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.
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.
That’s actually a really cute and catchy idea, and I do love getting things in the mail…but they would need to send waaaaay more chocolate for me to sign up! 😀
I love it too, this particular box appealed to me the most out of 5 time-of-the-month subscriptions that I checked out. I will be testing another one called Juniper this month to compare.
Such a cute idea! I tried it for 2 months and was extremely disappointed! The first box was 2 weeks late! When contacting Amanda she was very prompt at responding and making sure I was please, so promised a refund which unfortunately I never receive…but I did get charged for the next month’s subscription and again LATE! I still have yet to receive it. When trying to contact Megan (who is apparently in charge of shipping) she never gets back to me. Very disappointing…
So I wasn’t the only one whose box was late =/ That’s too bad because with this particular type of subscription being late is the last thing they want. I have decided to stick with Juniper, their service is so much better and the packages are always EARLY. Check them out, they’re in the same price range 🙂
http://glamorable.blogspot.com/2013/02/juniper-box-review-january-2013.html
hi christina,
i realize this is months past the date. but i am lisa and i am in charge of customer service as of june. megan is my sister and the one who launched this company. i apologize for your frustration in the past. i would love to assist you and help you with any concerns or questions you may have. please email me at [email protected]. I respond to every email within 48 hours so you will be taken care of. Thank you! Have a great day.
Haha, this is funny. Because Lisa was by far the rudest person I dealt with there.
I just received my first box today. 5 DAYS after my chosen date. For this reason alone, I cancelled my susbscription. They have to be on time!! What the heck?! If I ordered on the 15th, send the damn box out on the 9th! Be smart!!! And when I opened the beautiful package, there it was 2 small candies. I’m not kidding! They were caramels as big as a tootsie roll. Only 2 of it. And a hand made string bracelet from Costa Rica, which I didn’t like it. I gave to my 10 years old. NOT WORTH IT!!!! If you actualy use coupons for the pads+tampons, you can save money and pay less. NEVER coming back. I hated it!!!! Sorry! :/
I’m so sorry you were disappointed, and believe me, you are not alone. Looks like Le Parcel consistently send out the boxes late, and aside from the watch that people received during their first month, the surprise gifts didn’t even seem very appealing.
I edited my verdict and I now encourage everyone to try out Juniper. It’s a time-of-the-month subscription that delivers feminine products and treats, and best of all – they’re never late.
Yes, I know that most of us are very much capable of utilizing coupons to score good deals on our monthly products, but these subscriptions are so much more than just that! 🙂
Maybe I’m alone in this, but I love getting surprises in the mail and that is my main reason why I subscribe for these boxes, and I am prepared to pay more for my monthly mini-Christmas, especially during those “days” when I feel like the world is against me 🙂
No need to apologize, there is no shame in having negative emotions about bad business. I hope you have a wonderful day tomorrow! <3
XOXO,
Anastasia
I wish I read this sooner…. I signed up last month and this month is supposed to by my first package with Le Parcel. I asked for a delivery date of the 14th and still haven’t even got a shipping notice from them, and since seeing all the comments about late or missing packages it’s putting doubts in my mind that it’ll even get here in time. Looks like I’ll be checking out Juniper.
I’m so sorry you have to deal with this! That’s true, shipping has been Le Parcel’s main issue, and that’s the worst one to have for this type of service.
Le Parcel has horrible customer service and shipping. I canceled after not getting 2 of my boxes and not getting a response after demanding a refund or my boxes ASAP. I decided to go with Bojour Jolie. Which isn’t as expensive as Juniper and seems to have more treats.
Hi Denise,
I remember talking with you via email! I apologize for the way things turned out regarding your account. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have anything else you would like to discuss. All issues with shipping were due to PayPal not transferring orders properly, not our website. It was a huge misfortune that once we recognized we took care of immediately. Now we only accept orders via credit card and have had a huge improvement. I respond to each customer within 48 hours and it is our goal to keep our girls happy and taken care of. Regardless, thank you for trying us out!
HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE
So sorry that you had to experience bad customer service with Le Parcel, Jessica, but you aren’t alone. I personally didn’t have to deal with their CS, but as you can see from my review, the box arrived late which is completely unacceptable for a period subscription.