If you love shopping (who doesn’t, right?) and want to discover new things to love and life-changing products, we’ve got a show that’s right up your alley.
Freelance producer and writer Caroline Moss’ podcast, Gee Thanks, Just Bought It is the perfect show for great tips, inexpensive but life-changing product recommendations, and sparkling conversations.
Each week Caroline invites a guest to join her in a friendly chat about one product that has changed their lives and why.
The discussion usually starts about the products, but every purchase has a story, and every story leads to another one. gee thanks, just bought it isn’t a show about consumerism or purchasing unnecessary items. It’s a show about buying quality products recommended by people who love a product and find it to be tried and true.
Guests often arrive thinking their product is too particular or too niche, but, just like the books with the ugliest covers, those products can have the best stories. Products often start selling immediately after their mentions, and some product recs even end up going majorly viral as a direct result of the podcast. In fact, Vogue even recognizes the show for launching the Revlon One-Step hair tool craze.
We chatted with Caroline about the show, the products she can’t live without and more in our exclusive interview.
What was the inspiration for the podcast?
Back in 2019 I had started tweeting about things I had found, bought, and liked. It started with a purchase of a $180 “under the desk” elliptical, which I didn’t know existed and immediately purchased when one popped up on Amazon as I was searching for something else. (Imagine it’s just the pedals of an elliptical and you can pump your legs while answering email). I tweeted about it, shared a link, and then just kept doing that. I love researching things and I love buying things to make my life easier. I also just love hearing about what other people are spending their money on. A podcast where I could ask guests what they had purchased and loved seemed like a great way to expand what I had been doing on Twitter.
How do you choose which topics to talk about?
I let the guests choose! Basically, everyone that comes on the podcast has to bring something they bought and they love. It has to be something that they are genuinely so excited to tell the world about. And a natural back-and-forth chat kind of stems from there.
What do you enjoy talking about the most?
I think my favorite conversations have come from people who bring really unsexy items (like a drain plug that goes in the emergency drain and keeps your bath full) but are so excited to evangelize them to the audience. We all have purchased weird things where we’re like, “if only everyone knew about this!” so getting to be that platform where people get to shout out their love for drain plugs or a milk frother is so much fun for me.
What is the one product you simply cannot live without?
Great question, and I think it’s something that changes every day. On the high spend end of things, I bought an inflatable hot tub for $399-ish in January of last year and it was a lifesaver. It’s in my backyard and I spend at least an hour a day just reading or relaxing. The price of the tub went way up in March and April because I think people were freaking out (rightfully!) about needing things to keep them busy at home. It’s definitely the best money I’ve spent in a really long time. On the inexpensive end of things, I gotta give a round of applause to my $20 white noise machine.
Are there any consumer trends that you think are overrated?
Not specifically. Gee Thanks! is really about discovering things that work for you and getting reviews from a community of people you trust. In a general sense, I think our need for instant gratification is wired in such a way that makes us all do a lot of blind shopping which leads to having too much stuff and contributing too much waste to the world. Slowing down and really making an informed purchase (whatever that means to you!) can have a nice ripple to all different corners of the human experience.
Have you ever been surprised by something you learned on the show?
All the time. Every episode is tied to a product recommendation, but there have been so many incredible conversations with so many incredible people.
What has been your favorite episode to record?
Don’t make me answer this! I love them all in different ways. I really liked the episode with Casey Johnston (who writes the “Swole Woman” column for Vice) because it was a really unapologetic therapy session about diet culture and working out and weight and how we each struggle with those things. I got a lot of emails and DMs from listeners who felt really understood after listening to that conversation. That’s really the most I could ever ask for.
Who has been your favorite podcast guest?
I don’t have a favorite because like the episodes, I love them all! I plead the fifth! Especially in a pandemic when I never get to see people, scheduling long conversations with guests has been an incredible balm for my mental health. I appreciate every single guest who has given me their time.
Who’s your dream “get” as a guest?
Glennon Doyle, Amy Sherald, Andy Cohen.
What other podcasts do you listen to?
Right now, I am very into True Crime Obsessed and Oh I Like That with Sally Tamarkin and Rachel Wilkerson Miller. Oh, and Natch Beaut with Jackie Johnson, who is so funny.
What do you think the future holds for you?
I have no idea, which is exactly how I like it. Everyday a new surprise!
New episodes of “Gee Thanks, Just Bought It” are released every Friday. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
