Le Parcel Box Review: January 2013

So recently I noticed a lot of “time of the month” subscription services popping up and decided to check out what the hype is all about. The idea is very similar to the classic beauty subscriptions, where instead of makeup and skincare you would get a monthly package filled with feminine products, chocolate and a little something extra to make those dreadful days into a more pleasant experience.

One of the quotes from Le Parcel’s website states: “Nature’s gift stinks so we give you a better one!”, which is kind of a fun way of putting it I must admit. And that is another reason why I decided to try out this service, because I just like getting packages and cute surprises in the mail, even if I have to slightly overpay for them.

About Le Parcel:

Le Parcel is a monthly subscription service that sends you a package filled with up to 30 feminine products, a mystery gift and some chocolate. Currently you can choose a mix of tampons, pads and pantyliners from Playtex Sport, Playtex Gentle Glide, Tampax, Tampax Pearl, Kotex and U by Kotex. Le Parcel subscription costs $15.00 + shipping fee, and you can set the date you want your box to be delivered by. You can suspend or cancel your subscription anytime in your account dashboard, which is a good option for people with phone anxiety. Their preferred shipping method is USPS Priority.
Click here to join Le Parcel.

Current promo code: Receive 30% off your order with the code familyDBD, which will take off about $5.00.

Punctuality:
My package was delivered 1 day past the date I wanted it to arrive, but since I wanted to make sure it comes on time I actually ordered it with a few extra days to spare so there were no unpleasant surprises. If anyone affiliated with the company is reading this, please take note to ship the packages one-two days sooner than you think you should. It was no big deal for me personally but I can see some people being upset over it.
Box contents:
The box contained everything as I ordered, so no surprises there, however the feminine products were not individually wrapped in plastic foils [if you have ever requested a free sample of liners or pads you know what I’m talking about]. Again, I can see this being a major concern since we don’t know who touched these products and how they were handled. I’m assuming they were simply taken out of their original packages, carefully counted and put into our “le parcels” in the quantities we specified during the checkout.

Chocolate:
I got two Lindor truffles, and although I think they were really tasty and much-needed to soothe my raging PMS, two tiny truffles are not nearly enough. I would have been perfectly satisfied with five, that number feels just right to me. That is just my personal preference though, since this subscription isn’t just about the chocolate after all, the sweets are only a bonus.
The packaging:
The box itself is very sleek and classy and I really love the font they used for their logo. I can keep this package in my room and noone would even know what’s in it because it doesn’t give away any hints on what’s inside. 
The mystery gift:
The January gift was supposed to be a bracelet or a necklace from an Etsy seller Mermaid Market, which I thought is kind of cute. However I received a handful of colorful twistbands instead, which I was totally ok with. I actually really liked the one I got in my Birchbox a few months ago so I was looking forward to buying some more but never could justify the price for what they are – just some tied elastic. What a simple idea but how genius it is!

And now the biggest question: is it worth it?
It’s totally worth it if…
  • You have disposable income and would like to turn “that time of the month” into something fun to look forward to
  • You don’t have much time for shopping
  • You hate or embarrassed to send your boyfriend or husband to the store for your “monthly supplies”
  • You are not comfortable buying feminine products in public or you have really rude and/or weird cashiers


It’s not worth it if…

  • You are on a tight budget
  • You are very specific about your monthly products but Le Parcel doesn’t carry your favorite brand(s)
  • You have a problem with your feminine products not being wrapped in individual foil packets like real manufacturer’s samples

The verdict: I was very disappointed that my box arrived late, and because of that I most likely will never be back. Le Parcel needs to improve their shipping and add more treats and higher quality surprise gifts to the boxes if they want to keep the subscribers happy. Right now my favorite time-of-the-month subscription is Juniper. You can check out my review on them here, as well as get your first box for free.

ARV note: Box retail value will be much higher if you go for all tampons.

Product Retail Value
kotex ultra thin kotex U regular with wings x2 $0.55
Playtex Gentle Glide Ultra x6 $1.66
Playtex Gentle Glide Super Plus x6 $1.66
Playtex Gentle Glide Regular x4 $1.50
always infinity regular x2 $0.55
U by Kotex Thin x10 $0.74
Lindt Lindor Truffles in Dark Chocolate x2 $0.83
twistbands x6 $10.00
Box Retail Value $17.49

Disclosure: I purchased this.

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