SPRINGFIELD – What used to be known as just the day after Thanksgiving has turned into Black Friday, where consumers show up to stores in droves hoping to score the best deals on a variety of items.

Stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy aren’t the only ones offering Black Friday deals, though. This year Dakin Humane Society in Springfield is offering those in need of pet supplies or gifts the chance to fill up a bag for $5 at their Diamonds in the Ruff Thrift Store.

Director of Development and Marketing for Dakin, Stacey Price, said this is the first time in years that they’re offering a traditional shopping event on Black Friday rather than reduced adoption fees.

Historically, she said, “shelters were running discount adoption fees” on Black Friday and “it brought adopters out in droves.” Now, Price said, the shelter has “high adoption rates year round.”

“Five to 10 years ago a lot of shelters were facing overpopulation, since then because the community has rallied around adoption, that’s not the case any longer,” she told Reminder Publishing. She said this year Dakin decided to “eliminate the animal component” of the sale “because of the population we have on the floor.”

More recently, she noted a “newer challenge is animals with some kind of special need” such as medical or behavioral issues that need to be attended to before the animal can go up for adoption. Now, she said, “It’s not that we have too many [animals], it’s about finding the right adopter.”

While this is the first time Dakin is hosting the event as a Black Friday sale, it’s not the first time they’ve done this type of sale. Price said the staff at Dakin will begin setting up for the sale on the evening of Nov. 27 as they are closed Thanksgiving Day. Dakin will open for the sale at 12:30 p.m. on Nov. 29.

The thrift store offers a variety of gently used or new pet items including leashes, beds, treats, crates, toys and even clothes for your pet. In addition to pet items, Price said the store also offers a variety of home goods and knick-knacks. However, the thrift store does not sell furniture or clothes for people.

Everything in the store is donated and has been “fully volunteer run” for the last 10 years. She said, “It was started by a mother, daughter team Karen and Pearl Patino, who are still with us running it.” She explained the shop is a great help financially for Dakin as it brings it thousands of dollars each year.

“It has brought in $400,000 roughly to the shelter, between $50,000 to $60,000 a year,” she noted. She said it also serves as a “really good way to give back.” Price explained a “touching” part of the store is the animal supplies donated by those who pets have passed away, but “want to give back.”

She said the store is a “good place to shop” for those looking for gifts for their pet or for someone else. She noted the items “are a bit of a discounted rate,” so it is a good opportunity for those with new animals to get toys for their pets while still learning their preferences.

Donations for the store are accepted any time Dakin is open, but they do not accept bedding, clothing, shoes, books, DVDs, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, electronics, exercise equipment or large furniture. A list of pet and household items that are accepted can be found online at https://www.dakinhumane.org/thrift-store.html.

Dakin has also recently set up an eBay page, which Price said they hope to use to reach people that can’t physically come into the thrift store. The eBay page, however, will not be taking part in the sale. The page can be found online at https://www.ebay.com/usr/dakinshop.

The sale will only be taking place at the Springfield location on 117 Union St. Dakin will be providing bags for the sale.