Just to reiterate what wmhegbli stated:
2 decks of Bikes for only $2.99!!! When everyone else is selling one deck for $2.59!!!
I don't get to excited about much, but...........

Oddly enough, my Wal-Mart just put out some student trunks last week.

For those of you buying bicycle cards at walmart, you should go to walmarts sister company, SAM's. you can get a box of bicycle cards, 12 decks - 6 red and 6 blue for $13.00.

Wal Marts have bulk, cheap sponges cut into various shapes in a single pack, including star shaped.

Anyone have any suggestions to how they can be used?

John

For those of you with larger size cups, like Gazzos or Animals, check in the hardware department by the ceiling fans. They have chain pulls, and among those, are these neato little 1.25" baseballs. Unscrew the eye and voila! It leaves a tiny pinprick hole, but the balls are really nice and better than those being sold on Ebay... if you can handle a slightly larger ball. Here's a photo that shows them. http://www.themagiccompany.com/cups_with_cherry_wand.html

The pet dept. has various balls including bi-color tennis balls in a couple sizes. Yesterday, I found some cool yellow sponge practice golf balls. Harder than sponge balls. I don't yet have a use for them, but I'm thinking about them.

Around Halloween, they usually have hanging monsters that have foam-filled latex heads/upper torso with fabric draping for the bodies/costume. They make awesome hand puppets.

Wood dowels make quick and easy magic wands.

At one time they sold a plastic canister of Oxyclean that had a screw-on lid and would make a great substitute container for spring snakes, if your routine had a reason for it (Soft Soap?). Although Oxyclean was also sold in the laundry supplies, these canisters were in the household cleaning supplies near bathroom and kitchen cleaners and furniture polish.

One of the best things I've found around Christmas time are these nesting cube-shaped gift box sets. They came with lids similar to the trick, Color Vision. They would come two to a set in two different package sizes. One set had a large box and a medium box inside. The other set had a medium box and a small box inside it. Buy both sets and discard one of the medium boxes. You now have three nesting boxes with a holiday theme. Anyone with a little insider know-how can quickly convert these, by a couple different methods, into a very sturdy, but very inexpensive nest of boxes.

Many years ago, a magician from Illinois named Ralph Sabetti presented a lecture called, "The Five Dollar Magic Show". The idea was to show you how to put together an act for very little money should you ever find your luggage has taken the wrong flight. Times have changed, so it may take $15. or $20. now, but WalMart is where I'd start looking first.

In the kitchen area there are some kitchen counter rubber mats for putting clean glasses and dishes on after washing. They are rolled up and can be easily cut to suit your length. They are a sort of mesh thin rubber that can easily be folded up and put in pocket for a dry space on bars and tables for a substitute close up pad. Come in three or four different colors.

John

At the Invisible Lodge KonKlave in Ft Smith, AR last week, Opie Houston brought to his close up lecture a sack of things bought at a dollar store. With each product he showed how it could be used in a magic act.

I can restock my entire mentalism act for about $6 at Wal-mart. El-cheapo Maverick cards, an occasional dry erase marker, small posterboard and some post-its.

With "dollar stores" springing up everywhere, spending an hour or so in one can have lots of benefits. Card decks, stuffed animal or other giveaways, shears, lights, tape, small or oversized "normal" items ad to many effects, these are all there almost anytime. Stock is constantly changing and seasonal stuff is always plentiful. Some are even selling regular magic now: Svengali, stripper and marked decks and smaller packaged sets. Buy the sets then make larger versions. As with most things, you are only limited by your own imagination. Wal-Mart, K-mart, the dollar stores, etc. are just places to find these tools for our imaginations!

I too have had trouble finding wooly nylon at Wal Mart. Guess I need to look again.

Hi

F.W. Woolworth are still a going concern here in the UK - they are american owned though.

Paula

I've been able to find a plastic golf ball set - great for small vanishes when you cut a hole in one. Same with plastic fruit. Also used rope in place of magic rope. Usually all at great pricing. If you are creative you can even buy coloring books to make the "magic" color book. Takes just a little time but well worth the effort, especially if you need it for a particular topic.

Blessings!
John
The Gospel Magic Man

I buy light bulbs and other various supplies for making Scotty York Lamps.

Bob Phillips

I have been practicing cut and restored rope routines with walmart rope because it's cheap and I can practice a lot and not waste my precious "magician's rope,"...my precious rope!

I think cheap rope is good for destroying it, unless visibility is an issue. But I couldn't do a fluid ring on rope routine without some chunky rope like "magician's rope," so I save the good stuff for that.

Bought 10 Branday decks at Walmart for $12.50 (!).
5 to perfect my Mercury Card Fold, and 5 to experiment making my own ID deck and Rising Card Deck.
Feels like Bicycles but they get worn a lot faster.
Jack.

Ahhh! Woolworths.

I used to like their hot dog on a toasted bun and buying ten, packaged 45 records for next to nothing.

Let's not forget those craft and office supply stores.
These places get my heads spinning with ideas.

At my Sam's Club there used to be those big cartons of 12 bikes, but now all of a sudden they don't have them anymore. Now they have some no-name decks. Is that the same anywhere else?

On Saturday I made my magic supply run to Wal-Mart with a list from this thread.
I found the following:

Thimbles: $0.67 each
Safety pins: $0.99 a pack
Fake lemons : $0.97 each
Slimeline fishing box $2.96

I will post a picture of the box later.

I don't think it can be a "prop" but you can use it to help your close up: tile mirrors. They come in a pack of 6 for 10 bucks and are 20"x20." I bought some black duct tape and: wallah! I have 2 close-up mirrors for a 3rd of the price you can buy one!

I know I'm really late on this thread but I had to put my 2 cents in... I worked for Walmart back when Sam Walton was still alive and even then their idea of full time employment was only 29 hours a week. Hard to make a living on that.