Children’s Clothing and Toy Rentals?
The Pros and Cons of Subscribing
I’ve always been fascinated by subscription rental services – whether its DVDs, purses, or whatever. Like libraries, they fit with my idea of effective re-use and access to a variety of products that I plan to use for a limited amount of time. But, there are a number of reasons I haven’t actually tried one of these services – mainly because it’s sometimes easier to get them from stores in my community when I actually need them.
But, despite my bias, a lot of other people do find these services to be valuable. And a lot of these people also have children that grow out of things quickly. So, a handful of companies have recently cropped up to create subscription-based children’s clothing and toy rental services.
I first heard about the idea of clothing rental a couple of years ago, when I learned of the German company Lutte Leihen. They charge $40 or so per month to join, and parents receive as-needed shipments of 100% organic cotton clothing. Parents return clothes when their child outgrows them and then receives a shipment in the size they’ve requested.
In the U.S., there are similar organizations. New to the scene is the Wow Clothing Club, which specializes in little girls clothing from designer brands. Their subscriptions (or memberships) start at $47.99 a month – which includes return shipping – and range to $75.99 per month depending on the number of outfits you’d like to borrow each month.
Baby Plays has a similar program, but their focus is on toys for children aged 0-5 years. Different programs have different prices by quantity. Their toy selection appears to include a number of educational toys, wooden toys, and other high-quality items that are categorized by age. All toys are sanitized before being shipped to customers.
In general, the decision of whether to use one of these services boils down to how much you benefit from the “pros” and if the “cons” are acceptable.
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Has anyone tried this? What has been your experience?
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