Thrift Shop Day

Thrift Shop Day is August 17th

While National Thrift Shop Day can be a great way to find high quality items at a lower price, it’s also important to understand the impacts that the fashion industry has on the environment and how thrift shopping can have positive social and environmental impacts.

With fashion being the second largest polluter in the world, national thrift shop day can be a great way to save money and reduce waste. This day serves as a great way to build awareness and discover alternatives that have less of an environmental impact.

Choosing garments that are made from natural and organic fibers can help reduce toxic dyes contaminating the sea and harming the animals that live there. In some countries, garment workers are forced to work incredibly long hours for unlivable wages and are being taken advantage of heavily. These workers are being forced to work in unsafe environments where they are breathing in toxic substances with no ventilation and are dealing with both verbal and physical abuse when they are not able to meet their daily targets (“The fashion industry is the second largest polluter,” n.d).

It’s easy to overlook the toxicity of clothes, but this a chance to educate friends and family on the benefits of supporting local consignment shops.

How to Celebrate and Unite with People on Thrift Shop Day

Purchasing an item second hand means that’s one less item being produced that has costly consequences on the environment, but it also means that you have more room to find unique pieces that no one else is wearing. On this holiday, take a trip with friends and family and turn it into a game. Give everyone a time limit, theme, and amount of money they are allowed to spend in the thrift shop. Afterwards, have a fashion show and have judges vote and give out fun awards for best and worst outfits. This can be a great opportunity to take creative photos to put on social media to laugh at later on.

Aside from having a unique fashion show with friends, groups can also play The Thrift Shop Game. People are put into teams of two and will be given a list of items and tasks to be completed and documented. The teams will send their photos to a moderator and can use apps like Voxer Walkie Talkie app to send their photos in real time. The first team to find the hidden items and complete all of the tasks wins! Afterwards, be sure to support the shop and find a treasure to take home.