Kim Cook
\nAssociated Press<\/p>\n
Suffering from a pre-holiday “what to give” headache? The prescription may be a subscription.<\/p>\n
Subscription gifts, one of the hottest retail trends, literally keep on giving: New installments arrive over the course of weeks or months.<\/p>\n
While the idea isn’t new (remember those record-of-the-month clubs?), the breadth and variety of what you can subscribe to is. Everything from Anna Sui makeup to zebra masks for kids. Freshly-pressed records, juices and high-fashion togs. Mystery boxes for people and for pets.<\/p>\n
If your loved one is more into Content than Stuff, consider ordering a subscription for e-books, movie passes, or classes in art, cooking or exercise.<\/p>\n
“They’re a great improvement on the gift card,” says Neale Martin, a consumer expert and CEO at Sublime Behavior Marketing in Marietta, Georgia; like gift cards, subscription gifts are easy to buy, especially last-minute, at a variety of prices, but they also can be highly customized.<\/p>\n
“The idea of giving a present that will be bringing smiles for months creates a very powerful reinforcement,” he said.<\/p>\n
Liz Cadman founded a website, MySubscriptionAddiction.com, devoted to boxes containing a mix of items each month. That improves the odds that your recipients will like what you gave them, she says: “Boxes give you variety. Most include five-plus items, so you know someone’s going to like at least a few of them.”<\/p>\n
Many local stores will work with customers to put together subscription-gift options. For ideas, here are some online offerings:<\/p>\n
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HOME<\/p>\n
Decoterie sends a curated box of limited-edition home accessories and textiles \u2014 coasters, thank-you notes and a personalized ceramic bowl were among items in this summer’s box. (www.cratejoy.com\/decoterie<\/a> )<\/p>\n Burke D\u00e9cor’s subscriptions include a mix of home, spa and travel accessories. (www.burkedecor.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Set your style parameters at Linen Crate and get a monthly box of tablecloths, placemats, towels or rugs, as well as coordinating items like platters and spa accessories. (www.linencrate.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n The edible subscription universe is vast and varied. Chocolate of the Month, Bacon of the Month, Spice to Meet You, Candy Japan (www.candyjapan.com<\/a>) and Original Craft Beer Club are all services that might appeal to foodies. Pressed Juicery sends an array of green, root, citrus and fruit juices.<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n WOMEN<\/p>\n There are all kinds of beauty, fashion and wellness subscriptions, many of which ask you to describe your personal style and makeup parameters; the companies take it from there.<\/p>\n Birchbox, a subscription pioneer, offers monthly boxes of sample sizes and one full-size product. ( www.birchbox.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n From Stitch Fix, five new wardrobe items, chosen by a stylist, appear at the door. Send an e-gift card that your recipients can redeem; they select delivery dates, keep what they want and return the rest in the prepaid mailing bag. ( www.stitchfix.com<\/a> ) Cadman recommends Popsugar Must Have as a subscription gift for women. “It’s $40 a month, and they send a variety of beauty, fashion, home, food and fitness items,” she says. October’s box included a satin pillowcase and a gift card for monogrammed jewelry. (www.musthave.popsugar.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n MEN<\/p>\n With Dollar Shave, you choose the style of blade and razor you want and refills arrive on the schedule you determine. ( www.dollarshaveclub.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Or try Bespoke Post, Cadman says: “It’s $45 a month and they deliver high-quality items (think ties, barware, grooming kits, shoes, etc.). Each month they announce new box options, and your giftee gets to pick which one they want.”( www.bespokepost.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n At Chicago-based Trunk Club, a stylist gathers a clothing selection which you preview and approve online. When the items arrive in a box, you can nix them if they don’t fit or don’t look right. ( www.trunkclub.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Socks are sometimes called a lame gift, but what about a whole year’s worth of cool ones? Soul Socks, which sends a house-designed pair of Peruvian cotton socks each month, helps support job-training programs for American high schoolers. ( www.soulsocks.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n KIDS<\/p>\n Arts and crafts are a fun subscription gift for children; each month brings a new box of creative possibilities. Check out Green Kid Crafts and Art in a Box. ( www.greenkidcrafts.com<\/a> ;www.artinabox.net<\/a> )<\/p>\n Tinker Crate offers puzzles and engineering challenges for 9- to 12-year-olds. (www.tinker.kiwicrate.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Spangler Science Club, aimed at kindergartners through sixth graders, sends enough stuff each month for over a dozen science experiments. ( www.spanglerscienceclub.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n My Geek Box centers around a theme \u2014 “sidekicks” and “justice” were recent ones \u2014 with geek gear, collectibles and T-shirts. ( www.mygeekbox.co.uk<\/a> )<\/p>\n GiftLit sends monthly book boxes, while Brickbox’s niche is \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 all things Lego. ( www.giftlit.com<\/a> ; www.brickbox.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Expose your budding 3- to 12-year-old traveler to new places with Little Passports. Young armchair globetrotters get started with a little suitcase and a map. Then comes a monthly array of activity kits, gadgets, stickers and souvenirs that explore sciences and world cultures. (www.littlepassports.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n Citrus Lane sends boxes skewed to babies, toddlers or preschoolers, full of quality toys, games and snacks. ( www.citruslane.com<\/a> )<\/p>\n \u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n PETS<\/p>\n Barkbox lets pets in on the subscription-gift game with dog and cat toys and treats arriving monthly. ( www.barkbox.com<\/a> )
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\nAt Quarterly, prominent people like Nina Garcia, creative director of Elle D\u00e9cor, and science icon Bill Nye create their own boxes and include a personal note outlining why they chose what they did. Nye’s boxes have included bow ties and cardboard DNA models. (www.quarterly.co<\/a> )<\/p>\n