If you have a social media account, chances are that you are familiar with  subscription boxes popping up frequently, especially in the fashion industry. What started out as a new way to get products to customers has turned into the latest fad. According to fashionlaw.com, “growth of such companies [has surpassed] 800 percent between 2014 and 2017.”

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And why not? The lure of fashion subscription boxes is strong with such a multitude of options to fit any fashion sense. With perks like custom picked items by professionals and the convenience of them being shipped right to you, it’s completely understandable why college students and busy adults may be drawn to the idea of subscription boxes. Not to mention that ordering a subscription box is essentially buying yourself a surprise gift every month.

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Subscription boxes also have high appeal because often shipments include the option to buy what you like and send back what you don’t. This allows consumers to, “see, touch and experience products before they buy them,” notes Louise Grimmer, a professor of Marketing at the University of Tasmania and Gary Mortimer of the Queensland University of Technology.

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But for many college students and young professionals, subscription boxes can be pricey and lead to overbuying. While subscription boxes can offer convenience, they may lead to opening yourself up to more spending opportunities that you may not be able to afford on a tight budget. This idea also eliminates the option to compare items and prices as one would do when going to a store.   

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But problems don’t only come with a personal cost. Subscription boxes have negative impacts elsewhere such as taking away business from local businesses. As if that weren’t bad enough the subscription box entities are far from environmentally friendly. While there are plenty of options that offer green products, the shipping of the items cancels out many of the green positives.

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But perhaps worst of all, it eliminates the benefits of shopping for yourself or enjoying retail therapy. Daniel Bortz, a staff writer for U.S. News, took a look at the positive effects that shopping can have on a person's psyche. By treating yourself to shopping, or going through a little bit of retail therapy, you allow yourself to receive dopamine and gratification.

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These dopamine boosters can have positive effects in other areas of our lives. For example, if you are stressed out from work, and go shopping and buy work clothes that make you feel good,  you may notice a higher performance at work. Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology at Golden Gate University in San Francisco explained, “When people visualize their new life through the process of shopping, they feel more in control and more prepared”.

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But, at the end of the day, the pros and cons of the subscription boxes seem to be relatively equal leaving the decision completely up to the consumer to decide what works best for them and if the product is worth the price.