So you don’t want to spend $99.99 on an inflatable T-Rex costume, just to have your arms outgrow it next Halloween. That’s fair. Doug Roxburgh of the Goodwill Industries of Alberta says most thrift stores across the province see a surge in customers looking for an easy, last-minute costume to throw together for that end-of-October celebration each year. The trick, he added, is to work with what you have. “People are looking for affordability and their one-off costumes,” he said on Friday – where he was dressed as a “nice Canadian lumberjack,” which was essentially a plaid shirt, beard and toque. Roxburgh himself once threw together a leather jacket, cut an old toque into a crown and went as Jughead from the Archie comics. “It’s all about exploring imagination. I take my kids to thrift stores to shop for Halloween costumes every single year because they tend to not know what they want, then they all of a sudden see something and they start piecing things together.” Leah Verhulst, who works at local shop Karries Kostumes, says the advent of same-day delivery has some putting their costumes off even longer – meaning the days right before Halloween are typically the store’s busiest time. “It’s often, oh my gosh, Amazon isn’t going to come in time, or my costume doesn’t fit, or it’s just awful. Karries Kostumes, please save us,” she said. “This year we’ve had a lot of variety. Not a lot of repeat costumes, but usually always movie stuff. Like, Toy Story. A lot of Dolly Partons this year.” She says small accessories paired with items or makeup you already have is a solid way to save some money. “Adding the accessories is usually what we suggest … I think it’s actually a lot better to add your own touch to things.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
