Sign Me Up!

I'm late to the party, but subscription boxes are all the rage these days. If you're out of touch too, these are basically souped up "____ of the Month" clubs. They range from a monthly shipment of newborn and baby goodies to coffee clubs featuring high-end beans to collections of handmade crafts like candles, soaps, and jewelry.

There's not much to argue with here. Someone does the shopping for you and you get surprised with fun goodies via mail. Let's dig deeper.

BARKBOX
BarkBox was the first of these to catch my eye. A cultivated collection of, in their words, "hip" pup products hard to find in stores. Each shipment includes 4-6 treats, toys and other doggy products. This is basically like Christmas in cardboard for me and I'm pretty sure Merwin would go ballistic. But I think it would take away some of the pathetic fun I have perusing pet store aisles. Angel on the shoulder: "Hold off on the BarkBox for now." Devil on the other one: "But look how happy that doggy is!"


BIRCHBOX

Birchbox is also appealing. They've got it down. They send subscribers a monthly collection of makeup samples. Any girl knows that taking the plunge on a full-size makeup product is terrifying both because these products are ridiculously pricey and also because it's hard to know how much you'll like the way it looks and feels. So great idea with tiny versions of fun things we'd all like to try. Then you head to their online store to purchase full sized versions of what you liked. While I love the thought of fun samples, I don't think I use enough products to make it worthwhile.

STITCHFIX
Here is where things get interesting. Stitchfix is an online personal stylist service. Before you totally guffaw, listen up! You enroll by filling out a lengthy survey--your sizes, style, desired price range for clothes and accessories, attitude toward stretching your clothing comfort zone and even what types of pieces you want. Every month (or as often as you decide) they ship you five hand-selected items. You can keep them all, send them back, or mix and match. They even include helpful advice for how to wear each piece. Seems like a fantastic way to freshen up your wardrobe and take the stress out of clothes shopping. They sold me. I'll let you know how it goes!