Let’s face it. When women go on vacation, they like to shop. Even if the vacation is in Las Vegas, a woman can’t spend all of her time gambling. If she is going to lose money anyway, she may as well do it with a purchase or two to show for it. More ideally, what better way to celebrate a jackpot win than with a big shopping trip.

Shopping on the Strip

Las Vegas has become a shopping town, as well as a gambling town. Within a half mile, the determined shopper has a choice of 510 stores, found in Aladdin’s Desert Passage, Caesar’s Forum Shops, Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes, and the Fashion Show Mall.

The stores on the strip tend to be high-end specialty shops, catering to tourists. But one of the joys of shopping is finding stores not found at home.

One such shop is M&M World in the Showcase Mall next to the MGM Hotel and Casino. M&M World is a four-floor store devoted to M&M candies. There, the chocoholic can purchase M&Ms by the color and munch on them while watching a 3D M&M movie, then buy some novelty clothes and other items.

For those who like vintage clothes, The Attic has found recent fame on a credit card commercial. Part clothing store, part museum, the Attic does charge a dollar admission (for the museum). It also boasts to being the largest vintage clothing store in the world, specializing in clothes from the 60s and 70s, as well as featuring its own clothing line.

Hotel Shops

Shopping in the hotels is an experience all its own. The hotel-casino shopping malls complement the casino theme, so one can feel like she is shopping along the streets of Paris or beside a Venetian canal, with gondolas and Italian architecture. Be warned, however, the hotel stores are, for the most part, extremely expensive. Most of them, too, are chain stores. On the other hand, if it was a good day at the slot machines, these shops would be worth the splurge.

On a Budget

For those who cannot or do not want to spend all their money in the hotel shops, Las Vegas offers budget shopping. Outlet malls on the edge of town include shops like Nine West and Saks 5th Avenue. There are shuttles available to some off-strip shopping areas.

And since no vacation is complete without souvenirs, there are shops inside the casino and around town, with enough diversity to match any shopper’s taste and budget.