Thread: Halloween Clearance Sales

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Curiosity got the best of me while we were out today and I stopped in a BIG LOTS to see what they had left. Not much but it was 90% off of halloween.

I ended up buying 3 packs of the broken bloody glass (orig $3 -- for $.30 a piece). Not sure what I will use it for but it could come in handy. Doesn't take up much room either. Maybe I might use it in a laboratory of some sort, next to a broken aquarium that held a poisonous snake or other creature, or maybe next to some secured glass case where some weapon like an axe is missing. Love to hear other suggestions from others buying the glass.

BTW BIG LOTS got in some new DVDs, most $3. Some Xmas movies, but I saw a lot of new horror/suspense movies that would have probably done well at Halloween time. I ended up picking up Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital: the entire series for $15. I just loved this series.

Circus theme haunters, I also picked up in BIG LOTS' Xmas section a 25-light G40 Multi Colored Bulb strand set for $10 which I think will be perfect for my circus theme props. The bulb covers are round globes. I'll post more about it tomorrow with pics under a circus thread where it would be more appropriate. Very nice set though.

BTW if you remember the lit BL's Dracula's Pub sign, Dentist and Bats Motel signs during Halloween-time this year, BL's has similar signs for Xmas. One sign was a pub sign ($20)--beer related--that in an interesting shape and I thought might be worth modifying. I'm thinking of doing a street/shop scene at some point in my haunt and am collecting signage I can use for it. I love the lit signs as they will be great at night. I bought some tequilla signs BL had during the summer on clearance around halloween and got them for something like $3 each. Easy enough to pop out the frosted "glass" lettering panel and substitute what you need it to say.


UPDATE: Posted pics of light bulb strand in props section: Circus props

you could use the bloody glass by a vampire kit. like dr terrors where you had to break the glass in case of vampires

My wife wanted to stop in Michales to look at Christmas garland beads and was surprised to find some 90% Halloween items left. nothing to exciting but I did get two potion bottles, one for .34 and one for .45 not bad at all for the price...wish they'd have had more.

there is no where i can see that has halloween out in mason city today. but i stopped by dollar general in charles city and they still had some but it was still 70%. i bought 4 glow in the dark masks, 6 goody bags of skeletons heads and spiderwebs, and a crocadile that grows big in water.

Stopped by one of the other Big Lots today in my area and Zero halloween left. Just autumn stuff on clearance. I think there's little hope of finding much left anywhere in my area also.

I did find 2 items in BIG LOTS I thought I'd share however. In the toy section, a Pressman Hangman Travel Game for $3. It has a base and a 2-piece hangman's pole and skeleton body parts that can be added to the pole to eventually make the complete skeleton (skeleton ends up 9 inches tall). I'll come back and post a picture of it later tonight. I thought it would make a nice prize or giveaway at halloween time and probably every kid knows how to play hangman (and it reinforces spelling too). Might even make a nice kids halloween party game if all the puzzle words are halloween related.

I also bought from the scrapbook section a package of 4 book binding coils for $1.25. They are gray plastic and I'm going to use them to connect to the tops of two tin cans to make some scientist lab prop (maybe Pringle's potato chip cans, or better yet given the time of year, the tall Borden Egg nog metal cans--maybe I'll use the contents to make Pumpkin Eggnog pie!, see Borden website). The idea for the coils is that they "carry electricity" from one side of the prop to the other. I liked the idea of using the book binding coils instead of a regular spring because they are thicker and more noticeable and if you wanted could be painted with spray paint for plastics. I'll post a pic of this later too.

Originally Posted by Ghost of Spookie

Curiosity got the best of me while we were out today and I stopped in a BIG LOTS to see what they had left. Not much but it was 90% off of halloween.

I ended up buying 3 packs of the broken bloody glass (orig $3 -- for $.30 a piece). Not sure what I will use it for but it could come in handy. Doesn't take up much room either. Maybe I might use it in a laboratory of some sort, next to a broken aquarium that held a poisonous snake or other creature, or maybe next to some secured glass case where some weapon like an axe is missing. Love to hear other suggestions from others buying the glass.

BTW BIG LOTS got in some new DVDs, most $3. Some Xmas movies, but I saw a lot of new horror/suspense movies that would have probably done well at Halloween time. I ended up picking up Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital: the entire series for $15. I just loved this series.

Circus theme haunters, I also picked up in BIG LOTS' Xmas section a 25-light G40 Multi Colored Bulb strand set for $10 which I think will be perfect for my circus theme props. The bulb covers are round globes. I'll post more about it tomorrow with pics under a circus thread where it would be more appropriate. Very nice set though.

BTW if you remember the lit BL's Dracula's Pub sign, Dentist and Bats Motel signs during Halloween-time this year, BL's has similar signs for Xmas. One sign was a pub sign ($20)--beer related--that in an interesting shape and I thought might be worth modifying. I'm thinking of doing a street/shop scene at some point in my haunt and am collecting signage I can use for it. I love the lit signs as they will be great at night. I bought some tequilla signs BL had during the summer on clearance around halloween and got them for something like $3 each. Easy enough to pop out the frosted "glass" lettering panel and substitute what you need it to say.

This year, I used that broken glass by one of my front windows. I had gotten a severed arm and leg (from Rite Aid, very good quality) and placed them near the window in the middle of the shattered glass.

Originally Posted by BlueFrog

Gah. You people are continuing to drain my wallet with all your tips about clearance sales. I don't know whether to thank you or beat you with a wet noodle!

Two JoAnn's later, I'm now the proud owner of even more Funkins I don't need, a priest costume, a nun costume, a couple of wigs (one of which is a radioactive yellow "blonde" that has to be good for something not intended by its manufacturer), a bow tie, and sundry other little things. As I can't afford for any (more) Halloween charges to show up on the credit card bill, I was literally digging for change at the bottom of my purse to pay for everything.

Does anyone know what's under the ugly foil on the JoAnn's tombstones? It felt like there might be a decent foam base that would justify buying them for $1.50 each, ripping off the cheap foil, and doing something with the structure. I would have bought one to test, but note previous comment about digging for change. I don't remember seeing these at all before the holiday.

I knew I had seen someone mention those foil stones but couldn't remember what was said so I didn't get any...did you ever try removing the foil?
I was surprised at all the good stuff my JoAnns still had. I got 4 large stones that light up and scream,male and female adult pirate costumes,vampire and devil mask/glove sets,6 skulls in different sizes a neat pirate/jolly roger metal sculpture,bar maiden costume and their black tule is only .74 cents/yd so I got 20!

Under the foil is super cheap styrofoam and some horrible-smelling glue. I peeled back a space not much larger than a 50 cent piece and the whole room reeks. I know there's a big mark-up in Halloween merchandise, but even at $1.50 each I feel like I paid too much. The original $15 pricetag would have been bordering on pig-in-a-poke robbery.

I also didn't discover until I got home that the pumpkins and gourds that had been stocked with the Halloween merchandise in an isolated area surrounded by Christmas items rung up at 70% off as "Fall" rather than 90% off as Halloween. Fortunately the cashier had applied a $5 off purchase of $25 discount (out of the kindness of her heart - I hadn't known about the coupon but she had one under the counter) so I don't feel too bad about it.

Also picked up another wig, some spider webbing, a bunch of tombstones - fortunately not all of them foil - and a chain gang neck restraint. (Again, speaking of outrageous mark-ups, it was originally $20 for just that plastic restraint. I hesitated at $2).

ETA: Ghost of Spookie, I bought a bunch of that broken glass too. I was thinking of using it either as "ice" in the monsters' drinking glasses or as a garnish for one of their meals, preferably something bloody.

what are the foil tombstone? Can someone put a pick of them? I never heard of theses.