Haven't seen this yet....7-11's in my area have these (I think) alluminum 'straws' for the slurpie....They look to be about 10-12 inches long. They sell them for 99 cents. I've had a few ideas come to mind but nothing really come to fruition......Are they in other areas....just curious...

"...price gouging... shut down..."

I LOVE IT!!!

They have them here (Albuquerque, NM).

I agree they are pretty cool, but I as well have figured out no real survival / practical use for them beyond hitting your brother on the head.

How big are they?

Lots of us carry plastic tubing for getting to seeps, but a metal tube could also be used to blow onto a ember.

Well I don't have one with me here, but they are about the length of a regular straw from 7-11.

I would say about a foot or so.

Here in Lake Mary Florida there's still one 7-11 open and doing a brisk business. I got a slurpee there a month ago and didn't see any aluminum straws.

Yet another American icon the victim of greed. First McDonalds starts closing down, now 7-11's. I got to the mall these days, and it seems like half the storefronts are empty or covered with partioning. Whazzup with that?

I picked up a few. They came out around the time the HULK came out at the movies.

I too thought they could be used for something but I just haven't figured it out yet. They're in my truck and my wife spotted them. I got the "what the heck?, you're an idiot" look.

How different are these than the aluminum tubes you can get at a hobby store?

Difference?You get gouged for .99 cents

You haven't been in many hobby stores. You think they give them away?

Just for S and Giggles, I went into a 7-11 tonight looking for metal straws. No dice. But they did have straws made from fruit roll ups. When you get done drinking your super big gulp, you eat the sour patch flavored straw.

right environmental of them.

Interesting. I wouldn't consider it a mall anymore if it isn't enclosed. It is just a shopping center then. HVAC down here is a big selling point for spending any sort of time shopping. If I had to wander around outdoors in mid-summer to do my shopping, I probably wouldn't. I hope they are taking that into consideration when they plan to destroy the existing mall. Making less money doesn't seem to be much of a motivator for change, but then again, look at Wall st lately.

I don't shop much but when I do, I avoid malls as much as possible. I generally know what I want and I prefer to go to a specialty shop/smaller store instead of walking through a large mall/store to try to find what I want. Same goes for grocery stores which make me walk all the way to the back just to grab a gallon of milk. I'll go to a convenience store even if it means paying a premium.

Most of the time I go to the mall to give the girls something to do anyways, and it lets me stretch my legs out in a nice air conditioned climate controlled environment. I don't usually spend much for myself there, unless they have a tobacco shop or some such, but the girls are grateful to take daddy and his wallet along, which don't bother me too much since it doesn't happen often enough to make a dent.

The bottom line is, it is a place for me to stroll, do some window shopping, put a smile on the girls' faces, and do it all in comfort. If they are gonna make me stroll outdoors, I can find better venues for that. They say this is to reduce operating costs. I bet they don't drop prices then to match suit. People and greed.