The Best Subscription Boxes For Nearly Every Essential
In the past, subscription boxes were considered luxuries. We did, too, because we reasoned that we could always choose products for ourselves instead of letting others do it for us – where’s the fun in that? But the times, they are a-changing and more consumers are actually calling subscription boxes as lifesavers in a box, of sorts.
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic; now might be the best time to consider subscribing to these boxes.
Here are the best subscription boxes we’ve found for food, clothes, bags, and shoes, as well as for men’s grooming and women’s beauty needs.
Food and Drinks
There’s a sense of excitement that comes with every subscription box delivery since you don’t know what it contains, unlike with a conventional food delivery service. But you can choose the type of food that can be delivered to your doorstep, usually once a month.
1. SnackNation ($24 for the first delivery, $40/month for succeeding boxes)
You will get 25 snacks like chips, nutrition bars, nuts and jerky with every delivery, although these aren’t your run-of-the-mill, grocery brands either. You can choose from several plans, too, which will satisfy your snack cravings, whether you’re a college student addicted to chips or an athlete with healthy cravings. Get one
2. Blue Apron ($48/week)
If you’re cooking skills aren’t there yet or you don’t have time for cooking complicated dishes, then the Blue Apron box will fit into your lifestyle. Each box contains portioned ingredients suitable for two meals for two people every week, and you also get cooking instructions. Your meals will be creative and seasonal so it’s akin to dining at a gourmet restaurant. Get one
3. Candy Club ($30/month but your first box is $15 only)
How would you like to indulge your sweet tooth with six different sweet and sour candies whenever you feel like it? If you do, then go for the Candy Club box! The candies come in 6-oz jars so there’s plenty to go around. Get one
4. Graze ($15/biweekly with 50% on your first box)
Healthy is in and so is Graze, a subscription box that contains eight snack varieties. You will get crunchy beet chips, cinnamon pretzels, and trail mixes, among others, which you can snack on guilt-free. Get one
5. Murray’s Cheese Of The Month Subscription ($75/month)
Cheese lovers are into our little secret – a monthly delivery of three to four half-pound cuts of cheese! And these aren’t your supermarket cheddar cheese either but gourmet cheese from around the world, as well as a card listing their origins as well as cheese-and-wine pairings. Get one
6. VineBox ($72/quarter)
Every box contains nine glasses of the finest wines from around the world. While it may seem like too little, think of it as your introduction to the wines from the world’s wine-producing regions. Get one
Clothes and Accessories
Keeping up with the trends while staying true to your personal style can be a chore, if not a challenge. Getting a subscription for clothes makes sense with this in mind, and we have chosen the best we have found so far.
1. Stitch Fix ($20 as styling fee)
Scrolling through online shops and browsing through their gazillions of offerings can eat up plenty of time. But with Stitch Fix, you can leave the browsing and buy to an online personal shopper who will select clothes and accessories suitable for your style. You have to answer a fairly long questionnaire on signing up for this purpose.
Plans include clothes and accessories for petite, plus and maternity for women as well as large, short and tall for men, and a kids’ subscription plan. These are available on a seasonal, monthly and as-needed basis. Get one
2. Trunk Club ($25 styling fee)
You have access to Nordstrom’s impressive line of men and women’s fashion but you don’t have to lift a finger to do it. Let the professional stylists do it for you, and you can swap the items before shipping and avail of Nordstrom’s customer service in case of any damage. You will get 6-10 items in a box. Get one
3. Gwynnie Bee ($49 – $199/month depending on the number of items in the box)
The plus-size description box can contain different types of clothes, from casual weekend attire to smart office wear, which you can either borrow or buy. You have more than 150 brands to choose from and you can avail of unlimited exchanges. Think of the opportunities to be stylish without draining your pockets; plus, new clients can sign up for the free 30-day trial. Get one
Other fashion-related subscription boxes on our list are Ivory Clasp (bags), Nike Adventure Club (shoes), The Tie Bar (ties) and the Menlo Club (men’s fashion).
Beauty and Cosmetics
Many men and women find that subscription boxes are little lifesavers. You won’t run out of your beauty essentials so there’s no running to the nearest store in your unshaved legs.
1. Birchbox ($15/month)
Think of the Birchbox box as a test kit for products that you haven’t used before but you want to try before buying. You will get 4-6 sample-size beauty products like luxury makeup, hair care and skin care products, and fragrance sachets. You can purchase the full-sized versions, if you want to, at Birchbox’s online store. Get one
2. BeautyFIX ($25/month)
The BeautyFIX box contains luxury products, most of which are skincare products, which come in either travel-size bottles of full-size packages. Plus, you will likely receive new products that haven’t been launched to the public so there’s a sense of exclusivity there. Get it here
3. Walmart Beauty Box ($5/quarterly)
Walmart is the place to be for beauty junkies with limited budgets (although we have seen quite a few luxury brands there, too). For just $5 every quarter, you will get 6-7 items in a box with staple items like face creams, moisturizers, and conditioners. Get one
4. Billie ($9/month)
Yet another low-cost yet notable subscription box is billie with the first box containing a razor, a magnetic holder and two razors; succeeding boxes have four razor blade replacements. You can decide the frequency of delivery, too, depending on your shaving needs – plans include refill every one, two and three months, as well as the option for restocking on shaving essentials like lotion, shaving cream and body wash.
When looking for providers of subscription boxes, you have to first determine your needs and wants that will be addressed with the service. A snack subscription, for example, maybe more desirable than a bag subscription since you prefer to choose your own wearables. Get one
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
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