What Happened to Thrifty Ice Cream? Massive Closures Draw Public Outcry

Nostalgia can mean a million things to a million different people. But there are a few experiences that seem fairly universal in the realm of nostalgia and memories: lying on the ground looking at clouds, drinking lemonade or Kool-Aid during the summer, popsicles, bikes, hose water, and the smell of cut grass all seem to be part of the collective consciousness when we think back on years ago and the World that Was.

And there's one thing that many people also recall enjoying as children: Thrifty Ice Cream. Located in Rite Aid stores across the United States, the beloved brand offers premium ice cream at discount prices. But in 2025, Rite Aid announced massive closures of the beloved ice cream counters that left fans of the brand devastated. So what happened to Thrifty Ice Cream? Here's the scoop.

Rite Aid has been struggling for years, and it's not alone. As Yahoo! Finance reported in May 2025, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS were all forced to close stores amid financial woes.

Drugstores across the country have been struggling as alternative options, and drug prices have made the traditional pharmacy less appealing.

Unfortunately for Thrifty Ice Cream fans, that means that Rite Aid has been forced to announce the closure of 500 Thrifty Ice Cream stores across the United States, according to Newsweek.

Rite Aid filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in early May 2025, and the shuttering of the ice cream stores is an attempt to limit expenses.

They will also be selling off stores to settle debts, and auctioning off assets and intellectual property in pursuit of that process, according to the outlet.

Luckily, the product will still be available in stand-alone stores and counters in other retailers, at least for now. And depending on who buys the brand, the future of the company could be very bright indeed.

While the future of the brand is far from decided, fans across the country have reacted to the news that Thrifty would be largely shuttering with nothing short of devastation.

On TikTok, users shared videos of themselves rushing to the store to grab a last-minute Thrifty Ice Cream delight before their local store shuttered, only to find shelves sparse or even bare.

In one video, a user describes their reaction as "screaming, crying, throwing up" after they discovered the freezers empty.

While it may seem like a little bit of an overreaction to some, the brand has been around since 1940 and has become a beloved staple for many people. Under one video, a user mourned, "All my childhood memories are getting closed."

For now, fans of the brand can seek it out in other retailers and hope for the best when it comes to auctioning off the product. After all, there are a number of successful ice cream brands out there that could breathe new life into the Thrifty brand.