What you need to know about
Shopping in Vegas

Sales tax

We had a surprise when we were first shopping in Vegas... When we took our shopping to the till we thought we knew how much we’d spent only to find that sales tax had yet to be added.

So what do you need to know about sales tax when you hit the Las Vegas shopping malls? Well, the rate of sales tax varies across the United States and is collected by the seller when you purchase an item. In Sin City the sales tax rate is 8.1% and it’s applied to the majority of items.

What you need to remember when you’re shopping is that if an item is priced at $20, an additional 8.1% will be added on to that when you go to pay.

Shopping in Vegas for a bargain

Las Vegas discount shopping is one of our top things to do when visiting Sin City. The best place to do this is at the shopping outlets where prices are often 20%- 40% lower than at the other shopping malls in Las Vegas. In addition you can frequently pick up coupons for the stores which offer further discounts. Plus there are often end of season sales and promotions running.

High end shopping in Vegas

If you’re looking for a first class shopping experience and top designer shops then Sin City won’t let you down. The Strip is lined with shopping malls brimming with all kinds of stores.

Currency converter

The conversion rate from the British pound to the US dollar is usually favourable which means that it’s even more attractive for us to shop when we’re in Vegas.

You can use the gadget below to calculate the exchange rate between your country’s currency and US dollars so you’ll know how much you have to spend at the shops!

How much can you buy?

Before you get carried away with the great exchange rate and huge bargains when Las Vegas outlet shopping find out what you’re allowed to bring back in to your country and the duty free/tax free allowances. For example when you’ve been travelling outside the European Union (EU) and are returning to the UK you can only bring the following quantities back in to the country duty/tax free:

• 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g of tobacco
• 4 litres of still table wine
• 1 litre of spirits or strong liqueurs over 22% volume; or 2 litres of fortified wine, sparkling wine or other liqueurs
• 16 litres of beer
• 60cc/ml of perfume
• £300 worth of all other goods including gifts and souvenirs

So make sure you check your country’s regulations before you get to Las Vegas.

Clothing sizes

Clothes sizes are different in different countries. Before you visit the Vegas shops check out our clothing size conversion guide which contains a comparison of the sizes between America, the UK and Europe.

Electronic items

Mains voltage throughout the world isn’t standard - something I quickly realised when trying to plug my UK hair straightners in to a socket at the Treasure Island hotel!

If you’re planning to buy any electronic items when you’re in Las Vegas make sure they’re compatible with your country. America uses a 110 volt/60 hertz system whereas Europe and a number of other countries use the 220 volt/50 hertz system.

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