Many who know me also know that shopping for clothes literally gives me anxiety.
- I don’t find it particularly fun to hunt around for things.
- I hate feeling “watched” by store clerks when I’m browsing.
- I wouldn’t exactly call myself savvy about brands and styles.
But most of all, I abhor dressing rooms, especially when the attendant asks, “how’s it going in there?” And therefore avoid, at all costs, having to try things on at stores.
Add to that, I feel bad (for whatever reason) about making returns if something doesn’t fit.
Enter Trunk Club.
I first heard about Trunk Club back in the Fall of 2011 when
this article popped up in my Google Reader. But it wasn’t until about six
months ago when I learned my boss (at the time) used them and then subsequently
when another colleague literally sat me down and explained step by step how the
process works and his own experiences with it, I reached my tipping point and
signed up later that day.
- I was digging the ease of the sign up process.
- I appreciated how an effort was made to really understand my wants/needs.
- A “style consultant” (and cool one at that) immediately followed up.
My First Trunk
Since I live in the heart of Boston and didn’t want the package getting stolen, I had my trunk held at the nearest Fed-Ex and only discovered there was actually a handle on the package after I clumsily carried it home ;-) But as I opened the box, I was psyched to be greeted with a hand written note from Taylor detailing why he picked out for me what he did.
The Experience Was
Awesome.
First of all, it was kind of like Christmas – not knowing what was in the box…and that made it actually kind of fun/intriguing. But best of all was being able to take my time to try on the clothes in the privacy of my own home without anyone else around.
I was also really impressed with how the actual order fulfillment works. After I tried everything on, I made two piles: Stuff I wanted to keep and stuff I was going to send back. When I went to trunkclub.com an itemized list (with photos) appeared with everything that was in my trunk and I was able to go through one by one to give feedback on why I was keeping or why I was returning.
And it was simple and efficient – A return label and
packing tape was included and it was a mere 2 block walk to drop off the “trunk”
back at Fed-Ex (but this time I used the handle ;-)
It’s Constantly
Optimizing.
The inherent online feedback process along with the ongoing email
conversations Taylor and I have means that he’s constantly getting better at
knowing me -- my fit, my style, and my needs.
I never thought I’d say that getting new clothes is actually fun - But, I'll say it. For me, the premium cost of the clothes is very much worth the anxiety I save by being spared from going shopping. Trunk Club clearly knows its target audience – and I’m smack in the middle of it.
