The Thrifty Ice Cream Scoop: Why This Cylindrical Scooper Has a Cult Following (And Where to Buy One)

We linked the Thrifty ice cream scooper in a post about a blind taste test. Nothing fancy — no dedicated review, no buying guide, no SEO strategy built around it. Just a mention in passing.

The internet ate through the inventory anyway.

That tells you something about this tool. People were not stumbling onto that post looking for a throwback taste test — they were already looking for the scooper. They knew exactly what it was. They grew up with it. They wanted it sitting in their kitchen drawer, and when they finally found a link, they clicked it without blinking.

That kind of demand deserves its own story.

What Makes the Thrifty Scoop Different

Most ice cream scoops produce a sphere. A dome. A round lump that rolls around in the bowl, tips off the cone, and lands on your shoes. The Thrifty scoop does none of that.

The Borun brothers — who founded the original Thrifty Drug Stores — commissioned a cylindrical barrel-shaped scoop specifically designed so workers could use their body weight instead of arm strength to press into frozen ice cream. That was the insight. Ice cream pulled straight from the freezer is hard. Scooping it the traditional way is a physical effort, especially for smaller staff working long shifts. The design let any employee push the scooper straight down, use body weight to drive it flush with the surface, turn it 90 degrees, and pull up — producing a perfectly formed cylinder every single time.

The result was not just ergonomic. It became iconic.

Instead of a ball that could roll away or tip off a cone, the cylindrical scoop produces a flat puck of ice cream that stacks cleanly and sits stable. Stack two flavors. Stack three. None of them are going anywhere. That stability is part of why the scoops looked the same in every Thrifty counter, every day, for decades.

The mechanics are simple: press the scooper down until the top of the cylinder is flush with the surface of the ice cream, give it a quarter turn, pull up — two prongs hold the ice cream in place until you squeeze the spring-powered trigger to release it directly onto your cone or into your dish.

No wrist strain. No digging. No fighting a rock-hard pint. You press down, you turn, you trigger. Every scoop comes out the same.

The Rite Aid Collapse and What It Means for Thrifty

Here is the part nobody wanted to write.

Rite Aid, which acquired the Thrifty brand in 1996, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2023. Then again in May 2025. The second filing was a liquidation — not a restructuring. Hundreds of stores closed. The ice cream counters inside them closed with them. Generations of West Coast kids who grew up making a detour past the pharmacy counter on the way to the checkout lane lost their local scoop source overnight.

As part of the bankruptcy proceedings, Thrifty Ice Cream — along with the El Monte manufacturing facility that has been producing ice cream since 1976 — was put up for auction. The winning bid came from Hilrod Holdings, a company tied to Monster Beverage Corporation executives Hilton Schlosberg and Rodney Sacks, who paid $19.2 million for the brand.

What Hilrod plans to do with Thrifty is not yet public. The El Monte factory is still operating. The ice cream is still available in tubs at grocery retailers including Albertsons and Vons, and scoop counters still exist in select locations across California and Arizona. The official Thrifty website is active and selling branded merchandise directly.

Whether the new owners rebuild the counter presence, expand retail distribution, or take the brand in an entirely different direction remains to be seen. Monster Beverage built an empire on a product that became a cult item before it became mainstream — there is an argument that Thrifty is exactly the kind of brand that playbook was designed for.

For now, the scooper itself is what the internet keeps looking for. And that part, at least, you can still get.

Where to Buy the Thrifty Ice Cream Scooper Right Now

Direct from Thrifty’s Own Shop

The official scooper — the same patented stainless steel design that has been serving cylindrical scoops since the 1940s — is available directly through shop.thriftyicecream.com. This is the original. If you want the branded version and want to support the brand directly, that is where to go. (Note: we do not earn a commission on that link — it’s there because it’s the right answer.)

Amazon — Cylindrical Scooper Alternatives

Amazon stock on Thrifty-branded versions moves fast and tends to go to resellers at unpredictable availability. While that shakes out, there are solid alternatives that produce the identical cylindrical result using the same barrel-and-trigger design:

The Thrifty-style cylindrical scooper is the most direct equivalent — same old-style barrel design, same trigger release, same cylindrical puck result. If the branded version is sold out, this is what you want.

For anyone buying for a household with enthusiastic ice cream opinions, the two-pack version makes sense. Two scoopers, same mechanism, and you stop fighting over who goes first at the tub.

The honest take: the mechanism is what matters here, not the logo on the handle. The Borun brothers designed a tool that works. The copies work the same way because they are using the same basic design. Push down, turn 90 degrees, pull up, trigger. The ice cream does not know the difference.

What to Scoop With It

The obvious answer is Thrifty ice cream — specifically Chocolate Malted Krunch, which won our blind taste test against Ben & Jerry’s without much drama. The malted crunch texture holds up beautifully in the cylindrical format. The ridged exterior of the scoop gives you something to bite through before the ice cream itself.

Thrifty tubs are still available at Albertsons, Vons, and grocery retailers across the Southwest. If you are not in that region, the scooper still has a job to do. It works on any ice cream firm enough to hold shape — premium pints, store-brand half gallons, whatever is in your freezer.

Beyond ice cream: mashed potato portions, cookie dough balls, rice, anything soft where a uniform cylinder is useful. The trigger release keeps your hands clean and the portions consistent.

The one rule: do not run the scooper under hot water. Let the ice cream sit on the counter for ten minutes if it is straight from the deep freeze. The tool does its job — you just have to give the ice cream a minute to cooperate.

The Full Taste Test

The origin story — the blind showdown between Thrifty’s Chocolate Malted Krunch and Ben & Jerry’s, the verdict, and how a scooper link in a taste test post managed to sell out Amazon inventory — is all documented in The Ice Cream Showdown. Read it, then come back here and order the scooper.

FAQ: The Thrifty Ice Cream Scooper

What is so special about the Thrifty ice cream scoop?

The Thrifty scooper is a cylindrical barrel-shaped tool that uses body weight instead of arm strength to press into hard ice cream. It produces a uniform cylindrical puck rather than a ball, which stacks cleanly on cones and does not roll around in the bowl. It has been the tool behind every Thrifty scoop since the 1940s and carries genuine nostalgic weight, particularly on the West Coast.

How do you use a Thrifty cylindrical ice cream scooper?

Press the open cylinder straight down into the ice cream until the rim is flush with the surface. Rotate it 90 degrees, then pull it straight up. The internal prongs grip the ice cream cylinder. Position the scooper over your cone or dish and squeeze the trigger to release it cleanly.

Where can I buy a Thrifty ice cream scoop?

The official branded scooper is available directly at shop.thriftyicecream.com. Cylindrical alternatives using the same barrel-and-trigger design are available on Amazon with more consistent availability.

What happened to Thrifty Ice Cream after Rite Aid closed?

Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy twice — in 2023 and again in 2025 — and ultimately liquidated, closing hundreds of store locations and the ice cream counters inside them. The Thrifty brand and its El Monte manufacturing facility were sold at auction for $19.2 million to Hilrod Holdings, a company connected to Monster Beverage Corporation executives. The brand is still operating, still producing ice cream, and still available at select grocery retailers and scoop counters in California and Arizona. What the new owners plan to do with it long-term has not been announced.

Is the Thrifty ice cream scooper the same as the one used in the stores?

Yes. The branded scooper sold through the Thrifty shop is the same patented barrel-and-trigger design used at the in-store counters since the 1940s. The stainless steel construction and cylindrical mechanics are identical to the commercial version.

What size is a Thrifty ice cream scoop?

A standard Thrifty scoop produces roughly a three-ounce cylinder of ice cream — comparable to a generous single scoop at most parlors. The cylindrical shape makes portions more consistent than traditional round scoopers, which vary depending on technique.

Can the Thrifty scooper be used for things other than ice cream?

Yes. The cylindrical design works for mashed potatoes, cookie dough portioning, rice balls, ice cream sandwich construction, and any soft food where a uniform cylinder shape is useful. The trigger release keeps your hands clean.