it to fit your individual needs.
Price: Ranges from $20-30 per month depending on the products chosen
You don’t have to be an A-list celeb to have a personal stylist pick out your clothes. Trunk Club allows you to fill out a survey with your style preferences, weight, height, size and favorite shopping locations so that a stylist can create a trunk of clothes for you. After the website puts you in touch with one (we got Susann), they call you to ask for more information and then email you with a list of potential options. Let them know what you think and then your customized new closet will be mailed over. The service is available for both male and females, but be wary that you only have 10 days to return the box or you get charged for everything in it. Dressing well without having to actually go to a store? Sign us up.
Price: Clothes prices range from $100-$300 and there are no membership fees or shipping costs
PETS
BarkBox is a distinctive monthly box of goodies tailored to your doggies. Each box contains fun toys, healthy treats and cool gadgets to make your dogs happy according to their size, breed and temperament.
Price: $21 per month
MAKEUP
Birchbox is a beauty company based in New York City. The company sells beauty tools, gadgets and lifestyle products. Each box sent has five samples uniquely designed for each subscriber. Most of the products offered come from start-up companies. This gives the customer the chance to try new products that have just entered the market before they become trendy.
Price: $10 per month
Ipsy is a beauty product retailer. Each month, subscribers receive a gorgeous makeup bag, called the Glam Bag, with deluxe samples and full-sized beauty products. Ipsy puts a lot of focus on incorporating makeup products into these Glam Bags, which are all carefully filled by a group of stylists.
Price: $10 per month
GROOMING
For a hassle-free shaving experience, the Dollar Shave Club is the ideal subscription option. Understanding the diversity of blades can get confusing, but the Dollar Shave Club makes it easy. Once joined, you’ll receive monthly four stainless steel blades and four cartridges. Personalize your box by deciding which type of blade you prefer. You can always change your options each month if you want to try new things.
Price: $6 per month
FOOD
Bacon can be delivered to your door each month. This is not a drill. With Bacon of the Month Club, you get two flavors of gourmet, thick-cut bacon sent directly to you. There’s hickory smoked bacon, smoked maple bacon, honey barbecue– even vanilla Bourbon country bacon for some creativity. You also get a “Bacon is Meat Candy” T-shirt so you can profess your love of bacon in style. Each pack is 14 to 16 ounces, so you can either make breakfast for your suitemates or keep it all to yourself. We’ll go with the latter.
Price: $145.95 for three months, $269.95 for six months, $475.94 for the whole year
For the healthy foodies, there’s Blue Apron. Blue Apron’s goal is to make cooking fun and easy by sending weekly recipes with fresh, hormone-free ingredients already measured to facilitate the cooking process. All the ingredients conveniently arrive in a refrigerated box on the date the customer scheduled the delivery. If you are a picky eater you can easily skip a recipe, so no worries. Each box includes food items for three recipes with enough food for two.
Price: $59.94 per week
words. maria hernandez. photo. olivia stauber.