The Chronic Consumer

Like most people, I tend to buy lots of souvenirs whenever I go on vacation. In fact, shopping for souvenirs is one of my favorite things to do, and I often head into the gift shop of whatever tourist trap we happen to be at before actually seeing the attraction! Hey, I’m a chronic consumer, so what do you expect!

Anyway, even though I love shopping for souvenirs, one place I never venture into is a hotel gift shop. Those places are geared towards harried business travelers who want to buy something for their families before heading home or towards well-to-do folks who don’t care what things cost. Hotel gift shops are certainly not meant to be frequented by budget-minded consumers who are looking to buy cheap souvenirs to remind them of their summer vacation.

Most of the items you see in hotel gift shops are available at stores outside the hotel at significantly lower prices. So if you go to Vegas, skip the Caesars Palace gift shop and simply venture outside for a bit. Better yet, if you have a rental car at your disposal, take a short drive to the Vegas suburbs and shop at a regular mall out there.

The key to being able to buy a lot of stuff on a limited budget is to find the lowest prices, so do yourself a favor and shop around!