Mystery boxes 买 “盲盒” 的利与弊

 

　　“盲盒” 里通常装有不同的产品，但消费者无法在购买前得知具体的产品样式。“盲盒” 中的商品类型多样。比如：玩具手办、潮流服饰、零食百货。如果你想低价购入多个商品，那么买 “盲盒” 则既能省钱，又能收获惊喜。但从卖家的角度来看，它是否只是出售多余存货的一种销售模式？这种销售模式有何利弊？本文介绍 “盲盒” 的流行。

　　词汇：shopping 购物

　　Most of us know what it's like to get presents from friends. Whether it's for a birthday or other celebration, it's hard to beat the excitement of opening a carefully wrapped box to find something that's both unexpected and suits you perfectly. Now, imagine if you could get the same feeling when you go shopping for yourself. That's the feeling that mystery boxes hope to replicate.

　　Mystery boxes are not a new idea – they were a feature of department stores in Japan in the early 20th Century. They contain a range of different products, which are sold at a lower price than their combined value. The key thing is that customers don't know what's in the box before they buy. All kinds of mystery boxes are available: fashion boxes, food boxes, beauty boxes, even loot boxes, which are virtual items for video games.

　　The pleasant surprise is not the only attraction of mystery boxes. They also allow people to try things that they otherwise wouldn't. Seasonal vegetable subscription boxes might lead people to learn to cook new meals. They can also potentially offer great savings – as the recommended retail price of the contents is often far higher than the purchase price. For retailers and suppliers the benefits are clear – it allows them to sell unwanted stock for a profit. British fashion mystery box entrepreneur Mario Maher highlights how mystery boxes can help reduce the amount of waste in the fashion industry. People might discover product ranges that would otherwise be thrown away.

　　There is an obvious downside to mystery boxes – when you buy them, you don't know what you'll get! It may be that the goods inside are not to your taste, but there is also the potential for fraudsters to exploit the unpredictability of mystery boxes to send items that have a much lower value than the price of the box.

　　So, are mystery boxes a fun way of reducing waste and making shopping more exciting, or more an opportunity for disappointment, or worse – deception?

　　词汇表

　　wrapped 有包装的，包裹好的

　　suit 适合

　　department store 百货商店

　　product 产品

　　price 价格

　　combined value 总价值

　　customer 顾客

　　fashion 时装，时尚

　　beauty 美容

　　loot box （电子游戏中的）虚拟战利品盒

　　subscription box 订阅盒

　　savings 省下的钱

　　recommended retail price 建议零售价

　　purchase price 购买价格

　　retailer 零售商

　　supplier 供应商，供货商

　　unwanted stock 多余的库存

　　product range 产品系列

　　goods 商品，货物

　　item 商品，物品

　　waste 浪费