Dear @financial_laura,
Subscriptions seem to be increasingly popular. I’m interested in a clothing subscription like Frock Box, but are they worth it?
Full disclosure: I am definitely no fashionista! I hear high waisted pants are in and you can vote on whether you approve of my newest outfit at the end of this article.
What does intrigue me is the changing marketplace when it comes to shopping and the obvious move away from department stores (bye Sears) towards online retailers (hello Amazon).
Specifically, when it comes to clothing there is a clear shift in how we shop. Who has time to browse at a mall these days? Or what about the box stores – I love having to walk outside in -30C weather to get to the next store. Worst Canadian business model ever!
For a number of years, I’ve been interested in the clothing subscription service offered by an American company called Stitch Fix. Without getting into all the details, the company is attempting to revolutionize how we buy clothes, by sending a subscriber five personally and analytically chosen items of clothing each month for a subscription fee of US$20/month. The average price of an item is US$55 (or a range of $20-$600) and the subscription fee is deducted from any items kept. Keep all five items and the whole order is 25% off.
There is a Canadian alternative called Frock Box which uses the same model, but offers only women’s clothing at a cost of $25/month.
Is it worth it?
According to Statistics Canada 2016 data, an average individual spent $1,504 on clothing (or $125/month). Using this number as an average and assuming each item in the Frock Box is $55 we can look at the monthly costs of a Frock Box.
Looking at this chart, the purchase of one or two wardrobe staple items will keep the clothing budget within the average, but will likely require additional items to complete an outfit.
From a per-unit value perspective, the purchase of either one item, or the full five keep the per item cost to below $40 per item.
The best value would appear to be keeping either one or two items per month (total cost of about $1,000 annually for up to 24 items), or ordering every other month, and hoping that all five items are worth keeping (annual cost $1,086 for 30 items). Considering that the items vary in price, the best approach would be to spend no more than $1,000 per year on the Frock Box, leaving $500 in the clothing budget.
So ultimately, the subscription is worth it if you are actively replacing the bulk of your shopping habits with the Frock Box clothes and supplementing any additional wardrobe items within the remainder of your monthly budget.
Personally, from my research, the Canadian Frock Box is just not nearly as analytically advanced, and does not appear to have a large breadth of designers and clothing options when compared to Stitch Fix (which does not ship to Canada). However, the idea of having a personal stylist pick items which will arrive at my door (Christmas every month!) and that I can try on in the comfort of my own home is appealing. I wonder if they have this awesome outfit? Click HERE!
And this is just the trend for clothes – what’s next? Will Ikea finally just deliver the boxes to our house directly? Will we Skip the Dishes for every meal?
Have you tried Frock Box, or do you have a favourite subscription service?
This article was first published on my blog at www.journeyfinancial.ca
Your calculation for the average annual clothing budget does not take into account the amount spent on underwear, socks and athletic wear. Given that the average bra costs about $50, and needs to be replaced frequently, the average monthly cost for items such as underwear, socks, gloves and scarves, and other non-fashion clothing will take a substantial chunk of the budget. A new winter coat will set you back $200, and the same amount for warm boots. Is the $125 per month a realistic budget amount, or are people simply under-reporting their clothing purchases?
Your point is a good one! Clothing spending is definitely a very personal and variable budget item from person to person. Also, climate has a huge impact. Living in Ottawa, I feel like I have two completely separate wardrobes – one for frigid winter full of big sweaters and fleece, and one for 30 degree summer with shorts and tank tops. I envy those in Victoria or London with less extreme weather. You may find the average is low so I encourage you to track your clothing spending for a year and determine if the frock box costs would still be worth it to you. Another option would be to ask for the subscription as a gift before deciding if it’s adding value to your closet.
I tried this service and have a complaint. They do NOT include an invoice with the billing. I asked for this as it seems obvious that I want more than the billing on my credit card but this is not a service that they have at this time. Until they do I WILL NOT be renewing my subscription.
Might not try this again. My box contained one item that was completely different from the corresponding item on the list (the list said dress, it was a jacket) as well as two items with no tags on them, which I didn’t really like receiving. Two of my items were the exact same color, and only two were the correct size, despite how adamant I was in explaining that S does not fit me, I am XS.
Overall I felt everything was chosen for someone far younger than me, someone on a budget. Maybe they don’t have higher ticket items, and if that’s the case, this won’t work. I’m not into torn denim and I don’t shop at Sirens or H&M, but I felt like this was the quality range even though I had chosen the highest dollar value and told them they could feel free to include $100+ items.
Too bad they didn’t seem to really take heed of your requests…or age…or size. I have heard that it can take a few tries to get the preferences straightened out – but definitely disappointing that not one item was to your liking.