Slots at convenience stores idle

Phil Levine

Monday, Jan. 3, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

Hot dogs, ice, beer, champagne, cameras and condoms were the big sellers New Year's Eve at Las Vegas convenience stores.

Judy Lorentzen, manager of the 7-Eleven store at Rainbow Boulevard and Sahara Avenue, said a run on condoms caused the store inventory to dwindle to just a few packages of one brand.

"I don't think that's really Y2K related, though," she said.

Choking back a laugh, Lorentzen said, "We've also totally sold out our instant cameras tonight. I've had to ask one of our other stores to send some over."

Lorentzen couldn't identify what -- if any -- correlation existed between the two hot sellers.

At local supermarkets, the activity on the Las Vegas Strip seemed a world away.

"This (New Year's) is normally a slow time, but I think it's more so this year because a lot of people have decided to just stay home," said Matt Samp, manager of the Smith's at 2211 Rampart Ave.

Samp attributed at least some of the slow pace of sales to the global information village of the new millennium.

Gazing over rows of food vacant of customers, Samp said "everybody heard all day today that there's no problem (around the world), so they're not rushing out to buy any last-minute goods."

The passing of midnight did little to change the scene.

"There's no one in the whole store," Samp said just after midnight. "Y2K came and went, and absolutely nothing happened."

In fact, no glitches were reported by major Las Vegas retailers.

"All our stores (including Sav-On Drugs) reported a brisk business on Friday," said Michael Read, spokesman for Boise, Idaho-based Albertson's Inc. "Typically, by the latter part of the day, business slowed down. But we had no significant Y2K problems reported anywhere."

Still for some retailers, meeting Y2K demand meant having to make the most of available resources.

Richard Farris, franchisee of three Las Vegas 7-Eleven outlets -- including the Rainbow and Sahara store -- said he had to move goods between his three locations to meet varying New Year's demands.

"Cameras and condoms are big sellers, but so are bags of ice and -- of course -- alcohol," he said.

Vacant video poker screens on New Year's Eve at the convenience store stood as the only visible impact of Y2K.

"We usually have a lot of regulars who come in and they play the machines," said 7-Eleven clerk Marilyn Boots. "About 85 percent of our players are regulars. Tonight, we're just not seeing them. I think a lot of people are staying home to party there."

Boots cited her sale of 25 bags of ice to one customer -- "probably for a bathtub party" -- as further proof that many Las Vegans were partying at home.

7-Eleven customer Mike Claire stopped by the convenience store en route to his Y2K party.

"Just stocking up on the basics," said Claire, carrying a six-pack of beer to the counter.