3 On Your Side: Latest Shopping Trend: Subscription Boxes
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- They show up at your home packed with everything from beauty products to clothing. But when you order a subscription box, you're not the one picking the items out. What are they and what do you really get? 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan takes a look.
They're called "subscription boxes" and customers pay from $10 to hundreds of dollars for them each month, signing up for everything from beauty products to clothing. Subscribers pick their category, but what comes in the box is always a surprise.
"It's super fun every month, you get this box you have no idea what's going to be in," says Thedora Blanchfield. She says she spends about $100 a month for a box from Stitch Fix, a fashion service. Professional stylists make selections based on her subscriber preferences. She says, "Some stuff I open it and I'm like that's exactly my style, and other stuff is like I never would have picked that for myself , that's kind of cool."
"We definitely have the woman that doesn't like to shop , we also do have some of the fashionista who loves shopping and this is another way for her to shop," says Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake. In fact she says customers are happy to let others do their shopping for them. She says, "Simply keep what you want send back what you don't want."
Bombfell is a men's fashion service. "A lot of times what we'll see is the wife or the girlfriend is actually signing up for the account," says CEO Bernie Yoo. He says no matter who picks their clothes, most men are happy to be surprised with fashion options. According to Yoo, "It's basically been picked for your fit for your taste."
Retail expert Tom Julian says customers love the surprise, but says letting other people make choices for you isn't for everyone. Julian says, I think we signed over some of our fashion choices and some of our shopping budget too."
But shopper Emily Palan is hooked. She says "I do the ones for makeup and beauty all the time." She spends $39 a month for a surprise box from Pet Box for her dog Gandy too. She says, "I was pretty excited to see what he was excited about."
Most of these services don't charge a fee to join and shipping is free both ways, plus most of them let you suspend the service anytime you like.
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