Dumb Question Re: Helium

1fish2fish

Have any of you guys purchased balloons to inflate yourself?  Did you get them inflated at a store or did you buy/borrow a helium tank?  What's a reasonable price to expect for getting a store to blow them up/purchasing a helium tank?  Thanks for your help.

hmp1

I'm interested to see the replies. I bought an over-sized balloon for Leo's pictures on Saturday and plan to just go to Party City for them to fill it. I wouldn't expect them to charge more than a $1 or so per balloon.

thebanich

I bought some special ones online and went to the grocery store. They didn't charge me.

Holly_1007

I buy latex ones online every year and bring them to the grocery store down the street, I think they charged us $3 to blow up 12 balloons, and I also bought some plain ones there at the same time. 

1fish2fish

Thanks, guys.  I'll run down to the grocery store and see if/what they would charge me before I buy my own on amazon.

jocymama

Party City charges like $.60 a balloon and they have tanks available for $30. I just asked them yesterday is the only reason I know this answer. I will probably try the grocery store since they may do it for free. 

danabsd

I've done both at one point or another.  A couple years ago I brought about 100 latex balloons I had ordered to Vons and they charged me $20 something super reasonable.  I also ordered the balloons for Bebs party and they wanted something ridiculous to inflate them at Albertsons.  Like a dollar a balloon for latex and 2 for mylar.  So we bought a small helium tank, it was incredibly time consuming and a pain, I shoulda gone somewhere not Albertsons and paid.  :-S

KellersPrag

All I can throw in is that I've worked at CVS and Shop Rite (a grocery store). When you purchase the balloon there, they do not charge to fill. I can't imagine them charging much to fill balloons...