Shoddy Goods - A Newsletter From Meh

dave shared a link said
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A newsletter from Meh, but not a Meh newsletter.

Hey, Dave from Meh here - I’ve been working with my old pal Jason Toon on a new project I think you might like. I’ll let him tell you more about it:

I’m guessing you, as a Meh customer, like buying stuff. And I’m guessing you’re one of the skeptical, jaded, cynical consumers Meh is talking about in the tagline “daily deals and community for the cynical consumer”… while you’re also curious about how the sausage is made.

Me too! I’m Jason Toon, and for many years I wrote for Meh and its predecessor, Woot. As you probably know, that meant I got to dig into a lot of the bizarre stories behind the cockeyed consumerist caravan of daily deals.

It was fun. I miss it. And I’ve never lost the habit of stumbling down bottomless rabbit holes about freaky little aspects of consumerism past and present, heedless of my children growing up, my body slowly decaying, and my wife sighing wistfully and wondering what her life could have been.

So when Meh’s honcho Dave and I started kicking around the idea of Meh publishing an email newsletter, the focus was obvious. Meh pulls back the curtain on its deals every day. Why not stick our nose out further into the whole world of making, buying, and selling? Why not shape my restless nerdery into something tangible, something that might even make my wife think of me as a man again?

What it won’t be is a “Meh newsletter”. It won’t be pushing Meh’s deals or updating you on the latest thrilling twists and turns in the privacy policy. Just stories about stuff.

Hence, we’re calling it Shoddy Goods. Every week I’ll follow my latest obsession and/or irritation to bring you stories like:

  • Why Temu is happy to lose money on every order
  • The most WTF ad blitz in Olympic history
  • The upstart vinyl record plants popping up around the world
  • Why alcohol-free booze isn’t cheaper than the hard stuff

I know, I know, we’ve got some nerve sending you a newsletter you never asked for. And every week, even! But if you enjoy Meh even a little, stick with the emails for a few issues. Or follow the weekly story in the Meh community. Or just think of Shoddy Goods fondly once in a while, when the slanting afternoon sun catches the swaying yew boughs outside your window just so. Preferably the email thing, though.

The first issue comes out next week! And members might just get the occasional discarded garba- er, exclusive insider content! Because if there’s one thing Meh knows, it’s turning junk into jewels. (I hope that doesn’t sound too cynical…)

Jason Toon
Shoddy Goods