Thrifty Business Review - Junk in the Trunk

Seren
May 18
8 min read

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0m9z6J-ikk

Us Brits love a bargain! I’m not too sure what the thrifting scene is like over the big pond, but it seems our culture is currently dominated by buying things secondhand. And so it should be; consumerism is often poisonous to say the least, and I am one of its many victims (please don’t look at my blind box collection). But the thrill of hunting books down in charity shops and using Vinted to piece together an outfit for a fraction of the price are just some of the ways we have attempted to counterbalance this consumerist nightmare. And let’s face it, it’s fun to find a hidden gem tucked away within all the questionable-looking items people have donated. Thrifty Business, coming to us from Spellgarden Games, gives off a similar satisfaction but in the form of a video game.

Thrifty Business is a shop management simulator developed by Spellgarden Games. If that name sounds familiar to you, it's because they released Ritual of Raven in 2025, which was one of my favourite games of last year. Some of you cozy fans out there may also recall Sticky Business, which dropped in 2023. In their newest game, you will give homes to people’s old belongings, from crockery, toys, clothing, and so much more. The premise is simple; you have taken over Ingrid’s shop so she can move to London. Funny, it's normally people escaping the big city, not running towards it. She hasn’t left much for you to work with and by that I mean she leaves you NOTHING. You’re on your own, kid. It’s up to you to peddle your wares and bring the community together through fulfilling people’s requests, holding events, and decorating the shop, which makes for a really good time.

If you’ve played this developer's games before, or at least a few similarly themed cozy releases, you’ll be right at home with the gameplay flow. Each day begins with purchasing second-hand items from sellers. Players will receive a random collection of boxes categorized into groups, which gives you an idea of the types of items you’ll be receiving. For example, the kitchen group will include plates, baking tools, and utensils. At the start, I bought anything and everything I could get my hands on. However, as gameplay progresses, you’ll need to be a bit more careful with your choices.

There are a LOT of items on offer. As the hours ticked by on what amounts to a roughly 10-hour business adventure, I was still coming across objects I had never seen before. So yes, there is a good amount of variety in what you obtain, but there is also a fair bit of repetition to be had because of how quickly you sell and need to replenish items. In recent patches, the developers added more wares to counter this problem, but I still found myself with a lot of the same bits and bobs that I had previously come across which were simply recolored. I began steering clear of buying boxes labeled as ‘household’ in fear of pulling another hammer or screwdriver. Turns out I have enough tools in my life as it is. Regardless, after you’ve gotten your packages of assorted goods, it's time to display them!

The game gives you plenty of opportunity to expand from your small base room given at the start, which is good news as your new addiction to buying boxes means you need a lot of space. To display your wares, you can buy different shelves, bookcases, tables, and clothing rails. Items will snap to the shelves and can then be rotated so that you can be as neat and organized as you want. Not a neat freak? Choose violence instead and chuck your Furby next to the microwave. The space can also be customized using decorations, different wallpapers, and more. You’ll steadily unlock additional themed furniture as you progress using community points.

Community points are a tally of credits you get at the start of each shift. When you have an abundance of certain groups of items, that group will level up, enticing more customers to buy. Those points can then be used to scratch off themed sticker cards that will give you supplies to customize your shop with. The system can feel like a bit of a grind. It was a pain to have to spend somewhere around 200 points to finally get an oak wood display shelf as one example, but the many unlockable themes and knick-knacks are varied and fun, allowing for different rooms in my shop to look unique. I loved arranging my retro queer-coded room in particular so that I could display kids’ toys and craft items.

Once your shop is decked out with cool furnishings and your latest finds, it's time to make that bank. Work flies by with a shift only lasting a couple of minutes in real time. This is probably for the best because there isn’t much for the player to do during that time. You can restock if you have leftover items in your inventory and there is a litter system as well. Customers will leave packets and wrappers for you to pick up, but that’s about it. I guess it's to give you something to do instead of staring at a screen for 2 minutes, but meh, I can’t say picking up people’s crisp wrappers is riveting gameplay.

Once the day is over, you’ll get a rundown of your earnings, how many customers you had, and what they bought. Sadly, these statistics never made me assess if I was doing anything wrong in my shop management or told me where I could improve. To earn more money and attract more footfall, you basically place as many items as possible and that’s that. There is a request system where customers will ask for certain items to be stocked, but getting those items is almost always up to chance. I’m not saying everything in the game needed to be micromanaged, but Thrifty Business takes chill to the max; it’s a very low-stakes game without much meat to chew on and that could be a turnoff for some players.

Thrifty Business doesn’t have a core conventional story outside of its initial setup. Any narrative bits are shown through its characters instead. You’ll meet a cast of around thirteen customers whose stories unfold through you buying their second-hand items and fulfilling their requests. They are all sweet, simple, and grounded folks who are enjoyable to interact with. You have Birdie, who has recently obtained a new puppy and is looking for toys and equipment to settle him in, and David, who is seeking items to take to his new college dorm, as a few examples. The stories start off simple but become more layered as you interact with these characters time and time again. The same Birdie who shared that he has a new puppy eventually reveals himself to be rather lonely, and so now you’ll get to play matchmaker. Watching a romance such as this unfold was sweet and rewarding, making for a nice reprieve amongst the shopping sim-focused gameplay.

Characters will also request events to be held in your shop from time to time. You’ll host book clubs, social events, and a bunch of others that you can repeat as many times as you like. Taking part in these activities not only drives more traffic to your shop, but the events will also trigger buffs to certain items so that customers will be more likely to buy them. For example, the Repair Café event organized by Marc will increase demand for electronics and crafting items. This adds yet another fun layer of strategy.

A focal point of Thrifty Business, and of Spellgarden’s games in general, is its commitment to inclusivity and representation. This can be seen as early as the character customization screen, with their signature androgynous character builds and designs. The choice of typical feminine and masculine frames and features is replaced with cartoonish bubble arms and wide eyes. You can present yourself in any way you like, which is quite refreshing. The game is also unapologetically queer with the range of relationships you come across. You’ll meet as many same-sex couples as you do straight ones, and you’ll even host queer dating nights for those looking for love. There is even a category for queer-themed items, which include clothes, flags, and a whole collection of furniture.

The music in Thrifty Business does its job well enough. It's cozy with retro vibes, which matches the game perfectly. The only negative for me was that it often felt like there weren’t enough musical tracks in general, giving off a bit of the Groundhog Day effect. Because of this, I often played YouTube videos while I played the game instead of enjoying its music, which is a shame, but I also feel is symptomatic of these types of games. You don’t play 80 hours of Two Point Museum and listen to the music non-stop, for example, it gets a bit mind-numbing, and despite Thrifty Business being far shorter than that, I felt a bit tired of its music by the third hour of playing.

As I mentioned before, I’ve played Spellgarden’s games in the past, so I’m used to their cartoonish bug-eyed characters and gorgeously detailed pixel art. The colors are once again extremely neon in Thrifty Business, in line with the retro era it's inspired by, which may be unappealing to some for just how “In Your Face” it is. Your opinion of the visuals will mostly come down to personal preference. For me, the game has a charming style that stands out amongst others in the genre. I was impressed by not only how many items were on offer in the game, but also how every one of them looked distinctly detailed. Yes, even those pesky screwdrivers. Many times I would stop to look at what I was unpacking before arranging my shelves.

Thrifty Business ran swimmingly on PC and Steam Deck. It is one of those games that works best with a mouse and keyboard, as it makes arranging items a breeze, but I never had any problems playing with a controller either. As I always say, a cozy game is always at its coziest when you can sip a cup of tea and play it in bed. The only nagging technical problem I had with Thrifty Business is in its interface. It feels really clunky in spots, and even though it's manageable, I feel like it could have been executed better. In the top right you’ll get your item inventory and your furniture inventory, which you have to switch between frequently. It felt like there were far more clicks required than necessary to get to the appropriate categories. In terms of settings, there are a few that are notable. You have a photo mode so you can seamlessly take photos without all the interface junk in the way, and there is a saturation bar you can play around with so the neons aren’t bleeding into your retinas. You are also able to rename your store, your player, and change pronouns whenever you like, so no need to fear commitment.

Thrifty Business is as cozy as it gets, and even though this concept has been done before, its charming execution and gameplay loop pulls you in quickly. Spellgarden’s signature style is ever-present, with immaculate attention to detail in the game’s pixel art and bubbly character designs. It wasn’t long before I was hopelessly addicted to the core gameplay loop of buying, stocking, and running my very own shop. The game leaves no one out with its representation options, and I enjoyed the many different character stories included. While the interface can be a bit clunky, the soundtrack could have used a few more tunes, and there’s not a ton of challenge to be had, Thrifty Business is a wonderful option for gamers looking to freshen up their cozy game wardrobes.

SILVER/GREAT