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Las Vegas Shopping
Sometimes this gets absurd. We have two superstores from the same chain within a few miles of our house.
You will probably find a branch of almost any major chain store within a few minutes of your house. Unfortunately, major chains may be all you find near your house. This town has almost any major store you can think of, along with all its competitors. It has Sears and Penny's. Lowe's and Home Depot. Best Buy and Circuit City. Barnes and Noble as well as Borders. Department stores, clothing stores, home centers and most other fields are dominated by the chains. Despite that, finding a good local store for those special items hasn't proved too hard. After some looking, we have found two local butchers, each providing meat every bit as good as the famous steak brand also sold here. I have used half a dozen local auto shops for repairs, finally settling on one a neighbor owns. The service at the others was just fine (with one exception), and the prices were as much as 40% lower than the dealer. There are a couple of local hobby shops I go to, as the national chains simply don't carry what I am looking for. The service is friendly, and they know their products. Mostly, though, the big stores have everything we need, and they're close at hand.
The local stores are often in smaller strip malls that contain an odd assortment of businesses. This sometimes makes for some strange neighbors. A Catholic Church just a few doors away from a bar. Or a foreign food restaurant located next to an exotic pet store. Our doctor's office may be the most daunting of all. It is located next to an estate planning firm.
Las Vegas shopping for groceries is (almost) like shopping anywhere else. We were pleased to find that our everyday grocery emporium has a branch of our bank, and a U.S. Post Office in it. I recently needed to send a package overnight with a shipper I don't normally use. After checking the phone book, I headed for the address. No shipper. There was, however, a grocery store. Being savvy in the ways of Las Vegas shopping, I headed inside. Yep. There it was, along with a bank, and a couple of other businesses. You can buy liquor at all major grocery stores. It may be a bit pricier than some of the discount stores, but if you just need one bottle of gin for a guest, you'll probably save the extra in gas. Las Vegas shopping sometimes includes taking a shot at Lady Luck. If you are new to Nevada, you find it disconcerting to see banks of slot machines in your neighborhood market. Most grocery stores, convenience stores, and many other businesses have them. When friends visit from out of town, just act casual, and tell them the machines in the local casinos have much better payouts.
We discovered a surprising number of brands can't be found in Las Vegas. Shop for Arnold Bread and you will not find it. Thomas English Muffins, however, owned by the same company, are on the shelves. If your favorite snack food is not a Frito Lay brand, good luck. This seems to be a one company town when it comes to chips of all kinds. If you are from the east, you should know Hellmann's Mayonnaise is not sold west of the Rockies. Rather, its called Best Foods out here. Same stuff, though. I already knew that, having lived in California for a while. So far, this hasn't been a problem for us, but we're easy to please. The bread I used for 20 years isn't sold in Las Vegas. Shopping for other brands quickly turned up a couple I liked just as well.
To find more exotic items, during your Las Vegas shopping trips, you may have to go a bit farther, but you'll find in Las Vegas, shopping for almost anything is possible. Looking for high fashion clothing, original artwork or some specialty item?. Many of the major hotels have fantastic malls. The Forum at Caesar's, and Grand Canal at the Venetian come to mind. You could also try the Fashion Show Mall. If you like shopping on New York's Fifth Avenue, you'll love this mall. By the way, if you are shopping at a strip hotel (or doing just about anything on the strip), make your life easy. For a small tip ($3.00 - $5.00) you can park all day at any hotel valet.
Of course, shopping in one of the big hotels can subject you to the same feeling of unreality you get entering one of their casinos. In the Forum shops, you will be entertained by animated statues. In the Venetian, you may be tempted to take a gondola ride down the canal. A few years ago we took our son, daughter, son-in-law, and grandson to one of the hotel malls. Picture, if you will, a group of four adults, one teen, and a toddler on a Sunday morning shopping trip. They are walking along a crowded gallery containing hundreds of slot machines down the center and vendors along each side. The vendors are selling all manner of goods and services, from massages to magic tricks, jewelry to juicers and an amazing array of other items. The group stops at one of many small bars and three of the adults purchase Strawberry Daiquiris to enjoy as they stroll. The teen and one adult get something less potent. The toddler is fascinated by the flashing lights, and ringing bells of the machines. The teen doesn't want to leave the magic shop. Before leaving the mall, they get ice cream cones from a vendor next to an oxygen bar. Las Vegas shopping. Wonderful.
From I-15 north of Charleston you can see what look like giant tents just east of the highway. These are, in fact, giant tents, and they mark the location of Las Vegas Premium Outlets. If you're looking for clothing, Luggage, Jewelry and many other items, here, you can find a huge selection of major brand names for less. If you are less concerned with brand names, you'll find Costco and Sam's Club. These warehouse stores can offer good value, if you know what you're buying. We are fairly close to Costco, and I have found their Kirkland brand items to be very good quality for the price.
I have to mention a few of the local stores our Las Vegas shopping has taken us to. For gaming supplies (Hey, it's Vegas, right?), The Gambler's General Store on Main Street is great. They carry just about anything thing you might need, from a deck of cards to full size craps table. We have purchased several items there and been pleased with the products and the service. For books, the Gambler's Book Club on 11th street near Charleston is a dream. If it deals with gambling, odds, or just Vegas, they have the book. For the best meats in the area try Village Meat & Wine at 5025 S. Eastern Avenue. This gourmet food shop has fantastic Prime beef and a selection of exotic meats that you just won't find anywhere else in the city. The Silverton Casino on Blue Diamond road features a huge Bass Pro shop. If the outdoors is your place, this may be your shop. If you need a special cactus for your landscaping project, visit Cactus Joe's Blue Diamond Nursery. We purchased several plants there last spring, and they are all doing fine. Planning on striking it rich? For prospecting supplies, maps and books, Desert Outfitters on Sirius Avenue should have what you need. I'm not a prospector, but they have a great selections of books on the desert Happy Shopping!
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