Purchasing this box was quite the experience. I paid for it on July 15 with the understanding that it would arrive in September. I got a “Thank you for your order” note with no receipt and no official order confirmation. I e-mailed on September 28 asking what the status was because I never got the e-mail. It was almost the end of September with no box and my money had left my account on July 15. Shelley responded in less than 24 hours to tell me that they would finish shipping by the end of the following week and that she included the half-price season’s item for free. She also mentioned I would get a shipping confirmation. I never got the shipping confirmation, but the box did arrive, finally, on October 25. This was much later than I expected.
I very much value communication, despite being bad at it myself, and I find it frustrating to deal with a company that suffers from no communication. I know we can’t all be good at everything, I certainly know I’m not, but there are lots of tools in place to make communication easy and effective for your business. I guess my e-mail marketing course came in handy after all, if only to judge businesses on their deficits. Ha ha.
True North Box Overview
Cost: $95.95
Value: 4 or more quality items per season.
Frequency: Quarterly
Cancellation Policy: None
Payment: When purchased
Focus: “Each of our TRUE NORTH boxes is curated to showcase the small business owner.”
Ships From: Sundre, Alberta
Established in: June 2019
Inside the Box
Unfortunately there was no information sheet to inform me of each product. This is a bit sad for the businesses whose products don’t have branding on them, such as the knitted pumpkin below.
This is a nicely squishy kitted pumpkin. The yarn is soft and the stem is made of a cinnamon stick. It’s about 6″ in diameter and 3″ tall, so it’s a nice size. Not too big and not too small. The colour is a pleasant mustard yellow. It is officially the first fall decoration I own.
Um, this may be one of the most delicious things I’ve put in my mouth. I was absolutely shocked at how good it was. I am speaking about it in past tense because it was devoured quite quickly. I am sad but also happy that it is gone because I don’t think I could resist it very well. No, I know I couldn’t resist it. All this despite having expired on September 15. I would have expected that to be a manufacturing date, but it said BB/MA, so… in any case I highly recommend this delicious piece of heaven. I have receding gums so it made my teeth hurt, but I would definitely buy it again.
This little bar, and it is little at about half the size of the package, will set you back $10 but is so worth it. But hey, you can also buy a case of 12 for $98. That’s basically 2 and a 1/5 for free! Yum.
I never buy bath salts, and now my bathroom has plenty. It’s really quite lovely. This is a small, 4oz bag with lavender, ylang ylang, and bergamot. The scent kind of reminds me of mothballs, but you can buy it for $6.25.
One Paramita is an Albertan brand specializing in natural, holistic healing.
Well, this is a post card, and considering I haven’t been to that location I’d feel weird sending it to anyone. I can’t even remember the last time I sent a post card. It’s fine I guess.
This is way too pretty to be a firestarter. It arrived just in time for the beginning of burning season here, but I still will feel bad using it to light my gigantic burn pile. Maybe I’ll save it for a camping trip to be able to enjoy the full wonder of this delightful little thing and its intoxicating scents.
This is a small, 4oz candle with a wood wick and soy wax. The scent is delightful with that heavy, sweet smell mixed with a bit of sharper, citrusy or spicy scent. Think apple cider mixed with pumpkin spice maybe?
Some Kind of Wonderful is another Albertan company focusing on natural bath and body products.
This eye pillow can be used hot or cold to help relieve sore, tired, or puffy eyes, or for use with headaches or migraines. The case is made of cotton and is filled with rice. If you would like to purchase one yourself, it will cost you $15 online. Wrapped in Comfort is a small business from Niagara, Ontario.
Apparently I was supposed to get a coupon to purchase this for 50% off to include in this season’s box, but ended up receiving it for free because I never actually got a coupon. I like free things.
Overall Impression
True North feels like a new box, or a subscription box made by someone unfamiliar with other subscription boxes. The products are fairly nice, but there was no info about them, why they were chosen, or their value. The tissue paper was cute, and the brittle was dangerously delicious, but for close to $100 I’m not sure it was worth it. Subscriptions are currently closed and I only ended up getting the one box (because it was cheaper), so I guess this will be my one and only!
wanderingfawn 