Atleast your wal-mart still has a fabric department. My nearest wal-mart renovated their store last year and got rid of the fabric department. You can still buy some fabric there, but they have very little selection and it's pre-cut into 1/4, 1/2 and 1 yard lengths. The last time I went, they might have had 10-15 diffrent fabrics, but no bolts. I was seriously disappointed and Wal-Mart lost a loyal fabric customer. Not to mention that now it's almost impossible for me to find any fabrics unless I go to Michael's or Jo-Ann fabrics which is an hour away from my home.
But I'm like you, I'd be in paradise playing with fabric all day.