Stuff Parents Need

I received a complimentary gift card in exchange for providing my honest opinions, which I have done (as always!). This post contains affiliate links. 

I’m not stranger to the joys of shopping online and doing all your “trying on” from the privacy of your own home. As a mom with two little ones, it is a very convenient way for me to shop when I am am able to (usually around 4am, no exaggeration). And if there is a service where someone who knows what they are doing can help me make the right selections, well that’s a REALLY big bonus! I love when the guess work is taken away from me and I am presented with options that are ideal for my body type and my personal style.

This is the concept behind True & Co, which is a company seeking to totally revolutionize the way women shop for bras. I usually avoid shopping for bras until I absolutely HAVE to, and I am quite loyal to one particular brand simply because I know how it will fit and I know that they don’t have itchy tags all over the place making it impossible to try on. It’s about as streamlined as I could possibly make the process. But True & Co. gives me the opportunity to answer some questions for them about how my current bras are (or aren’t) working for me, and makes particular suggestions based on my answers.

Perhaps what surprised me the most about filling out the form was that the company suggested that I try a different size bra based on my responses. It has never occurred to me to try on a different size, and I haven’t been sized in several years, so I decided to follow their advice and have bras sent in their recommended size instead of in the size that I always buy. I also had the option to include a selection of underwear to check out. Since the box comes with complimentary shipping both ways, I decided to go for it. Here’s what arrived:

My Thoughts on True & Co.’s Selections

First, let’s talk about the underwear. The underwear all came individually packaged in plastic. The information I received (which I read prior to touching everything, thank goodness) stated that if the plastic was open on the underwear, it could not be returned. At first I found this to be extremely annoying. There’s no way I’m going to buy a pair of underwear that I can’t at least feel to see if I like the fabric.

The more I thought about it, though, the more I understood True & Co.’s policy. What other way do they have to make sure people don’t try on the underwear before sending it back? That would certainly be unsanitary. I think there needs to be a middle path on this issue, though. They need to come up with a way that the customer can at least touch the underwear to help with the decision-making process. Since the underwear was on the expensive-side (many of my bottoms were around $20 each), the fact that I couldn’t even touch them made it a no-brainer for me; back in the return bag they all went. If I were to order another True & Co. box I’d totally skip over the underwear next time.

Now for the bras. I was sent some really cute and also really practical bras. The polka-dot bra would have been a HECK YES for me were it not for the fact that it wasn’t padded at all. More power to you if you don’t feel the need to wear a lightly padded bra, but I definitely don’t feel that way. When I was making my bra selections from their recommended list, I didn’t make a point of checking that all the bras were lined, so I take a bit of the blame here. But on the other hand, I also included in my profile that I filled out that I wear lightly padded bras only, so I wasn’t expecting a bra without any sort of lining to be included in my offerings. Such a bummer…you’ll just have to trust me that it was adorable on!

Two of the remaining 3 bras, all of which were in the larger size they recommended, were too big, just as I feared they would be. I’m glad I tried their suggestion, though, since there was absolutely no risk in doing so (remember, free shipping both ways!). And the fourth bra in the mix fit beautifully and I decided to keep it.

When your box from True & Co. arrives, you have 5 days total to try on your bras, complete feedback on what was sent to you, and get it back in the mail. If you return the items without completing the feedback about what you are keeping, and what you are returning, you will be charged a $20 convenience fee. I think that sort of charge is a first for me with these types of boxes, but I understand why they do it. In order to provide you with excellent recommendations, they really do need to get to know your likes and dislikes better so that every box can improve and delight you even more. If they don’t know why you returned items, they won’t learn!

One other thing that I’d like to see them do is to go ahead and have the return label adhered to the return bag. It was just a bit of an inconvenience to have to cut and tape the label on myself; I suppose I’ve been spoiled by other companies who have the bag totally ready to go and all I have to do is add the products. Not a big issue, just one small thing that will make the process a bit easier for the customer.

 Want To Try True & Co.?

While I wasn’t head-over-heels with True & Co., I will say that I think it is a great concept and totally worth trying out. I’ve got a SWEET True & Co. coupon for $25 off your first purchase! Prices for bras vary from brand to brand, but most of mine were right around $50, so a $15 will bring the price down quite nicely. It could also net you a free (or close to free!) pair of underwear! Just take 5 minutes to fill out the quiz and you’ll be on your way to your personalized boutique of options! And get this, friends: once you are signed up, you get your own referral code so that you can give your friends a $15 off coupon, and when they use it, YOU get a $15 credit to the shop, too! Free underwear for everyone! 😉

And speaking of free underwear, if you post a picture of your box on their facebook page, they will send you a coupon for a free pair of underwear with your next purchase. Woo hoo!

What do you think? Does this sound like a service you would use?