Thrifty Drug Stores are no longer part of the Southern California landscape, but the ice cream still is. Thrifty Ice Cream, a beloved El Monte-based brand served in Rite Aid stores. The ice cream’s famous cylinder-shaped scoops were first sold in Thrifty drug stores for decades.
Rite Aid bought Thrifty in the mid-1990s, and kept the scoop shops inside many drug stores, including those in Southern California. It’s biggest fans are those who recall buying a single scoop for as low as 5 or 10 cents in the 1970s and 1980s.
Even today, the ice cream is inexpensive compared to rivals. A single scoop costs $1.29, while a triple scoop is $2.49.
“Thrifty’s ice cream is by far the best,” one reader wrote. “And you can’t beat the price.”
And apparently you can’t beat the taste.