Birchbox, Stitch Fix and Hello Fresh are just a few of so many subscription boxes available. Thousands of people subscribe to a variety of subscription choice, but are they worth it?
"I've always heard about subscription boxes,” former subscriber James Gherardi says. “There are so many of my friends who use them, so I figured I would give them a try."
Gherardi signed up for Stitch Fix, a personalized clothing subscription, and Hello Fresh, which delivers meal kits straight to your door. However, he ended up canceling both.
"I was very disappointed. What I got was not at all what I thought I was going to receive," Gherardi says.
Yet there are millions of people who subscribe to these boxes, because of the deals.
Some of the most popular:
Birchbox: It’s the box that started it all and has over 1 million subscribers. For $10 a month, subscribers receive five beauty samples of products you might never have tried. But those who have an issue with the product say that’s $10 a month on products they may have never purchased otherwise.
Stitch Fix: It’s a personalized clothing box delivered to your door. For $20 a month, you get a box filled with clothes selected just for you based on your styling preferences. If you want to keep the items, you have to pay for those separately.
"Their marketing and advertising was spot on, because they suck you right in but once you actually start receiving stuff, for me at least, it was not what I had wanted," Gherardi says.
Hello Fresh: It’s a meal-kit delivery service. Whether you’re an amateur cook or hate going to the grocery store, the boxes deliver food and instructions on food prep straight to your home.
"I canceled Hello Fresh because they advertised this really simple and quick way to make dinner, but it was actually relatively time consuming and it wasn't super easy,” Gherardi says. “Some of the stuff was actually pretty difficult."
Ultimately, Gherardi says for what he was getting, it wasn't worth the cost.
However, if you don't enjoy shopping, hate going to the grocery store or want to explore different products, Gherardi says a subscription box might be for you.
"If you are really willing to just kind of hand over the reins of your style, your preferences, and kind of take a risk, it could be for you,” he says.
If you do end up signing up for one, just make sure you read the fine print on the subscription details.
