Thread: Appreciate it, if you got it :)

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So, as I read the posts I have noted a trend. A lot of folks are complaining about the quality and price of props this year. And when I say props, its pretty much all inclusive of all things available. Seems like everything is astronomically over priced, or the item is already broken just setting in the store. Personally, I feel it is OUR DUTY as smart consumers to bypass this junk, and let the mfr. know that we won't stand for this type of nonsense. Our money is far too valuable then to waste it on a heap of plastic that won't last 1 night, 1 month, or dare I say it, 1 year.

I also notice that a good portion of the folks here (myself included) build our own stuff, whether it be ideas from the net, or something that we see in the store. I don't beleive there is any shame in that. I know a couple of heated arguments have popped up here and there... but if mfr's keep building over priced junk, thats whats going to happen.

Continuing on, lets be appreciative though if we actually get to put our eyes on a product in the store. Whether or not its junk. I read page after page, Walmart has this, Kmart has that. Im excited for you.... cause my local stores don't have jack squat! Whether its crap or not, at least yall have junk to actually look at! Heres my most recent survey of my locals:

Walmart #1... 3 half height isles of candy and costumes. A few costume acces. such as $5 eyelashes. I did recall seeing a couple changing portraits and some novelty drink ware. I believe I saw one (literally 1) el'cheapo fog machine.

Walmart #2... Last time I checked, nothing but BHG fall decor.

Walmart #3... Even less then #1. Not even a fog machine to be had. NO juice either. They did have 3 different changing portraits though. Woohoo! Some nifty looking skeletons, about 30 inches tall.

CVS... why did I even bother to stop in. They had about 1000 bags of candy corn, and the dumbest looking fall/halloween plastic drinkware I have ever seen!

RiteAid... a few things more then CVS... crammed into the last 4 feet past 20 feet of Christmas. Dont be fulled, I love me some Christmas decor... but its a little early just yet.

Walgreens... Some ok stuff. Too much focus on those FCG type of ghosts. It looks like someone found a good deal on sheer white fabric, glued on a cheap plastic mask of whatever horror character they could find, then sold them to Walgreens. At the beginning, they had the resin skulls.. but alas, they are gone. Replaced by halloween temporary tatoos.

Kmart(Big) Sadly they seem to have the most in quantity. Not quality though. The one interesting thing I saw was the butler looking guy with the rather overweight looking crow on his shoulder. But, I have my doubts how long this guy would last. 2 Employees walked by, the butler started speaking, then when I went by, nothing. I couldnt for the life of me figure it out... They also had a small armies worth of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in all manors of costumes. Whats up with this? Had to be 20 or 30 of those.

Target... Truly disappointing. I normally think of Target as having the slightly better products, and usually at a reasonable price.. but..they still have empty shelves and peg hooks, looks more like the day after then anything. They do have the bubble fogger like Spirit. And its about $15 cheaper, I think.

Thankfully Spirit finally opened its doors...

So in essence, I guess we need to be more appreciative of what we do see... cause it sure isn't looking up.

Ill get off my soap box now..

Wow, bummer. All the more reason for DYI stuff.

What you've listed is the PRIMARY reason why I build my own stuff. That and I'm usually cash-strapped to actually buy anything. Any materials I obtain are 99% found and free and the remaining 1% are borrowed.

I am more of wishing to be talent enough how to make props. Ohh sure I may have an idea and craft project following it. But I wish to be able to do BIGGER props.

Originally Posted by NOWHINING

I am more of wishing to be talent enough how to make props. Ohh sure I may have an idea and craft project following it. But I wish to be able to do BIGGER props.

I have seen you post you want to build but feel you can't.
Trust me you can ..if I can you can.

It's the same here in Aus, although Halloween is still growing here. You go to a store like "What's new?" who now have their Halloween decor out (it's not much but okay for Australian standards I guess) and you'll pay $80 for a foam skull with some cheesecloth and plastic hands attached, and something like $40 for a fake pumkin.

The best store here for halloween stuff (that I've seen) is Toys R us. Everything is still overpriced though.

The only stuff I 've ever bought/buy are things like foam skulls (which I use in my own projects), crows/ravens, and up until now, spiderweb. (Made my own webgun )

I mean I get really excited when I see halloween stuff being put on the shelves, but when I look through it, theres never anything I really want to buy, and the stuff that looks OKAY has a ridiculous price tag.

most stores around here have gone down hill too, I haven't seen Targets yet, they only had a few costumes up a week ago, last time I was there, we have a Halloween city by me now, but that even has less that the one a hours ride away from me. and I live by Grand Rapids, a fairly big city, don't get it, Party City is ok, other wise Michaels was the best, we don't have a Spirit, just a few things thrown out in a Spensers. that is one reason why I make most of my stuff, but it is also cuz with setting up in a couple of campgrounds, there are lots of people and I don't want to have the same thing that the site over from me has- and I guess part of my problem is I like the DIY so much the others things come up lacking.

This is why I make my props. I honestly love taking the time to fuss over them, and the product is so much better than what I find in stores. Usually the only time I buy anything is because its really unique (Like this small paper mache skull I found yesterday at Michaels), visually interesting, holy geeze thats epic cheap (99 cent store creepy cloth) or I'll buy the occasional cheapo crappy prop to rip apart for its innards...

I wish I was a bit handier too, although halloween supplies are getting better here in the UK its still quite disappointing, and they seem to take forever putting the stuff out too, the prices aren't bad but the props are still fairly basic.

I totally agree... the items have been extremely disappointing in local stores. We went out the night and saw a Halloween Express store(which I had never been to)so since we had to wait a bit for the rain to let up to go to Phobia(a haunted attraction here in TX-more about this in another post) we stopped in. As far as costume selection...WOW TONS of selection so they have that but other than that...a bunch of crap. The only life sized skeletons they had were these rubber ones that were all bent out of shape and faces caved in for 75.00??!?!?!?! You have got to be kidding me....for an extra few dollars I would buy a bucky. They had the little blucky's there(maybe 2 1/2 ft tall?) and they wanted 25.00 for those?!?!?!?! Come on ... sad. Their mask selection stunk...everything just over priced. BUT I did wind up buying a bag of roaches and three life sized rats for my butcher shop...only because I needed them and I am running out of prop making time and still have too much to do. Anyway...I have also come to the point of not wanting to spend money on cheap crappy props and displays...I would rather make my own or not have it.