You’re not looking forward to holiday shopping this year. You think the malls are like guerrilla war zones and online stores just lead you to hours of clueless web surfing. Plus, you never really have an idea what to buy. You think it’s an absolute nightmare. In fact, you’d rather change all those burnt lightbulbs in the house, and you’ve been putting that off for weeks.
If this is you, then this year you should try the innovative box-of-the-month subscription. The recent e-commerce trend has different types of businesses offering a box of curated items every month for a fixed subscribed price. There’s many notable options out there, especially when it comes to men’s lifestyle. Best of all, it’s hassle-free. It’s just; sign up, receive a hand-picked assortment of gifts and enjoy them.
“We do the hunting for the best products and present it to our members,” says Alvaro De La Rocha, Director of Marketing at Bespoke Post, one of many online men’s lifestyle subscription companies. “That model is in line with how men want to shop- do less of the work with all the benefit.”
Translation: holiday shopping just got a lot easier, and dare we say, even exciting. Because some of these models are so cool, you just might want to skip your buddy and start spreading the holiday cheer on yourself. In no particular order, here’s a list of a few potential models to check out when shopping for men:
Bespoke Post
Price: $45/month with an opt out option
They call it the “Box of Awesome.” And man, is it freaking sweet. The crafters at Bespoke Post curate a bunch of items around a different theme every month with a goal of trying to make the person “the most interesting man in the world, one box at a time.” One package called “Churchill” revolves around cigars and includes four limited edition stogies, a reclaimed wood ashtray, cedar spills and cutter. And best of all, members aren’t locked into a subscription; they can decide at the beginning of the month whether they want to make a purchase based on a box preview.
Mantry
Price: $75/month
Whether a foodie or just a fan of new ways to marinate your steaks, make sure to take a look at what the guys behind “The Modern Man’s Pantry” are cooking up. Mantry offers a box containing some of the more finer items in America’s culinary land, like “BBQ sauce crafted in the backwoods of Alabama” or “Award Winning Bison Jerky from the foothills of Montana.” And even if you don’t know what a foothill is, don’t worry, just embrace the fact that you just began salivating. This package also comes in a rustic handmade crate from Brooklyn.
Svbscription
Price: $300/quarter, $1,150/year
For the guy who needs the ultimate or nothing at all, there’s always Svbscription. Men are delivered a parcel every three months containing “products that are high-end, covetable and at the forefront of design.” What does that mean exactly? Pretty much a bunch of designer knickknacks like a $185 bison leather key chain or $48 balancing art blocks. Distinguished luxury presence at home? Yup. Useful? Not really.
Loot Crate
Price: less than $15/month
If you’re a general pop culture enthusiast and always appreciate a good Star Wars reference, pay attention. Loot Crate offers a monthly assortment of geeky goodies, hand-picked by a team better than Mario and Yoshi (let’s be honest, Luigi was just a bumbling idiot). The price is completely affordable and dishes out some bang-for-your-buck stuff. The most recent crate “Survive,” includes an “Ewoking Dead” t-shirt and zombie survival guide, among five other little items.
BirchBox Man
Price: $20/month
For the modern man who hates trying to find a new face wash or shaving cream, BirchBox Man has you covered. Originally an e-commerce company for women, BirchBox branched into the men’s department in 2012 and hasn’t looked back. The company provides high-end grooming and lifestyle items for $20 every month, with gifts like after-shave balm, face moisturizer and pima cotton ankle socks. The kicker—if you like any of the samples in the box, you can head to the BirchBox website to order the full sized thing.
[imagebrowser id=126]
(Editor’s note: Want more gift ideas? Check out our ultimate gift guides for the grill master, the stylish man, the spirits connoisseur, and the gadget guy.)
————
Jeremy Singer is a freelance writer and reporter from Toronto. He has a journalism degree from Ryerson University, and enjoys covering all aspects of men’s lifestyle and pop culture. He hopes to one day try on an $8,000 suit but not buy it, because he’s afraid of commitment. Feel free to contact him on Twitter or at his website.
