Subscription models have been a big subject of contention lately. They tend to start really positive and affordable, before slowly becoming clunky and impractical. Nowhere else has this been more prominent than in the realm of streaming services. Netflix and Hulu have been surrounded by Peacock, HBO, Disney, and Amazon.
Yet there are many more subscription models than seen for streaming services. Costco and Sam’s Club, for example, are subscription based retailers. These put the responsibility on the consumer to go to the store and to take advantage regularly. Meanwhile Amazon Prime acts as a price reduction subscription model. For anyone regularly buying Amazon products it’s a no brainer.
COVID also saw the introduction of more physical subscription based boxes. These may have themed trinkets, decorations, foods, scents, or anything else. The appeal of these comes in their practicality and surprise. Realistically the items held within aren’t worth the price, but that’s not the point.
It’s these other subscription models that make them such a behemoth in modern industry. The average American consumer has several subscriptions, and that’s only going to become more and more true. Subscription models aren’t bad or good by themselves, but there are many exploitative versions. It’s on the consumer to make sure these versions don’t rise in popularity.
