Govt. launches ‘Thai Helps Thai’ Blue Flag sales back-to-school campaign

The Ministry of Interior’s Department of Provincial Administration, working with the Department of Business Development, has launched the ‘Thai Chuay Thai’ (Thai Helps Thai) initiative today, offering discounted consumer goods and student uniforms at 878 Blue Flag outlets across the country to ease the cost of living ahead of the new school term.

“The campaign aligns with government policy to provide immediate financial relief to households,” said Narucha Kosacivilize, director general of the Department of Provincial Administration.

Narucha issued an urgent order to provincial and district authorities to ensure full readiness for the project's launch.

The primary sales hubs will be located at district offices in all 878 districts.

The initiative has secured the cooperation of major retail and wholesale giants, including Makro, Lotus’s, Big C, Tops and Go Wholesale.

With the new academic year approaching, the May launch features a back to school theme. In addition to daily essentials, the outlets will offer student uniforms and educational supplies at significantly discounted prices.

More than 3,000 essential items will be available, including rice and cooking oil, fresh eggs, detergents and household cleaners, student apparel and stationery.

Narucha stated that the sales will be held every Friday in May.

To increase accessibility, the ministry is expanding the project to major e-commerce and delivery platforms, including Shopee, Lazada, TikTok, GrabMart and LINE MAN.

“The project’s second phase will aim at bolstering local SMEs,” said Narucha.

Approximately 2,000 participating SMEs will be integrated into online platforms to expand their market reach.

To support this transition, the government will provide free shipping for SME products alongside 500,000 discount coupons worth 100 baht each for consumers, while private platforms have agreed to GP fee waivers to further reduce operating costs for vendors.