That is what I was asking Seth. I wasn't sure if the decks held up under the rigors of pitching. I wanted to know if it was a worker or if I needed to use another deck that would perform/hold-up better.

OK, I see we are talking about the same thing, it's not a big deal.

But to me, if you are demoing and selling the same deck, there's no "worker." The "worker" would be the other deck you describe that "would hold up better." Maybe I'm confused! SETH

I get what you are saying. A clearer question perhaps would have been, "Can I pitch with the same deck I am selling or will I need to use a worker?"

Years ago when pitchman would order kitchen gadgets like choppers or slicers etc. the first thing you would ask the wholesaler was "Are they workers" The wholesaler would always say "They are all workers" Meanning they were all good stock and you could do the pitch with any of the stock you ordered.

When the stock would get to the spot,fair etc.and the pitchman open the box there would be a bag on top of the stock with several in the bag.Writen on the bag in big letters would say "WORKERS".By than it was too late to send them back because you needed stock to open.

I heard that story so many times...hahaha...

(No Jeff,there won't be a bag on top of your stock,they really are workers)
Later,Don

I guess the wholesalers had the same philosophy as the pitchmen, their "parking lot" was just a little farther away.

I just bought from Loftus. Their price break after 2 gross was nice. Then I went into kid-in-a-candy-store mode and bought various things for my magic show. I then threw in a rubber chicken for good measure.

I think you will be happy with the Loftus decks -- and so will your customers. If you return to the same spots year after year, I think it's important to sell something half decent, and not a piece of crap. For $5-10, nobody is buying something that will last forever, but it should certainly last beyond the parking lot (apologies to Don on this one!).

I demo the Royal Magic decks (FUN, Inc.) and find that they will hold up for about 5-6 shows (if it's not too hot or damp), which is pretty good. From what I have seen, the Loftus decks are on a par with the FUN decks, and the price is better, too. I would get the Loftus decks myself, but I generally only buy about 4-6 dozen at a clip and I think the minimum for Loftus is a gross.

Good luck to you, Jeff, and let us know how it goes; here's hoping that it rains "Franklins and Jacksons" on your pitch table!! SETH

Yeah, the prices were pretty comparable till the 2 gross break. I'm ok with sitting on some inventory while I get my feet wet.

Thanks for the well wishes.

I've tried Adams and Loftus. Adams is thinner cardboard than Loftus and (for me) hard to use. And they cost about the same as Loftus. Problem is, Loftus isn't always in stock. Which is why I used Adams once. I was very happy to get rid of THAT gross.

I can use the Loftus deck for several shows (depends on inside or outside) AND I've found that I can put the dirty ones away (I have about 2 dozen now), take 'em out in a month or so and use 'em again for a while. I guess the sweat evaporated. Still kinda grungy-looking on the edges, tho.

In TCM cards, I've found you get what you pay for. The Zodiacs are "sellers" (and only $1 a deck) but the ones from HH of C (Ask Don) are "Workers", but cost, I think, $5 per hundred. Much better than the Zodiac. I can usually only use the Zodiacs for, maybe 4-5 demos before the friction takes over. The others will usually last at least one whole show. Dunno what the dif is but there is one.

Jon