subscription services

I’ve often wondered how subscription services and products affect us in the long term. I’m not a big fan but I do have a couple of subscription services that I enjoy. There are so many different types of services and products that fall into this category.

Of course, there were always magazine subscriptions, where a new paper magazine would magically appear in our mailbox every month or so. That still happens today, but there is now another option in terms of digital magazine subscriptions that a lot of people prefer.

A newer subscription service that has become popular is for products. When you order products online, they typically have an option that automatically sends the product you order regularly at the time you specify. The credit card you place on file is charged when the product is shipped.

The first one that comes to mind is for prescription medications. You can go online and setup auto-refill with most, if not all pharmacies. Then when your prescription is refilled, you are contacted by the pharmacy to let you know the date and time when your prescription is ready for pickup, or when it will be delivered.

Another type of subscription service is one for products for pets. You can setup auto-ship for food that you buy regularly, and it works similarly to the service for prescription medications. You set the frequency and when the food is shipped, you are contacted via text or email, your card gets charged and the food is shipped to your house.

Another pet-related subscription service is for toys and treats. Once a month, or when you specify, a box is delivered that has toys and treats for your pets. Your pets are regularly treated with very little effort on your part.  A fun way to pamper and spoil your pets!

Convenience is the name of the game for all of these subscription services! Although, as with anything in life, there are pros and cons to these convenient subscription services.  Let’s do some analyzing to see if the pros outweigh the cons to determine how they perform in the long run. If you can think of others please share them in the comments box below.

Pros

  • No remembering to order or go to the store to pick up supplies.
  • You won’t run out of products or services that you use regularly.
  • It’s automatically charged to the card you have on file with them.
  • Saves time not having to shop and buy products you use regularly.

Cons

  • You could end up with an excess of products that could end up as clutter, especially if you don’t schedule the auto-ship frequency correctly. This could end up a bigger issue with prescription medications that you can’t return if you stop needing the medications and consequently, the money lost.
  • The time and effort involved to correct issues with a subscription if there are any.
  • If/when you need to cancel a subscription service, some companies make it difficult to figure out how to do it.