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That $60 Book Subscription Box with the 'curated snacks' was a total dud

I signed up for a literary snack box last fall that promised themed treats and a new release hardcover every month. First box came with a stale granola bar and a novel I found at a thrift store for $3. After three months and $180 down the drain, I got one decent book and a lot of candy I threw out. Has anyone else tried these subscription things and had better luck, or are they all this bad?
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jordan_anderson90
I read somewhere that these subscription boxes are basically just companies offloading stuff they couldn't sell at regular price. That makes total sense with your experience. The "curated snacks" thing is especially annoying because it's usually just overpriced bulk candy from a wholesale club. I saw a friend unbox one of those mystery book boxes and it was mostly promotional junk along with a paperback that had a sticker saying "exclusive edition" but looked identical to the store copy. These services rely on people forgetting to cancel after the first month or two. If you really want a surprise book, just hit up a used bookstore and let the owner pick something for you.
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knight.mason
Right, the book box with the "exclusive edition" sticker got a good laugh out of me. That's basically just a store copy with a sticker slapped on it to make you feel special. The snack boxes are the biggest scam though, I paid forty bucks once and got a bag of mini pretzels, a tiny jar of honey, and a pack of gum I could have bought at the gas station for three dollars. The whole model is built on inertia, they know you'll forget to cancel after the first month, so they don't even have to try that hard. That used bookstore idea is gold, a real person who knows books will give you something way better than a box of promotional junk. Better to support a local shop than some algorithm that thinks "surprise" means "clearing out the warehouse.
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