Las Vegas Destination Guide

  Things to See & Do in Las Vegas

  Entertainment & Nightlife in Las Vegas

  Drinking and Dining in Las Vegas

  Shopping in Las Vegas

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Shopping
Guide to Shopping in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is actually a great place to shop - if you can handle the surreal experience of browsing for CDs in a Roman village. Prices are competitive and the range of merchandise possibly endless. Although very little slows Las Vegas down during national holidays it's possible some smaller shops will close. Of more concern is that hotels and casinos will fill up as Americans from all over the continent come to spend their holidays at the gaming tables.

Where to Shop

In Las Vegas, shopping centres exist as attractions in themselves, and are designed accordingly: where else would the malls come complete with Venetian waterways or Roman streetscapes?

Best Areas

The seven major malls (see below) are undoubtedly the best places for serious shopping. All offer a vast number of square feet of retail heaven. Each mall offers a surprisingly diverse selection of goods on offer from major national and international chains.

If you want to stay out of the malls there's plenty of stores along the Strip and in the less salubrious parts of town to keep you occupied. Most hawk tacky tourist souvenirs and fashion clothing Las Vegas style - think fake labels and rip-off designs.

Be warned: the areas around the Strip also play host to plenty of adult stores - but there is a lot less sense of humour about it all than you'd find in, for example, Amsterdam. In Vegas sex is a serious business.

Malls

The best way to shop in Las Vegas is to head for the malls and the city boasts several sizeable shopping palaces. Nevada's biggest mall is Vegas's Boulevard Mall (3528 Maryland Parkway. Tel: +1 (1)702-732-8949, open Monday-Saturday 10h00-21h00, Sunday 11h00-18h00). A short drive from the Strip, this is the safest shopping bet in town: department stores mingle with clothes shops, electronics retailers, jewellers, music stores and much more.

To experience the best themed malls, head for Desert Passage at the Aladdin (3667 Las Vegas Blvd S. Tel: +1 (1)888-800-8284), with its North African influences, containing 130 shops and 14 places to eat. The Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian (3355 Las Vegas Blvd S. Tel: +1 (1)702-414-1000) lets shoppers walk through a replica of Venice's St Mark's Square, while the Grand Canal laps at their feet. In the Forum Shops at Caesar's (3570 Las Vegas Blvd S. Tel: +1 (1)702-893-4800), designer name such as Armani and Versace can be found among Romanesque cityscapes.

Factory Outlets

Fashion-hunters are especially well served. Las Vegas Outlet Center (7400 Las Vegas Blvd S. Tel: +1 (1)702-896-5599, open 10h00-21h00 Monday to Saturday, until 18h00 Sunday), houses 155 retailers, selling brand names such as Levi's, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger at heavily-discounted prices. Las Vegas Premium Outlets (875 South Grand Central Parkway, just north of the strip, has recently opened and offers a very elevated roster of big name fashion labels. Think Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana and Armani to name just a few.

Just 40 miles drive (nothing by Nevada standards) to the city of Primm brings you to the Fashion Outlet of Las Vegas (Tel: +1 (1)702-874-1400, take Interstate 15). Another good location for discount fashion, it also boasts 2,770 hotel rooms and three casinos... just in case you're missing the big city.

Markets

Las Vegas is home to two major flea markets or "swap meets". The outdoor Broad Acres Swap Meet (2930 Las Vegas Blvd N. Open: 06h30-12h30 Fri & until 14h00 Sat-Sun) boasts over 400 retailers and covers pretty much everything. With an entrance price of just a buck, hunting for new and used bargains doesn't come much cheaper.

The modestly-named Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet (1717 South Decatur. Open: 10h00-18h00 Fri-Sun) limits itself to the sale of new merchandise, but is no less exhaustive for that. Goods on offer include clothing, household goods, electronics, jewellery and sportswear. Entrance is USD1.

What to Buy

In Las Vegas, normal souvenir rules of taste and decency should be thrown out of the window in favour of high kitsch.

The Bonanza Gift Shop (2460 Las Vegas Blvd S) may or may not be, as it claims, "the World's Largest", but it does stock every imaginable shade of tack! Especially recommended for Elvis devotees, think fake sideburns, wigs and capes and you're there.

You can buy good quality fashion in Vegas but premier stores are harder to find. The Bellagio's upmarket mall has only the crème de la crème of designer stores. Chanel, Armani and Prada are just a few of the international names to take up residence here.
Opening Hours

Stores are generally open 10h00-21h00, Mon-Fri and 10h00-18h00 Sat-Sun.

Casinos and some restaurants are open 24-hours, seven days a week. Or rather: 24/7.

Tax Refund

In Las Vegas the sales tax is 9%. This is added to the price of food, lodging, goods, and services and is not always marked.

Casinos will automatically deduct a "windfall" tax of 30% on winnings greater than USD1200.

As individual states set their own sales tax the federal government has no system for refunding non-US visitors. Large and expensive purchases are often tax exempt if they are directly shipped outside the state they are bought in. You will have to ask at point of purchase whether it is possible to gain exemption by arranging direct shipping and, if so, whether this will represent any net saving to you.

 

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