I'll check out a pack of Streamlines if I run into them. I saw you said that Walmart has them for 99 cents. I've never seen that before. But for the $2.50 that the supermarket wants for Streamlines, I cant justify not buying a pack of Aviators instead.
Walmart USED to have them for 99 cents. They appear to be diversifying their stock - meaning they've ditched their bargain brands (including Streamlines) and are now (at least at the one I've been to) only selling Bicycle, both Standards and special releases like Wounded Warrior and Nautic Back. They rearranged the place a bit so it's possible I missed them, but when I looked at the place most likely for decks to be kept, that's all there was, as well as dice and chips.
Streamlines and Aviators are not at my Wal-Mart and the cheapest I have seen them is $1.30 or so at the smaller chain grocery stores like Walgreens
I've never spotted a Walgreens selling Streamlines or Aviators, but I've only been to locations in New York, North Carolina and Florida. Doesn't mean none of them have it.
Aviators, as far as USPC is concerned, is another "regional brand" - it's considered not well known enough by most national retailers to be carried in all of their stores and will at most appear in only certain regions. I know of five regional brands selling today:
Aviators: airport newsstands and gift shops.
Texans: Canada (go figure)
Aladdins: Singapore
Tally Ho: New York City
Mavericks: Southern states, except Florida (many Southerners no longer consider Florida part of the South since these days it's more like New York City's sixth borough...)
This is not to say these cards don't ever appear elsewhere - but it is to say that no national retail chains carry them in more than a fraction of their stores, if at all. Card specialty/magic shops will naturally have access to them, as well as anyone purchasing from a wholesaler that will sell to the public (such as Kardwell). Any "regular" retail outlets will usually only get them within their region.
It's a weird Catch-22, the regional brands. USPC doesn't market them heavily because the national retailers only want nationally-recognized brands, mostly Bicycle and Bee. But they will never be (or be again) nationally-recognized if no effort is made to market them nationally...
Streamlines and Aviators are not at my Wal-Mart and the cheapest I have seen them is $1.30 or so at the smaller chain grocery stores like Walgreens
Yeah Aviators are around all over just gotta know where to look. Streamlines are sold at the shop rite for 2.50 along with Bicycles and Bees for 4.00 and Walgreens and CVS are pretty much the same but they run specials. Studs were always the best deal at Walgreens there are still some out there. Except anywhere near me. Sam's club is the best for Bicycle Standards 14.50 for a brick. Walmart pretty much they get a lot of stuff it comes in waves.. But everything is always 2.97 so you cant go wrong.. BTW the Wounded Warrior cards have always been awesome for me. I like the back color, and the court cards are kinda cool with a modified 808 style.
Funny thing about Shop Rite - it, too, is not a national chain; few grocers are unless you count big-box retailers that sell groceries as well as everything else under the sun.
Few Studs remain at this point, having been replaced by "Play-Right" Standard. And in my area, Duane Reade (a decent-sized pharmacy chain in the tri-state area) was recently purchased by Walgreens, so while they used to carry fun stuff like Jumbo index Aviators. Tally Ho and Hoyle Shellbacks, now they seem to be just selling Bicycles and Play-Rights, like all of the other Walgreens around here.
Those Wounded Warrior cards are pretty cool - believe it or not, if you look close, you'll see that the courts are actually standard courts, but they're colored in dark digital camouflage similar to current military issue (not the light desert stuff, but something more for mountains/forests).