Serendipity and Sock Subscriptions

A year ago, Facebook clued me in to the coolest idea: a sock subscription.  Someone shared with someone who is my friend that a company called Foot Cardigan existed.  Their idea is simple and super cool: sign up for a subscription (3, 6, 9, 12 months – you choose) and get a random, cool pair of socks in the mail once a month.  It turns out that I know someone who knows someone who started the company.  So cool – I love when that happens.  Because of the connection and the absolutely cool idea, I decided I wanted a subscription.  I shared the cool idea with the huz one evening – I kind of get excited about cool things – and he listened intently (and might have laughed at me because of how excited I was about a sock subscription).

There was some kind of gift-giving event (Valentine’s Day, maybe) in the near future, and he decided he should get me a subscription.

Shortly after our conversation, the huz gave me a print-out showing that he had purchased a sock subscription for me.  I feel so awful even to this day that my first reaction was to correct him: he had purchased a subscription from Sockgrams.  I should have reacted in gratitude, but it was from the wrong company!  Knowing what I wanted (a sock subscription) but not entirely sure of the name, he had done a search and found a discount code for Sockgrams.  Because of the discount code, he was able to get me a full year (or maybe 13 months) of socks.

Story pause: My man knows that I love a good deal and saving money a lot, so it makes total sense that this happened.  He is a good one.

I was thrilled about a sock subscription, but I still wanted one from Foot Cardigan.  When I get something in my head, it is hard to get it to leave unless I deal with it.  So – I dealt with it a few days later by using some gift money to buy myself three months of Foot Cardigan socks.

Because I have had sock subscriptions from both companies, I thought that I would be in a good position to review the two and compare them on my blog.  The problem is that the two companies really are different (I know, it’s counter-intuitive!). I had even tweeted about this difficulty a while back: “@footcardigan vs @sockgrams – so hard to decide.”  Foot Cardigan responded with a tweet: “How can we help you decide?”

I honestly couldn’t reply to them.  And here is why: the two companies have their place in our society.  They appear to be the same in many respects, but they are very, very different in reality.  And here is the rub: they are both exactly who they say are which makes them attractive in so many ways.

Foot Cardigan is run by four witty guys who share their wit on their website. Imagine Jimmy Fallon  selling sock subscriptions – you laugh, you cry, and you buy…and you feel good dropping $9-$13 (shipping and gift-wrap – if desired – are extra) per pair of socks because they are that cool.  Inventory is limited to the monthly subscriptions and one other option.  Whether good or bad, that is who they are, and they will stay that way.  Cool note: if you get an awesome pair of socks (like I did in my April 2014 package) and want a second pair for a friend because the socks remind you of her (it’s true), they will let you order a second pair if they still have them in stock. This is a fun company. Period. And they have great customer service.  Oh – and their latest thing is a subscription for children called “Whippersnappers.”  I participated in the Kickstarter campaign for this so that my college daughter could get some socks in her size.  She loved them.

Serendipity (noun): an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. (dictionary.com)

I discovered Sockgrams through their subscription services, but that is not what makes them awesome.  Even though the economy is recovering, few of us have the cash to spend for subscription services every time we would like to thank someone or just let them know we thought of them.  This is where Sockgrams has the right idea. Sockgrams has an amazing website with hundreds of unique sock choices as well as bags, hats, mittens, and spa “stuff.” Every purchase has awesome packaging – check out this video.  Every single sockgram that I have received had this carefully created look.  Every month, I received a coupon so that I could send someone else some happiness (you get a free card that you can customize!).  A subscription is a gateway drug. Their website is like a gift givers’ candy store.  PS: There is a coupon code available on their Facebook page through February 14. Hint. Hint.

As I drove late in the afternoon/early evening yesterday, my cell phone showed that I had an incoming call from Wisconsin.

Story pause: last week,  I had a scammer call me over 30 times from Florida after I told him to leave me alone. I eventually had to have the number blocked by Sprint.  This makes me hesitant to answer calls from unknown numbers.

I know people in Wisconsin, so I figured it must have been someone I knew.  When I answered, though, it was someone from Sockgrams!  In the past week, I have ordered socks for five different people. Earlier in the day, I had shared on the Sockgrams’ Facebook page how happy everyone was with their socks.  The caller relayed to me that, from time to time, they reach out to their customers. We had a lovely conversation that led me to sharing about how I had found their company by accident.  When we finished the call, I knew that I needed to do this blog post.

I love socks, and I love to give gifts.  There are great options out there, and socks are a great and inexpensive way to let people know we thought of them.  Each of the five people who received socks from me this week had earned a big “thank you” from me.  Surprise socks in the mail communicated my gratitude to them in a way that I could afford.

One last plug for a different company: Out of Print Clothing won my heart last week. I had purchased awesome socks on a whim for my college son as a “welcome to second semester” gift to greet him at his college mailbox after Christmas break.  My son loves books, and Out of Print had a great special (right before Christmas) on socks with banned books listed on them.  The original order was lost in the mail, and Out of Print quickly sent out a second pair.  A day after the second pair arrived, the original pair did as well.  When I offered to pair for the second pair, I was told to enjoy them both.  My boy loves them…both.