Clark Howard

Costco for millennials? 5 things to know about Boxed

Boxed.com is an online retailer that lets you buy in bulk at warehouse prices without leaving your home.

Founded in 2013, Boxed is referred to as "Costco for millennials" and retail giants Amazon and Walmart are reportedly interested in buying the company.

Boxed recently made money expert Clark Howard's list of the top 5 retailers to watch in 2018.

“They’re the ones that seem to have figured out the price points and the sense of value and convenience that people in their 20s and 30s are really interested in,” Clark said.

I decided to give Boxed.com a shot and have a few tips if you’re considering it.

RELATED: Clark Howard’s top 5 retailers to watch in 2018

Boxed.com: 5 things to know about ‘Costco for millennials’

Before I share more details about my experience, there are some key things you should know about how Boxed operates before placing an order:

  1. No annual membership fee
  2. Orders over $49 qualify for free shipping
  3. Most orders arrive within two business days
  4. Receive two free samples with every order
  5. Get 1% in cash rewards for every purchase

A few days after I placed my order on Boxed.com, this big, bright box showed up at my door — and it was full of surprises! Read on and you’ll see what I mean…

Something interesting about Boxed is that you can track your order from the website or app and even see the contents of your package. Here’s my #BoxedSelfie:

My Boxed order was apparently sponsored by V8! The logo for the vegetable juice was printed on the packing tape and this plastic packaging material inside.

Once I got that V8 packaging material removed, I unpacked the items that I ordered. You’re probably wondering about the prices, so here you go:

  • Prince & Spring bath tissue, 30-count: $16.99
  • Dunkin' Donuts coffee, 40 oz: $19.99
  • Prince & Spring liquid hand soap, 80 oz: $4.99
  • Axe styling pomade, 2-count: $10.79
  • PB2 powdered peanut butter, 16 oz: $6.99
  • Bayer Men's One A Day, 300-count: $17.99

Boxed sells a lot of the same merchandise as warehouse clubs, but there are fewer items to choose from.

Prince & Spring is Boxed's private brand. It features high-quality household products like paper towels, toilet paper, plastic cutlery, hand soap, batteries and a few pantry staples.

Think of it like Kirkland Signature at Costco or Member’s Mark at Sam’s Club.

Every Boxed order comes with two free samples that you select before checkout. I received some Prince & Spring ground coffee and Seventh Generation laundry detergent.

In addition, Boxed sent me a small can of V8 and a coupon if I wanted to buy it in the future.

But wait, there’s more! You may have noticed from my #BoxedSelfie that there was a small box inside of the large box. What’s that all about?

Since this was my first order, Boxed threw in a sample bundle of its Prince & Spring products. It included bath tissue, ground coffee, coconut oil, batteries and more.

My first experience with Boxed was a good one. Some items are priced more competitively than others, so I’ll be clicking on the “On Sale” tab the next time I shop.

How to save money on your first Boxed order

The free samples from Boxed are a nice touch, but my top concern is always how much money is coming out of my pocket — and that was $83.58 for this order.

I did get an additional $20 back by taking advantage of a special offer for American Express cardholders.

And even if you don’t have an American Express card, there are other ways to save with Boxed. I’ve seen special promotions from Ibotta and Swagbucks recently.

In addition, Boxed may offer first-time promotions on its website as it tries to win new customers.

Have you tried Boxed yet? Share your experience below and read more about how Clark thinks Costco has been responding to the threat from Boxed.

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