Radioshack?
You can get some basic (if pricey) stuff there. I'm not sure what the state of Radioshack is down in the US, but here in Canada, The Source by Circuit City (what all the Canadian Radioshacks became after they were bought by Circuit City) has been steadily getting out of the components and low-level hobbyist market for the past few years.
EDIT: And even back way when, it was still basic components (assortment of passives, some actives, a few ICs, mounting hardware, etc.)