Customer Reviews

Thrift Score

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I picked the book up, I thought it was going to be a guide of the "tips and tricks" sort. There is enough of that to make the book useful, but what really fed me (other than being able to show my husband that there are legions of others like me out there . . .) was the smart and funny analysis of the Who and Why of thrifting, the sociology and cultural anthropology, if you will allow me to describe something so "lowbrow" as thrifting in such intellectual terms.
Al Hoff's review of different periods of available stuff made me want to go out and BUY! For small change, of course.

I initially bought this book for my wife and started paging through it to take a look. I ended up reading the whole thing. This book has it all, from the philosophy of why people thrift to where to look in the store for those hidden bargains. I hate to admit it, but I think I have been converted into a thrifter. I highly recommend getting this book, but don't wait until you find it in a thrift.

Even before discovering this delightful book, I developed into a thrift-shopping fanatic. My discovery of this book came from my desire to expand on my thrift-shopping philosophy. Naturally, I used libraries and the INTERNET to get more info about this phenomenon. I came across this book.

Before I read it, I told others about my thrifting thirst. I was accused of being "obsessed" with thrift stores. I have been told that thrifting is only for the poor and downtrodden. I continued doing it. Then I read this book. I became excited that "I" am not the only one who thrift shops as a way of life. That made me feel good.

Much of what she discussed in the book, I had discovered before reading the book. However, she did mention things that I had not thought about. This broadened my mind. I also enjoy the history lessons explaining some of what one might encounter in the stores.

There are times when I would recommend checking a book out of the library. However, for those who are inveterate thrifters, or those who have an interest in it, this is a book that should be "bought". This represent an encyclopedia, the "BIBLE"of the thrift philosophy.

This book shows that people who are not rich, can appear to be by buying thrift.

I wish that I could someday meet Al Hoff.

I tried to write a sensible, professional-sounding review, but I just couldn't. Al Hoff is brilliant not just because she can write, but because she can bring across the thrill of the hunt to her readers. I've been thrifting on and off since I was six years old, and Al Hoff knows exactly what it's like to walk into a thrift and wonder what's going to be there this afternoon. Is this the day I finally find the perfect fifties-print summer shirt? Do they have any books with cool covers? After a certain point it slowly takes over your life, until I find myself saying that it doesn't matter whether that cute guy in my Dante class is Catholic like me- but if he thrifts, it could be love.

On a slightly saner note, I've been a dedicated thrifter for years. This leads naturally to a certain amount of knowledge about things like clothing quality, sizes, and loads of random stuff in general, but Al Hoff's wealth of knowledge leaves mine in the dust. She clearly knows what's going on, and it's just as clear that she loves thrifting. If you're looking to find designer clothes for cheap, live within a budget, or dig up collectibles (if you're dedicated enough, and if you know what to look for and how to look for it, you might find some stuff worth money. But you probably won't), then go elsewhere. But if you've ever felt that little shiver down your spine at the sight of the perfect score, get this book. Al Hoff knows exactly what that's like.

Second hand shopping has been second nature to me for as long as I can remember--my mother raised me on thrifting. So while I knew I would enjoy Al Hoff's book, I didn't think I'd learn much I didn't already know. Boy, was I wrong! For example, Al Hoff gives a detailed description of what various clothing fabrics are made of and how to care for them, and even the history behind why certain fabrics were used. (I'm no longer wondering, "Orlon? What the hell is Orlon?") She also tells how to clean up just about anything from sticker gunk to permanent marker so that you can make your old stuff new again. She has really researched her subject with the methodology and thoroughness of a scientist. I especially love this book's wry humor and creativity. The writing is both informative and entertaining. And she goes the extra mile by including such highlights as "Beyond Thrifting"--profiles of impressive people who have turned thrifting from a simple pastime into a mission. Al Hoff also provides a list of movies that have thrifting themes in them. (A bonus for me, as seeing movies is my other favorite pastime...and once again, she lists a few that even I have never heard of.) I haven't read Al Hoff's zine yet, but after reading this book, I am now inspired to order all of the back issues!

I'm not a collector or a pennypincher. I just love "stuff"--old stuff, quirky stuff, unusual stuff. At last I've found a book for somebody like me. Al Hoff doesn't make "investments in collectibles", she doesn't put comic books in plastic bags, and she doesn't try to tell us how to feed and clothe a family of 8 on $50 a month. She just loves to go to thrift stores and find neat stuff. She writes well about the high that comes from finding the perfect thing that you didn't know you needed. And she has some great ideas on what to *do* with all your great stuff once you get it home. Have a tiki party! Cover an entire wall with big-eye paintings! Set yourself up an all-metal office! If this sounds like fun to you (and it sure does to me!) then you'll probably love this book as much as I do. This is the best book I've read in the past year.

Al Hoff's #1 gift is her ability to bring to life the intangible thrill of the hunt that is the narcotic base of the thrift-store game. Her writing is so good that she could easily get by on style and no substance, but her #2 gift is to use the first gift to impart actual information. I learned more from this book than I ever knew I needed to know, both on practicalities like judging old fabrics and furniture and on esoterica like the history of big-eye paintings.

This book is definitely not for the grimly practical (as the few negative reviews below indicate.) It's fun, fun, fun, and it always gets my thrifting blood up. I re-read it often, and nearly every time I do I'm prompted to take another trip to Sal's Boutique.

The bad overhead music, the bins of discarded records, the dim lighting and strange smells...Al Hoff has managed to capture the essence of the thrifting experience, and at the same time provide her readers with helpful tips on scoring big at the Goodwill. Thrift Score, which grew from Ms. Hoff's zine of the same name (and with 80 percent new material), is a delight for anyone who has ever experienced the joy of finding a perfectly good dress for two bits, or a mint Esquivel record for a buck. She includes everything a thrifting junkie could ever need-- from hints on spot removal, to ideas for theme parties (outfitted entirely with thrifted objects, of course.) This book is a celebration of the excitement of discovery, which is the essence of the thrifting lifestyle. Now get this book and hop on down to your local Salvation Army to donate to charity!

As a card-carrying ex-Thrift Score fanzine subscriber I was delighted to see Al branch out and write what has to be the ultimate book on Thrifting, if not the ONLY one! It's certainly most comphrensive and offers more than just tips for shopping, it's a whole lifestyle guide for creative-living on a budget...

Topics covered include: I (heart) K-Tel Records, Supermarket of Art, The Manly Den - The Lost Room, Electrical Kitchen Appliances - the Good, the Bad & The Ugly. Full of helpful tips and marvellously funny throughout. Thrift On!

AL HOFF, publisher of ThriftSCORE, the zine about thriftin', a foremost authority on shopping at the thrifts, has packed some of her vast knowledge into a very fun and useful book from HarperPerennial, THRIFT SCORE, THE STUFF, THE METHOD, THE MADNESS! If you like thrift stores or have secretly wondered what goes on inside, if you lust after neat stuff you know you could never buy new, if you're into cocktail, Tiki, and other cool pop culture, if you ever coveted your neighbor's neat knickknacks, or if you want solid info about how to look for good stuff for every room in your house, then ... this book is for you! The book, like the zine, is distinguished by good writing that's witty AND informative: Al did a lot of research and it's presented in a fun-to-read fashion with the keen eye that members of the Thrift Army have come to love. The book is NOT about tightwadding or pennypinching, it's NOT one of those boring guides to distinguishing obscure antiques, and there's no vain boasting about finding haute couture for pocket change. Here's my disclaimer: I know Ms. Hoff; she's thrifted in every corner in this country and some outside of it, and her house in Pittsburgh is a museum of amazing thrift treasures. She knows of what she what she writes. The book has a good attitude, and reading it yields plenty of entertaining, why-didn't-I-think-of-that insights.