By J1 Reporter Ava Finn
At Box Lunch shelves are lined up with $5 to $15 figurines that have become a phenomenon across social media.
Blind boxes are a gamble. One purchase can bring excitement and joy or disappointment over a small figurine. Buyers never know what they are going to get when they buy a blind box, but the uncertainty is what draws them in.
Blind boxes are small, collectible figurine toys. They are usually marketed towards teens and young-adults. “I buy a lot..maybe up to four times a month,” junior Riley Walters, an avid collector, said. The culture of blind boxes has grown significantly over the past few years.
The store Box Lunch opened its location at Westroads in February of 2025. The store’s main selling point is the various choices of blind boxes on display.According to the Westroads directory, “With every $10 spent across the pop culture themed product offering of apparel, accessories, home goods, gift and novelty, and collectibles, Box Lunch will help provide a meal to a person in need through its partnership with Feeding America.” According to a sales associate, Box Lunch sells “two to three cases full” of blind boxes weekly. A full box can vary in its total amount. There are usually about 15 to 24 boxes included per full case.
The popularity of blind boxes was spread through social media. Many influencers would post reaction videos of them unboxing the figurines. Walters admits she was influenced by social media herself, “I saw people opening them on TikTok and I thought they were super cute.”
Blind boxes have a wide range of audience. “They’re trying to market to everyone,” said a Box Lunch employee. Although women are the primary buyers, a “surprising amount of guys” buy them as well.
Teen brains are pulled towards the dopamine rush. The Box Lunch employee continues, “there’s a very good feeling to randomly getting what you do want,” said the employee.
These small figurines can encourage a lot of emotions. “I’m happy when I get a good one and sad when I get a bad one,” said Walters. Getting the one wanted gives buyers a sense of pride, making them want to buy more. When they don’t get the one they want, it encourages them to keep buying until they get the one they do want. “You feel like you have good luck if you do get the one that you like, and it can make your whole day,” said the Box Lunch employee. But they can also provoke negative emotions, “If you don’t get it, you feel disappointed and feel like you’ve wasted your money.”
Purchasing blind boxes can turn into a never ending loop. The employee at Box Lunch thinks companies want “to drive sales and I think the fun of the chase for a lot of items is what gets people to come back to stores.”
According to Rowan Center for Behavioral Science blind boxes differ from traditional purchases because, “Traditional purchases satisfy a want. Blind box purchases satisfy a pattern.”
Blind boxes give buyers more than a figurine. They allow them to experience excitement, disappointment, social involvement and trial and error among many other things. Blind boxes are a gamble of emotions and many continue to play.
Leave a comment below about your blind box purchases!
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