It's prime shopping time for Halloween costumes, and it brings the busiest season of the year for Goodwill North Central Texas and its 27 retail locations.
"Goodwill is your Halloween headquarters. We really take Halloween very seriously as a staff and as a company," said Shay Dial Johnson, vice president of community engagement for Goodwill North Central Texas.
The nonprofit takes the season so seriously, it commissions an annual Halloween survey.
"Three in four Americans (74%) plan to celebrate Halloween this year. The most popular ways people plan to celebrate include giving out candy to trick-or-treaters (41%), wearing a costume or dressing up (34%), decorating their homes (34%) and attending a party (either in-person or virtual) with family/friends (24%)," the survey said.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
From an 80s wedding day theme to costumes for kids that won't break the bank, Goodwill shared pictures of what its teams can do.
"His and her costumes are always fun. You can go back to the 70s and find bell-bottoms and bright-colored shirts and Hawaiian shirts. Or, say you want to be the Beach Boys. You can find all of those things in our stores," Johnson said.
Not sure how to pull together a look? Staff members are trained in how to create the right costume at the right price.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"We've got costume cards we send out to our team members so they know. If you're looking to be a witch, they're going to take you over to some black dresses. They're going to find you some cool tights in our new good sections. They're going to get you all dressed out and ready to go," Johnson said.
The Goodwill Halloween Survey found Halloween costumes based on pop culture trends or characters from TV, movies, video games or books are the most popular among respondents planning to dress up this year. Twenty-eight percent preferred these kinds of costumes this year, followed by iconic Halloween costumes, such as witches, ghosts, zombies or werewolves (25%), and very unique, one-of-a-kind costumes (24%).
"DIY is just more fun. Anyone can go to the store and buy the costume, but when you put it together and put your own spin on it, it makes it a lot more fun," Johnson said. "Everybody jumps on Pinterest and Facebook and comes up with, 'Oh, I wish I could do that. I wish I could put together that outfit for a Halloween costume.' You can do that at Goodwill, and you're going to spend pennies on the dollar doing that."
In addition to the donated items, Goodwill stores also sell new costumes and decor, Johnson said.
"Everything is not used. We have a great section of new merchandise. it's right in the front of the store. Clothing items, things you might not want to buy used; a wig, undergarments, things like that. And, remember if it hits our sales floor, it's not going to be gross. It's going to be in good quality condition. So once you get it home, throw it in the washing machine and you're good to go," Johnson said.
"Come shop at Goodwill. We are your Halloween headquarters and you're gonna be shopping with a purpose when you do it."
About Goodwill North Central Texas
Goodwill is more than a thrift store. The largest employer of people with disabilities in the world, Goodwill believes that work has the power to transform lives by building self-confidence, independence, creativity, trust and friendships. Everyone deserves this chance.
Goodwill North Central Texas is based in Fort Worth and serves 18 counties in the region.
