Thrift Score

by Al Hoff

Shopping is America's No. 1 pastime, but nothing beats the thrill of thrift shopping, The lowest prices! One-of-a-kind items! Oddities from the past! Let All Hoff, a 20-year veteran of the thrift-store wars, tell you why you must always check the toy section (thrifts stick the best weird stuff there) or how to try on clothes in the aisle without showing your underwear! Thrift Score is packed with fun Learn the origins of thrift-store perennials like plastic dinnerware, polyester shirts and paint-by-number masterpieces. Get smart about buying used clothes. Discover new uses for previously overlooked items like bowling balls and Herb Alpert records. See how easy it is to gather up common thrift items and throw fabulous theme parties -- Tiki Party tonight! New Wave Party tomorrow! Marvel at the folly of dead fads like designer jeans, CB radio and fondue. Thrift Score is a funny, useful book no serious thrifter or thrifter wannabe should be without.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, How To

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1997

Reviews

[WORN Fashion Journal]

It all started when I was a kid. I would walk to the convenience store, get a blue raspberry lollipop filled with gum, and head to the thrift store a couple shops down in the strip mall, where I would peruse stacks of used books and feed my Archie comic addiction with their huge selection. I poked around other parts of the shop—at furniture, wicker baskets, old wedding dresses—but I wasn’t interested in that stuff yet. As I grew older, moved around, and found new thrift stores, the sections I checked changed: black clothes to cut up and safety-pin back together when I had just started high school; boots, belts, and shoes; dresses to alter once I started sewing, cassette tapes for when I got my car, and vinyl to play when my roommates had record players. Over time, I learned that the key was to check every section and leave your trip open to the thrill of discovery.

[image error]

Now imagine someone who has dedicated most of his or her life to learning these tricks of the trade, someone who can perfectly describe the thrill of the hunt, the ever-growing mental list of things you want to find, the triumphs and tribulations of searching for that perfect item amongst the discarded. Al Hoff is that person, and reading Thrift Score feels like sitting down and listening to a real thrift expert funneling years of that knowledge straight into your brain. In her introduction, Hoff mentions that the content of Thrift Score is as varied as what you might find in a thrift store, and this observation is apt. Chock full of facts, tips, and trivia, it’s hard to believe so much information can be crammed into one book.

[image error]

The first section of Thrift Score talks about thrifting as a concept, describes its history, and includes some basic strategies for when you hit the store. The rest of the chapters are divided into “rooms” for convenience (kitchen, bedroom, patio/pool, entertainment, etc). The tone of the book retains the intimate feeling of a zine, full of personal stories, thrifting anecdotes, trivia about all manner of things you might find in a second-hand store, and the typical ponderings that all thrifters contemplate (why are there so many macramé owls in this world?).

You can definitely feel that the book is based on a zine – it’s full of side panels, lists, facts in the margin, and pictures with funny captions. Although the whole thing is well organized into multiple chapters, headings and subheadings, at first glance the sheer quantity of information can feel somewhat overwhelming. But, happily, the book’s format lends itself to dipping in and out whenever you feel like it (today I’ll learn about dead fads! Or choosing a cookbook! Or throwing a theme party! Or decorating a living room using only orange items!).

[image error]

I am an inveterate thrifter, as are many of my friends. If you’re in this crazy boat with us, you’ll probably enjoy a flip through Thrift Score. It’s a great reference if you’re ever looking to purchase something specific (since it includes tips on how to buy quality items in each category) or planning a theme party (there are tons of ideas on to do it on the cheap), or just looking to impress your friends with your knowledge about the collectible lunch box craze. Trying to describe what lies within Thrift Score is like trying to list every item in a thrift store at any given moment. You’ll just have to trust me when I say it’s worth it to take a look, even if thrifting isn’t your thing. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty—you never know what kind of treasure you might uncover buried amongst everything else.
reviewed by Ave Smith

[Ciara · Rating 3 out of 5]

based on the zine of the same name. this book is so old! it came out twelve years ago. i never sought it out because i don't actually shop all that often, at thrift stores or anywhere else, but i stumbled across it at the library & figured i'd give it a read in homage to zines of the 90s. it was actually pretty funny & sometimes offered some good tips for finding cool stuff at thrift stores, & a lot of the theme party ideas were awesome! i really like the idea of an enormous lamp party, where everyone brings the biggest lamp they can find at the thrifts, & whoever brings the smallest lamp has to take all the lamps home. that poor bastard.

some of the book was woefully outdated due to its advanced age. many of the hot thrift scores of the mid-to-late 90s have faded back into obscurity, or never end up in the thrifts anymore, or are just considered useless junk. you almost never see 8-tracks at the thrifts because the heyday of 8-tracks was just too long ago. ditto on CB radio supplies. stuff with an electronics component has a lot of built-in obsolescence. hoff recommends stocking up on all the sweet 80s records filtering into shops in the mid-90s, but now that stuff flies out of the bins, leaving nothing but millions & millions of barbra streisand records in its wake. perhaps most amusing, there is a section on finding dieting books & old exercise equipment at the thrifts. hoff writes about the utterly bizarre health-oblivious diet fads that have swept the nation in years past, including the 70s craze for the atkins all-meat no-carbs diet. "yeah, that'll make you lose weight. eat nothing but steaks! give me a break!" just a few years after this book was published, atkins was back! & to think you could have been two steps ahead of the curve by shopping the thrifts.

there is also a lot of practical info in here about how to gauge the quality of a vintage garment, how to repair small tears or other problems, how to fix broken lamps, etc etc. who knew thrifting could get so technical? even better were the bizarre & hilarious non-sequitors, like when hoff advises against stocking your living room with bookcase with an excess of complex science books lest visitors to your home ask the hard questions, like, "why don't frogs drown?"

[Wendi WDM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. It was exactly what I was looking for. The author's voice is fresh and funky. Photographs were included.

The author broke down thrifting by room. Gave ideas of things to look out for and how to use them, and even new unconventional ways of using old items.

The author also included fun stories of other Thrifters and the things they do with their collections. My favorite story was about a guy who collects everything 1950s. He photographs himself dressed up as this invented family, The Kimball's, and throws cocktail parties, bbqs, etc using all of his collections. It's quite hilarious.

I really loved this book. I'm going to have to get a copy for myself and start to think about what I want for my own home. I love the idea of thrifting and making someone else's discard a treasure for my own home. This book is the best companion for anyone who is into thrifting.

I gave it a four out of five stars only because I do wish the photographs had been in color.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I legitimately enjoyed reading Thrift Score and am sad to have finished. Yes, the book is somewhat dated now and the items “regularly found at thrifts” have changed (VHS is the new 8-track). But I don’t care! Thrift Score is shockingly well-written and pretty damn funny. Al Hoff’s tone is delightful and the book is well thought-out and researched. Usually books of this ilk are short on content and don’t really merit any length beyond a magazine article. That’s not the case here. I didn’t know I wanted to read a history of designer jeans or the relation between thrift stores and various counter-culture movements, but all the “tangents” of Thrift Score are interesting and fun to read. Plus, there are plenty of general thrifting tips that are still helpful today. So, for whatever its worth, I (a complete stranger with internet access) recommend that you read it.

[Prima Seadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I loved the humor in it.
When it first came out a friend and I went to see her read. It was fun to meet and chat plus going to a suburban mall bookstore (now out of business chain) was surreal.
It's kind of out of date now as far as practical information goes. Thrifting has changed a lot in 20 some years, crappier stuff, higher prices, but bargains are still to be found.

I still have my entire set of the Thrift Score zines plus all the great extras that would show up in the packet, still enjoyable and funny .

[Kristi (OneBookMore) · Rating 5 out of 5]

How I love you, Al Hoff. We are soul sisters, for sure. I greatly enjoyed this encyclopedic look into the wonderful world of thrifting. It was written in the 90s, and she talks a lot about how annoying it is that a lot of the "good stuff" gets snagged up by resellers. I am dying to know what she thinks about the present day advent of etsy, which never fails to make me weep for all of the cool stuff that I didn't find first.

[Dorise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about thrifting obsession and fun, written by the creator of a popular zine called ThriftSCORE.

[Myk Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool to read about someone with a shared passion, and she truly care deeply about thrifting, but the book could use some work. Now, it's outdated. But even besides that, a lot of the book is a collection of rants on subjects that are unlikely to be of interest to the reader (eg used bathing suits, gross) and when describing a lot of the stranger items, there are not pictures/diagrams, just "that thing with the..." sort of description. I'm not putting bowling bowls in my garden, buying half completed paint-by-numbers is strange, and why do you have 50 lamps? But still, all thrifters are strange, and it was enjoyable to read about her strangeness. Overall, probably better as a work of thrift reference than a read-straight-through; unless you are new to the world of thrift. She did include some great breakdowns on different fabrics, and funny party ideas. Doesn't seem like there are too many great thrifting books out there, so no reason to be too critical of this one.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun, quirky book about thrift store shopping. She covers all the good reasons to thrift shop from saving money and more style accessiblity to recycling/being green. She goes from zero to sixty in under 300 pages.
There are chapters that cover trends in fashion, household items and decor. How collectibles are born. A brief history of thrift stores. Most fun are her "spot profiles" she does on specific people. Two examples are the artist that sneaks his art into the Salvation Army and a gentleman that buys for a restaurant chain!
A yardsale veteran myself, I learned a lot. It's the perfect read during the "off season"!

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I had higher hopes for this book. I wasn't disappointed per se, but I didn't find a whole lot of information that I didn't already know. The author certainly makes a case for having some entertaining parties based around various thrift store finds. She also presents some (a few!) ideas for re-purposing commonly found thrift store items. If you are a frequent thrift store shopper, then you probably know most of the tips contained herein. If you're a newbie, then this is the book for you.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You ever read a book and you're like, I could have written that! Well, I could have written this if I was a motivated and passionate about thrifting as Al Hoff. The knowledge, the nuance, so much about thrifting that most people will never grasp...it's all there and was so familiar to me. This book is for you if you thrift store shopped pre-Grunge, not so much if you actually think that The Buffalo Exchange is a thrift store.

[Caitlin N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. The author is a bit like that well-meaning friend who always tells stories and thinks they're hilarious. Everyone puts up with them because they're goodhearted, but everyone secretly wishes they'd just leave because they're really not funny.

I guess if you're a DIE HARD thrifter or something, this could be a great book for you. I love thrifting, but it doesn't consume my life. Thrifting is this woman's life. So... Didn't love the book. It was kind of corny and overenthusiastic.

[Melissa Massello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Featured in 35 Budget Living Picks for National Book Lovers Day on ShoestringMag.com :

"The original thrift share/thrift haul writer, Al Hoff is like a David Sedaris for serious secondhand bargain hunters. Learn the history of the odd and weird stuff we all find in thrift stores — and what it all may be worth."

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually quite good, especially given that it was written more than 20 years ago. (Hello, e-zines!) Engaging, interesting, some fun ideas. Well worth reading if you're a thrifter (although some of the prices mentioned might fill you with jealousy).

#15 in my read-through-the-bookshelf challenge.

[Lilit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing must-read to inspire all thrift-store junkies and those not yet fully converted. With the economy going the way it is, why not contribute to local charity, save $, and recycle by creating something with the stuff you buy?

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting and entertaining read. Loved it!