Episode Details

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.

我们大多数人都知道从朋友那里收到礼物是什么感觉。 无论是生日还是其他庆祝活动，打开精心包装的盒子，发现一些既出乎意料又完美适合您的东西，都是一种无比兴奋的感觉。 现在，想象一下当您自己去购物时是否也能有同样的感觉。 这就是神秘盒子希望复制的感觉。

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.

神秘盒子并不是一个新想法——它们是 20 世纪初日本百货公司的一个特色。 它们包含一系列不同的产品，这些产品的售价低于其总价值。 关键是顾客在购买之前并不知道盒子里有什么。 各种神秘盒子可供选择：时装盒、食物盒、美容盒，甚至战利品盒，这些都是视频游戏的虚拟物品。

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