When most of us hear the term “compulsive shopper,” we think of Carrie Bradshaw and her giant, department store-sized shoe collection. But as today’s True Life: I’m A Compulsive Shopper shows, the addiction can also have extremely serious consequences. Find out what producers had to say about this shockingly dangerous affliction.
When I told people we were producing a show about people who were addicted to shopping, I got a lot of chuckles and smirks in response. Most people made jokes about themselves or someone they know who is “definitely an addict.” But I wanted to show that for some people, this is an addiction as bad as drugs or alcohol, in terms of the damage it can do to your life, finances, and relationships.
When we were casting, we met a lot of people (almost exclusively women) who said they had a bad shopping habit, but when we met Ali and Gabby we felt like these were people who really take it to a level of addiction. Now that people are seeing the show, most are surprised to find out that it’s got a serious tone, and shocked to see the kind of damage that out-of-control spending can do.
Speaking of which, what did you guys think? Did this True Life forever change the way you’ll look at “compulsive shoppers” from now on?