Many companies and bloggers are reminding the public of the impact of buying secondhand clothes in honour of National Thrift Shop Day.

The history of the day dates back to the late nineteenth century when the United States experiences a massive cultural shift once the Industrial Revolution started mass producing clothes and goods. People moved to urban areas only increasing the rate of production of new clothes and throwing away old clothes, the idea of owning something which was previously owned by someone showed lower social class.

Christian ministries created thrift stores such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill to help immigrants, the homeless and the disabled.

A Thredup report predicts that secondhand will grow by 127 per cent by 2026, with the fastest growth expected to occur this year at 24 per cent. Currently, North America is the global leader in secondhand apparel market growth.

"Thrifting is good for the planet, the budget and anyone interested in fashion," says Shannon in a news release from The Salvation Army. "I call my refashions 'Getting the trend without the spend' and often fashion them after a piece I have seen in a magazine or online. I also love thrifting because you don't have to adhere to current fashion concepts, but rather give it your own twist. I often will donate back, which continues the cycle for someone else to use and enjoy."

Secondhand fashion displaced nearly 1 billion new clothing purchases in 2021 that normally would have been bought new and two in three consumers believe their choice of shopping at thrift stores is making an impact on the world.

"I've been doing it for 20 years or so," says Sherri Hill, Store Manager at Winnipeg Super Thrift. "It's an adventure every day because it's donations, we never know what's coming in or what we're going to have and people are always really excited for all the new treasures that they're finding. I love it. Thrift is a very unique and fun business and the people here just love it."

Winnipeg Super Thrift is having a sale of 25 per cent off the whole store, except for new mattresses and frames.

"If you go online today to our Facebook page and tell us what your favourite thrift treasure has been that you've bought at Super Thrift, you have an opportunity to win a $25 gift certificate for the store. We're giving away two tomorrow so you have all day today to answer that question and we will be calling the winners tomorrow."

Other thrift stores throughout the city have sales in the stores in honour of National Thrift Shop Day.

Green Matters, a lifestyle media company dedicated to promoting sustainable lifestyles and innovation offers tips for first-time thrifters:

  • Come in with a wish list. That way, you won't feel the need to browse every single item on every single rack, and you can just focus on the sections on your list.
  • Maker sure to check the discount of the day. Many thrift stores, including Goodwills, offer a discount on items tagged with a certain colour each day—so look for the sign when you enter letting customers know what color is on sale that day.
  • Ignore size labels. Thrift store stock clothing produced at all different points throughout history when sizing may have fun differently; clothing originally sold in other countries where sizes run differently; and clothing that has been significantly altered. So don't let the size on the tag stop you from trying on an item you like.
  • Bring a reusable bag. Reduce even more waste—save money on a bag fee, which many secondhand stores have—by bringing your own reusable shopping bag for your purchases.
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