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There is something strangely satisfying about subscriptions. In a world where we increasingly browse and Stumble Upon to find things of interest, a subscription means something in our mailbox (real or virtual) on which we can rely every time. Subscriptions feel trustworthy in a world where the rest of our content is found through the sometimes-thrilling but sometimes-exhausting process of trial and error. It finds us instead of us needing to seek it out. And the best subscriptions have the capacity to surprise us again and again.

Here are five of my current favorites:

Netflix: The Netflix queue has got to be one of the most underrated strokes of marketing genius this past decade (at least for entertainment junkies like me). Every time I rip open the iconic red envelope, it feels like whoever is choosing movies for me understands exactly what I’m gonna like. That person is me a few months back; having crammed my queue with recommendations from titles I’d read about, heard from friends or picked up from an algorithm that puts Amazon’s to shame.

Full Belly Farms CSA: My wife and I struggle to make it through our box of produce every week but there’s no question we get a little excited every Friday as we open the box to discover what’s inside.. It makes us feel good for shopping local, it lets you eat healthy without reading labels and, perhaps most importantly, it makes us feel culinarily adventurous. Each week’s delivery sends me to the web to figure out how I use stuff like Tokyo Turnips and Delicata Squash.

Esquire: Yes, old media still matters. It’s predictable and yet surprising with each issue offering humor, great writing, and one story about a heist, jailbreak, or con that almost defies belief yet is apparently true. December’s issue with the AR cover is just the latest example of a print publication that always has something up its sleeve.

Rhapsody: I pretty much listen to on-demand music all day and Rhapsody makes this easy. The idea of renting music vs. buying still makes me wary (I do both) but the thrill of listening to a full album the moment I hear about it is hard to beat. Rhapsody also does a good job curating suggestions based on my habits as well as writing capsule reviews for a large portion of their library. Still, the inability to port to my iPod and their absolutely horrible search capability as well as services like LaLa improving quickly means this love affair may soon be over.

McSweeney’s: Dave Egger’s brainchild makes me feel like a patron of the arts – I give them money each year just to see what they will come up with next. Sure, there is a ton of free content at their website but their publications are truly something special, wiping the slate clean every single issue to rethink what to include, who to involve and what physical form their creation should take.

As companies trying to build stronger relationships with our customers, it seems like we’d benefit from treating them like subscribers to our content, our products and our services. How do we give them that safe, reliable feeling while throwing them amazing surprises along the way? How do we make our offering something people genuinely look forward to and choose to engage with?