In India, every item for consumer sale MUST have a printed label of price (MRP= maxium retail price). Even a bottle of water or a can of Coke carries a different label (much higher printed price) at the airport and even the vending machines.
@@Anti-Taxxerit is common brands have a marketing website where you can compare their higher prices with their distributors so you think you are getting a deal.
I wouldn't mind if the prices at the airports were more expensive but the issue is when they are trying to act like you are saving a lot of money shopping there. That part is super scammy... And yeah, the part of having to go through the store, I noticed that in so many airports :(
Always look for the accessible or fast track lanes. They will usually allow you to skip the duty free shop and the former won't cost you any money. At Gatwick you need to follow the accessible route, and at Stansted you just need to go through the set of doors to your left after passing security.
I do mind the prices at airports I work here and just to get a mcdouble fries and drink is $12 a 20 piece nugget is like $15 bucks chargers are like $45 taking advantage of people far from home
Yeah duty free isn't in competition with the local shops, rather the shops where passengers are flying to Plus the increased operating costs from bringing all their supplies/staff through security arguably accounts for the higher prices The false advertising needs to go, as does the fishy tax math
In Helsinki airport they upgraded the xray machines recently and now you're allowed to pass through with a big bottle of soda or water. I hope other airports follow suit gradually.
@neilfoster814 The stated reason for the liquid restrictions is to limit passengers bringing in dangerous/explosive liquids. Coke isn't a dangerous liquid, however someone could disguise one as coke. The coke you buy past security is more traceable, and the people bringing it in have extensive background checks. Limiting the volume limits the amount of damage you could do. Sure you could cooperate with others, but the more people you involve the easier it is to get caught. The bottle size limit is to make it easier to discern the liquid's density. Explosive liquids tend to be very light as part of what makes them explosive is their ability to easily evaporate. X-ray is 2D, which makes it only a proxy for density, but the small and consistent bottle size makes it easier to tell. This is also why liquids must be in a separate bin. Volume limits also prevent passengers from bringing in large quantities of alcohol and getting wasted. Whether it's still in place because it's an effective security measure or because it's an effective business strategy is debatable, but the rules didn't come from nowhere
I'm surprised that this is news to anyone! The first time I checked out the duty free shop at the airport over 40 years ago I noticed the prices were higher than I had seen in town. I asked the friends I was traveling with what was so special about Duty Free and they laughed! "Yeah, no taxes, but the higher prices make it pointless!". It's nothing new - but I think it's great that you are putting out a video to make this clear to the folks that didn't realize this! Well done guys!!! 👍😁
I find the prices even higher than the standard these days though, but that's kind of everything now is massively hiked prices. This along with the internet, trading in people's private information and app junk are how all these mega billionaires are being created now who control everything.
Duty free purchases made a little bit of sense back when you had a pile of unused cash in a foreign currency at the end of a trip but then airport shops stopped taking cash, half of Europe started using the same currency (I know that doesn't apply here) and more recently online banks that provide zero fee exchanges (genuine zero fee, not zero fee but a terrible exchange rate) means many visitors are just using bank cards and not carrying cash anymore and at the end of the trip they can just easily convert back to their home currency with no costs.
Indeed it's the only way I buy in airport stores. To spend local cash. Also once I found a very rare tequila in Panama that costed me like 30% less than in Mexico retail stores
To be fair, it depends a bit on the country. In finland, the duty-free at the airport is actually a lot cheaper than outside (between 25-40% i'd say). Similar story in other Nordic countries as well. I'd argue that duty-free is still a good deal in countries where alcohol is taxed heavily, and the tax reduction offsets the higher cost of rent and smaller order quantities that the shops can order. So for example Nordics and Singapore are great examples where the tax free still makes sense. Spirits were also generally cheaper in German airports, beer not so much.
that's mostly what they sell though, and other stuff ppl might want if they forgot something at home or fight got delayed like airpods, chargers and books/magazines
I was never interested in Duty free because they never had something worthwhile to buy. Why would I need a bottle of Vodka on the flight or on my destination? I can understand electronics or drugstore articles you forgot to bring but everything else is boring.
At my last arrival to Prague airport I saved foreign couple from drawing money from that orange ATM at the baggage claim hall which has high fees. It is outrageous that such thing is at the airport at all.
Ah yes. I used to work at the airport in my hometown, because of my actions they removed two EuroNet ATMs as I was pointing out to everyone who tried to use the machines the exchange office which had way better rates 😂
This was very big in the news in the UK a few years back. Stores such as boots, WH Smiths demanding boarding pass on checkout so they can claim back to VAT even though it was on regular overpriced goods.
Once flying out of Acapulco i was checking out the shops. They were selling some Cuban cigars and i thought okay that's a reasonable price, 200 pesos for a nice cigar, still more than I'd pay elsewhere, but reasonable. Then i realised it was priced in dollars Since then I've never even bothered to look at duty free stores
Portland (Oregon, USA) airport has a rule stating that prices have to be the same as street pricing - that is, the prices have to be the same as in downtown. Food and drinks are reasonable prices! I wish more airports did that.
@@ZontarDow I was at PDX recently and prices were definitely cheaper than other airports, both at the restaurants and at the stores. I saw bottles of water for $2.50. I had to take a photo because I couldn't believe it hahaha. The restaurants weren't just the same generic HMSHost restaurants that every US airport seems to have, either.
Going through customs and walking into a store has been standard in most airports I've been in. I'm not an impulse shopper so I have no problem walking right through it but for the fact that they sell their "duty free" designer perfumes and you can't get away from the stink. By the time you're through there, it's in your sinuses so you can almost taste all the perfumes. I think the reason I get a coffee on the other end is to inhale the coffee beans and clear my sinuses.
Where are the youtubers who destroy wallmarts? Here's where you need them. 100 youtubers slip up, destroy a window display of stolen perfumes, and these companies rethink whether it's a good idea to have everyone in duty-free shops (and pay outrageous sums for rights and lobbyists to get people to walk through their stores)
Imagine working at an airport store. Often the husbands came browsing in the store I worked at while the spouses were in the perfume shop trying all the samples. The stench when they finally came over was horrible.
The worst thing is if you're late for your flight and you have to run through the maze of stands while attempting to avoid knocking over the towers of bottles or shoppers lazily trying on perfumes. In Stansted they literally changed the layout of the path from security to the lounge from a straight corridor to a S shaped gauntlet of duty free.
Back in the day (this would be 1970's and 80's) when there was no air travel over the USSR from Asia to Europe, so many flights had connections in Dubai and the duty free there was legendary for cheap electronics, cameras, etc. Today it's not that good in DXB, but still seems a bit better than most airports, and they actually have stuff you would buy, sometimes at just a small premium. As someone else here pointed out, people from countries where it's hard to buy or ship goods will pick up high-end items like laptop PC's, hard drives, high-end mobile phones, good Bose or B&O portable stereos and even fashion items that can be tucked in a bag and can pass for your property at the destination.
Normal Chocolate bar: $2.50 Duty Free Chocolate bare: $10 I think Duty Free means that they can relief your wallet from it's heavy cash so you can travel lighter
I am always fascinated by duty free. Just that someone in the customer journey does not pay tax does not mean the retailer will not raise the price if they want 😂
Apparently Copenhagen airport has a special 'fragrance-free' corridor that avoids the duty-free shop. It's supposed to be for people with allergies, but I have an allergy to overpriced stores, so I guess I'm OK. I flew through Rome recently and getting through the duty-free store was awful.
I fly out of CPH frequently, and I’ll be looking for that corridor. For several years you’ve been led straight from security through a giant duty free store to get to any gate.
Here's a tip. If you want peace and quiet in an airport, and I mean quiet, but don't want to pay for a lounge (which may be full of kids anyway), find the chapel. There's one in every airport, usually tucked away down a corridor where they can't rent shop space. They are blissfully quiet, usually empty, and free. This atheist has used them many times.
Be prepared to be kept awake by my very loud byzantine chanting if you ever do such selfish things in my presence. A chapel is a place to pray, not satisfy your earthly desires.
I travelled to Germany for the 1st time in 2008 as a student . Back then since I was counting cents spent. I realized that duty free is rip off under most circumstances. Fast forward 16 years, since living and traveling in Germany , I find certain products are only available in certain duty free locations . I bought few special edition whiskey from Macallan in Dubai Duty fee which you normally don’t get even in high end store in Germany . Same applies for certain luxury perfume brands like Tom ford or Guerlain.. but regular alcohol/ chocolate/ perfume.. Best Buy is at your city malls .. Special note to the content creator. I loved watching several video of your regarding Prague. I travel often to Prague ( I live close to Czech border ) and I was scammed once by a taxi driver in Prague few years back but never let another scam happen. Love. Czech Republic. Great culture, lovely and friendly people.
Because high end whiskey is also a scam. Germans know this. There is a reason why they all come in great cases. They are show like a Hermes Bag or a $800 Nike sneaker. I tell you that almost nobody in the world can taste a difference after you cross the $50 mark for whiskey.
I worked at an airport duty free store for a few years as a student worker. There are several factors affecting pricing: - Airport store space is generally expensive AF to rent. And some airports even contractually take a cut on every sale their tenants make. This of course affects the price of in-store items to compensate. - If the person travels inside Schengen agreement zone, they still have to pay VAT, but they don't need to declare at customs in the end. Whereas if you travel outside the Schengen agreement zone, you do need to declare those bought items at the destination customs and might have to pay VAT or import taxes there. TIP: if you bought it for yourself, take it out of the packaging and do what you can to make it look a bit used (peel off all protective films, perhaps scuff/scratch it at some places), so the destination customs can't consider it new / import. Bottom line result is: duty free stores definitely aren't cheaper, but neither are they a scam (with the exception of food and non-alcoholic drinks imo. The 100ml fluids ban was BS from the start). If you don't have to pay VAT you might still get lucky but most often, you don't.
Most people don't declare duty free items as you don't need to declare duty free items when it comes to low value goods. It's only usually if you go over the (allowance) quantity / value of goods that you have to pay tax on your goods in your arrival country. If you buy 400 duty free cigarettes you have to pay vat on half of them when entering the UK as the allowance without vat is only 200 cigarettes.
Because the security does not permit liquids, the passengers are forced to buy the drinking water from the duty free shops. And there are cases when the drinking water is more expensive than the soft drinks or the beer.
No passengers are not "forced" 😅 In every Europe / North American airport you can go through a security with an empty bottle and filling it at the bathroom / fountain after security, I've been doing this all my life (Only in a country where tap water wouldn't be safe I dont do that)
@@madameclem i live in a "particular part of France" where potability of water is not guaranted, when we have tap water at all that is. Tonight i have tap water, not yesterday and not tommorow...
A youth addiction to RedBull taught me much about how pricing works in different shops and situations. I can't say I recommend the addiction but I can say to know by heart the local price of at least a bar of chocolate and use that to compare shops.
Also these days it's so easy to check prices online. When you see candy go for 10€ it is most likely way overpriced. But people who go through airports are mostly rich and there's no competition and an automatic influx of customers so it's no wonder the prices are high even when they don't have to pay taxes for the products. It's just funny to me they advertise "duty free" when it's basically just them saying they get more money from your purchase than regular retailers, and has no benefit to the buyers.
The caffeine in it creates addiction and there was little incentive to stop so a bit of both, I'd say. Still a good benchmark for prices in shops.@@p0ddie
There was a period where duty free alcohol used to be decent value. It's very rarely the case any more. I think it's airports capitalising on the 100ml liquids thing, which thankfully is starting to go away in some airports.
For some time I work at a duty-free shop in Greece, one of the shitiest companies ever. After I left they renovated the airport I worked at and put the entrance to the shop after the security check just like it is shown at 5:33 so you are force to pass through it. Also the inside of the shop has the same layout and style and the prices are the same story, but worse. The prices were all the same with tax included no matter if the destination was EU or non-EU, with the exception of cigarettes were it had that distinction, and of course slightly higher compared to city prices, but not by much. The shop belongs to Dufry group and they have stores in some countries worldwide.
Anyone growing up on a council estate in the UK would remember the days of people randomly selling bin liners full of duty free cigarettes and tobacco after getting back from their "holidays". How times have changed.
Long time ago the Duty Free shops were used to be cheaper due of the fact that each borders had customs with tariffs and it was made almost impossible to get decent prices locally. Since the Schengen agreements and the no-border policy in the EU, it vanished the purpose of those Duty Free shops so they had to "mark up" their prices due of the rent fees of the airport. The only prices that they can't change are cigarettes prices which are stamped locally.
If you are going to Nordic countries buy alcohol at the duty free, at least 30% cheaper. A 700 ml bottle of the cheapest vodka in Sweden is about $21. Duty free even in schengen area is cheaper.
@@shinnam Finland. People in the North go to Haparanda and people in the South go to Tallinn. Norwegians have it even worse... they sometimes come to Finland! (and estonians go to Latvia, and they go to Lithuania or Poland...)
That might be true, on the other hand I wouldn't be surprised if the bottle get cheaper if you just order it from some czech eshop and let it ship to your country.
I always put my wine bottles for example in my main luggage as it’s not banned to do so and I can still save $€£ for bringing gifts for family/friends.
Most probably unbeknownst to most passengers, these duty free shops are usually not any small local shops which sell only in a specific airport local goods without local taxes, but are businesses owned and run by a couple of huge multinational duty-free-shop enterprises such as Avolta (formerly known as Dufry), DFS, or Lagardere Tavel Retail, which own sometimes hundreds of such shops all over the world. The probability to find accidentially a great deal in such shops is not really high. Yet one can try to find in advance any special offers on the website which at least some of these airport duty free shops have. Sometimes, one can even order in advance and pick the stuff up during departure. Another chance to get cheap duty free stuff on travels can be inflight shopping of the airlines, where you can get sometimes stuff like cigarettes or alcohol at much cheaper rates than in a supermarket at the departure location. Usually, the inflight shopping offers can be downloaded as catalogue or accessed on the website of the airline, so it is easy to find out the prices before the flight, and you can even order in advance or pay with miles instead of money.
I live in Finland and all duty free prices are lower than in Finland. But usually Ill try to buy everything from country that I have visited and I know that most have better prices than duty free. Good video!
Popular in Finland is to travel to Estonia and previously Russia to buy cheap cheap cheap food and other stuff, Swedish and Norwegians go to Finland for cheap booze, rather ironic.
Hey there! Following your channel for four years now and want to thank you for an amazing job you guys are doing! Here we come, Prague! We'll see you again tomorrow!❤
I love your videos. I learn so much from you. I also love the city of Prague, and you are so informative. Everyone that travels to Prague needs to watch your videos before they go
5:20 I haven't flown in 2+ years due to health reasons, but sadly this is how it is in sooo many airports at least in Europe. In some terminals you just can't get to your gate without walking through a duty free. Good thing I've never been a compulsive buyer.
I don't mind it, since they are so ridiculously overpriced that I don't feel forced or pressured to buy anything. Basically they shoot themselves in the foot. I just buy a bottle of water so I don't have to order on the plane (which is more expensive)
@@alihordaorder on the plane? What kind of redneck carriers do you fly with? I’ve only encountered one time where you have to pay for food/drinks on an airplane and that was Ryanair. For an 2 hour flight I can go without a bottle of water
I came up against this one time in Heathrow when I thought I'd "save money" by buying an action cam in one of the stores there. I was disappointed to find exactly what you did. Not cheaper than I could get online in any way so I just bought it online anyway. big scam
I was at the Prague airport a week ago and seeing your videos about scams in Prague makes me relieved, knowing I managed to avoid the majority and made good financial decisions.
All the effort that they go to in order to convince you to buy stuff suggests that it's very profitable for them... which suggests that they're overpriced or at least not giving the best best pricing. Anytime I want to bring anything back from Prague (or anywhere else) I buy it at a local shop and put it in my checked luggage & I've never had a problem!
Actually the one time that I bought a bottle of alcohol in a duty free shop (which yes, slightly more expensive than regular) was when I traveled with only a carry-on baggage. I then took the bottle to the plane and it traveled in my overhead bin which was way more convienient than buiyng additional baggage. Not to mention that we had a overnight stay in another country and I could freely bring in the bottle with me to another flight since it was still sealed in a bag.
I think most duty-free airport zone are like that. The one here in Chicago is definitely like that too. In the duty-free store, a bottle of Johnnie Walker (green label) costs$64 and in most supermarkets all over the city it costs $49. In Sao Paulo Brazil, I purchased some chocolates for $56. The very same chocolates in a supermarket near the hotel were going for $29. Perfume in the airport CDG in Paris were at least 30% more than in town. I really believe that these duty-free stores are a real scam. Good video there. The content is right on.
Being forced through duty free stores in airports is the main reason I have to book accessibility services as an autistic person. Some airports - like Copenhagen - have a somewhat hidden, but publicly accessible, way around it, but most require assistance to escort you through staff only areas, to avoid the duty free store.
I would say there is a tax on the items sold in the duty free shops. The tax is called airport tax. The owners of the shops still pay rent, water, electricity, etc. Airports are special places so the rent is higher I would say. The craziest airport I have seen was Panama or Cartagena it felt more like a shopping mall with flight connections than an airport.
Recently went through Brussels airport and they actually force you through a massive duty free shop while making a connecting flight. Meanwhile at the same airport, if you want to get to Africa, you go sit downstairs and wait for a bus to take you a separate side of the airport. Not like they don't have money to build a train or walkway.
there is however one notable exception for this: Scandinavia. If you ever go to Iceland or Norway, it is actually cheaper to buy alcohol at the duty free shop (on arrival) rather than buying it in the supermarket as the taxes on alcohol are so high that the inflated airport price is still cheaper than the supermarket one.
This is probably the first video I've seen from this channel I can actually relate to. I remember my first time travelling by airport on my own a few years ago, and also riding the Helsinki/Stockholm ferry with my friend the same year where I visited the duty free stores - the first thing I noticed was how jacked the prices were compared to general stores in Denmark, and I was thinking what's the point of advertising tax free prices when you'd end up paying more anyways, though I guess having the stores be located past the security checkpoint gives them an edge when they likely don't have to compete with outside stores, especially since you don't want to go through security again if you want to go somewhere on the outer layer of the airport for something moderately cheaper.
These shops at the airports are really tax free! But it works in OPPOSITE direction that most people think. Ever wondered why you need to scan your boarding pass? The shop can prove the goods were 'exported' and can claim the VAT/Tax back. So its duty free.... FOR THE SHOP! .... you pay the regular or higher price, and THEY get the VAT/TAX back. So really, its Duty free, but its the shop who gets the benefit;)
In Germany, most spirits come in 0.7l bottles, so a 1l bottle for a comparable price is a bargain. But you actually did compare litre bottles :-) When I was on duty in Kosovo, the army sold the cigarettes tax-free with a tiny fee and you could buy 200 Gauloises for as little as 6€. While, at the airport or aboard, it was 18-23€…
came back from a holiday few months ago, landed back at home airport and there was a staff standing outside the stores section calling "last chance to buy duty free!" to all passengers as they walk through the gate and pointing to the stores. everything in there was mainly common brand you can get from supermarkets but for double the supermarket's prices. they may removed the tax, but profit margin tripled.
5:16 In Brussels Airport you also have to walk through the duty free shop to get to your terminal. I don't fall for the trap, but I hate having to walk through it because it has an overwhelming perfume smell which is really annoying.
This walking through a store after & before you board the plane in the UK & Germany... I always take advantage with the test purfumes though that costs over £200 then carry on walking 😂
This makes me think about airports like KLIA2 and MNL that would sell beverages after passport control, but make you dump all liquids to then get on the plane.
Its things like that that make me so glad my local airport has a policy where vendors MUST have the same price you'd find on the street. They have evicted shops based on this.
Great video. In Australia, Alcohol is very heavily taxed, so its common for Australians to stock up on as much as alcohol as they are allowed to carry when leaving the airport. If you travel here, you might find the Duty Free alcohol is cheaper than in stores outside the airport, but everything else: food, gifts, perfume etc is the same or more expensive inside the airport.
I have only found one bargain at the duty free shop: on the way home to the uk, the DFS store at Singapore sold a box of Dominican cigars for half the UK retail price. I bought them
In Australia the duty might be total 15% but the airports have such high leases & outgoings compared to normal retail spaces in metro areas that they need to have a larger mark-up to survive.
Recently in Japan I bought a genuine bottle of liquor from 2 brands. I found that the price was EQUAL to the market rate even before special or discounts. I''ve always felt that airport shops are predatory by their nature and I only used to buy food because of that. It really depends on the market, in Asia the prices are comparable and especially during the holiday season such as TET the motivation to spend is higher because genuine, unique goods are really heartfelt. It also depends on what you're buying, but the added benefit of DUTY FREE is that in some cases you can carry MORE with you across the trip in your hands while it not counting against your baggage. The price for luggage was 200 buckeroonis this last christmas to add another checked bag. Again, miles may vary but in my case for MOST goods especially culturally specific goods it really was cheaper to buy it at the border to circumvent a lot of hassle.
I got this before. It’s cheaper than retailers in countries like Singapore. But the most important thing is the quality wasn’t the same. The more expensive the better taste.
I've learned that many years ago. Once at the tax-free shop you don't know what the price at a regular store is. And the other way round. You're a captive without escape. Just like buying a beer a the stadium. One thing is true. Prices at regular stores are always lower than at airports.
I’ve always felt this was the case, given the high rents and remembers that the terminal runs as a business it makes sense that they want to offer you a “special price” given pricing is subjective 😊
Having traveled non-stop for the past 3 years (we try to minimize flying though, so we didn't visit *that* many airports) there are cases where these duty free shops turn out to be cheaper, but you need to treat them as just another shop and compare prices.
It depends on the item I believe. Recently in Gatwick’s duty free I found aftershave and perfume 30% less than what I paid and I shopped around for the best price when I bought it so that was a decent discount. The problem is people are too lazy to compare prices, if you buy without checking then don’t complain about the price because it takes 5 seconds to google an items price and we all know businesses main goal is to make profit not give us a deal.
When I was in the Navy we pulled into Bahrain and there was a duty free store on the dock. I remember buying cartons of Newports for like 10 bucks and there was crazy crazy cheap cigars and alcohol.
I remember when I was coming back from Cuba and seeing Cuban cigars for "cheap" in "Duty Free", they were around 1000 times more expensive than what they cost in a HOTEL I was staying. You can get a (wooden) box (50 Cohiba cigars) for around ~$50 at Cuba, or one Cohiba in plastic wrap in Duty Free for a bit less than a $100.
In Australia, the highest taxed per capita nation in the world, it can still make sense because tax on some items is HUNDREDS of %. Even if the store owner charges 5 times the cost price, its still cheaper because the government isn't charging 10 times the cost in tax.
In some airports the stores don't have to pay rent but they have to pay an high percentage on their revenue to the airport. What can outweigh the normal tax by a lot
It seems as if these shops are targeting business travelers who have been to a a place for work and so busy that they could not buy anything for their loved ones. But his wife or kids are expecting some gift when coming back. So many guys just go to duty free when on their way back and buy overpriced items. It is a scam.
Even in India, the recently renovated Bangalore terminal makes one walk through a mall to get to the boarding gates. Very hard especially with children and shopping prone family members. Hate it.
With alcohol, airport duty free shops can sell 1 liter bottles (for example with vodka or gin) for around the same price as standard 700 ml in shops so you pay a similar price but get more booze. Also some alcohol (like whisky) have “duty free exclusive” or even “airport exclusive” versions/editions that you can’t buy or is harder to find in regular stores.
The only airport I bought anything in the last 30 years is the arrival duty free shop in Liberia, Costa Rica, between immigration and luggage pickup. 1L of Bacardi is US$ 9, limit is 5L. That's even cheaper than Costco.
There is a case where it might sense to buy from the airport. On low cost flights you pay extra for check-in luggage. So if you travel light, it is probably cheaper to buy a bottle or some presents from the duty free instead paying for check-in luggage just to put it in there.
Always worth being savvy. We went on holiday from Bristol airport and certain spirits were VERY cheap so we stocked up on some. And tobacco products are undoubtably cheaper in these duty free shops (from someone living in UK)
I don't buy booze at the airport or at my local supermarket, so I save money regardless. I can't even recall buying something at a duty free shop aside from some snacks. Auckland New Zealand does the same thing to you. Once you're past security and passport control, you have no choice but to walk through the duty free shops to get to the terminal gates. There's probably many other airports too. They want whatever is left of your credit card limit used up before you board the plane.
Generally, most popular products prices are pretty close to normal retail price, but 1) range of liqueur is huge and you can buy something rare. Usually rare liqueurs are a bit overpriced in retail. 2) sales - sometimes the are significant 3) gifts. A got travel bag with cognac ~10 years ago. Still using it to go to gym.
Here's a good tip: instead of buying duty free stuff at the airport, you can also shop in the destination country, pay the VAT, and get the VAT reimbursed at the airport once you leave. Most larger airports have these offices and all you have to do is keep the receipts.
I actually checked the prices and they're either the same or maybe 1 euro cheaper. In some countries you even pay more than my home country. So, definitely not worth the effort. Oh, and when leaving the country the duty free prices are higher than when you're entering the country. 😂
I usually do a price comparison on items like Veuve champagne or Grey Goose vodka as we often can tell right away whether the entire store is a discount or a markup in comparison to local shops, and also whether it's marked up due to importing or if its a local item. Most duty free stores are not good deals at the end of the day, though can offer great selection.
In Brazil (Sao Paolo airport) besides the fact that you must pass trough the duty free shop in order to get out, and the scam prices and tatics used (yes, at least it does not make me want to buy, if I know that the tax is at least 60%, and your price is about the same as street market something do not add up), another low level policy is: You can pay in US dollars (maybe euros too, dont remember well), but you cannot use coins to pay. Because coins aren't accept in the exchange booths in the country. BUT, I've bought a bottle of alchoolic and they gave me the exchange in coins... Made a formal complaint to someone, and told I would never ever buy anything from there again.
Only small airports, for example at the Canary islands, used to have okay offers for lokal(ish) spirits. I bought a lot at close border shops in Czech Republik though and saved a lot doing so.
I've noticed that in the U.S. liquor is usually sold at significantly discounted prices compared to what you can find anywhere else within the same state. There are definitely not any normal priced grocery stores which really is bizarre to think about.
It's a classic example of market monopoly. The duty-free stores have a local market monopoly inside the airport to sell stuff, esp. >100mL. There is basically no competition inside and between airports as the same few companies operate in all airports around the world. I think they are probably competing with the airline food service prices. And also all goods transported inside an airport goes through security control, which would raise prices a bit. Things do sometimes get stuck in security.
I've always seen duty free shops as a more expensive option of getting something you forgot to bring. You forgot to bring snacks for the flight? Guess you'll have to pay airport prices. Didn't drink enough before going to the airport and now you're thirsty behind the security gate? Airport prices. Returning from holidays and forgot to buy a souvenir? Again, airport prices. Your connecting flight is delayed five hours and you're stuck in the transit area for lunch? Guess what: airport prices. They really should start adding mascots and play booths because the only thing more expensive than airport prices is amusement park prices.
Depends what country. I always notice at London airports the prices are way higher than supermarket and most of Europe is the same. Dubai and Brazil though are dirt cheap for tobacco whilst Mexico City airport is useless but in the country it's cheap. Ultimately I guess someone must buy the goods to keep them going but I often find them a waste of time.
thanks for these reviews these type videos will be cultish in the future like "you are trying to save credits" what a weirdo, thank you for the honesty!
Airport cash exchange might be one of the worst scams. Most recently when returning from Europe to the states I had a 50 euro note remaining, and stopped by an exchange stand fully prepared to take a bad trade for convenience. They offered around $30, with the exchange rate at the time being over $60. I did not accept it, obviously.
It may be duty free, but the prices are so ridiculously marked up it becomes more expensive than just buying from the shops 😭😭
In India, every item for consumer sale MUST have a printed label of price (MRP= maxium retail price). Even a bottle of water or a can of Coke carries a different label (much higher printed price) at the airport and even the vending machines.
Not true. I bought a Montblanc briefcase at a duty free store a few months ago. I paid significantly less than the price listed online.
@@Anti-Taxxerit is common brands have a marketing website where you can compare their higher prices with their distributors so you think you are getting a deal.
THIS!!
not every products, not in every country and so on... one sample is not a valid conclusion
I wouldn't mind if the prices at the airports were more expensive but the issue is when they are trying to act like you are saving a lot of money shopping there. That part is super scammy...
And yeah, the part of having to go through the store, I noticed that in so many airports :(
indeed try getting to your gate with out passing through the duty free zone, the food court and the expensive souvenir shops
Always look for the accessible or fast track lanes. They will usually allow you to skip the duty free shop and the former won't cost you any money. At Gatwick you need to follow the accessible route, and at Stansted you just need to go through the set of doors to your left after passing security.
I do mind the prices at airports I work here and just to get a mcdouble fries and drink is $12 a 20 piece nugget is like $15 bucks chargers are like $45 taking advantage of people far from home
@@bigtrip6344 if the prices were "reasonable" every shop at an airport would be severely overcrowded, more than tokyo's trains in rush hour
Yeah duty free isn't in competition with the local shops, rather the shops where passengers are flying to
Plus the increased operating costs from bringing all their supplies/staff through security arguably accounts for the higher prices
The false advertising needs to go, as does the fishy tax math
In Helsinki airport they upgraded the xray machines recently and now you're allowed to pass through with a big bottle of soda or water. I hope other airports follow suit gradually.
Same in Rome/Fiumucino
It always makes me laugh, you are only allowed 100ml of water through security, then once through you can go and buy a 500ml of water/Cola. Huh?
@@neilfoster814Or bring an empty bottle and fill up with tap water. Some airports even have special water taps for bottles, free of course
@neilfoster814 The stated reason for the liquid restrictions is to limit passengers bringing in dangerous/explosive liquids.
Coke isn't a dangerous liquid, however someone could disguise one as coke. The coke you buy past security is more traceable, and the people bringing it in have extensive background checks.
Limiting the volume limits the amount of damage you could do. Sure you could cooperate with others, but the more people you involve the easier it is to get caught. The bottle size limit is to make it easier to discern the liquid's density. Explosive liquids tend to be very light as part of what makes them explosive is their ability to easily evaporate. X-ray is 2D, which makes it only a proxy for density, but the small and consistent bottle size makes it easier to tell. This is also why liquids must be in a separate bin.
Volume limits also prevent passengers from bringing in large quantities of alcohol and getting wasted.
Whether it's still in place because it's an effective security measure or because it's an effective business strategy is debatable, but the rules didn't come from nowhere
@@complainer406 Yes, I know why they do it, it doesn't make a lot of sense.
I'm surprised that this is news to anyone! The first time I checked out the duty free shop at the airport over 40 years ago I noticed the prices were higher than I had seen in town. I asked the friends I was traveling with what was so special about Duty Free and they laughed! "Yeah, no taxes, but the higher prices make it pointless!". It's nothing new - but I think it's great that you are putting out a video to make this clear to the folks that didn't realize this! Well done guys!!! 👍😁
I find the prices even higher than the standard these days though, but that's kind of everything now is massively hiked prices. This along with the internet, trading in people's private information and app junk are how all these mega billionaires are being created now who control everything.
Yeah it should be obvious at first glance to anybody. Been like this on both ships and in airports for as long as I have been alive
Duty free purchases made a little bit of sense back when you had a pile of unused cash in a foreign currency at the end of a trip but then airport shops stopped taking cash, half of Europe started using the same currency (I know that doesn't apply here) and more recently online banks that provide zero fee exchanges (genuine zero fee, not zero fee but a terrible exchange rate) means many visitors are just using bank cards and not carrying cash anymore and at the end of the trip they can just easily convert back to their home currency with no costs.
great point
Indeed it's the only way I buy in airport stores. To spend local cash. Also once I found a very rare tequila in Panama that costed me like 30% less than in Mexico retail stores
you could also uhh, go to a currency exchange counter
@@seribelz Literally the one place that will rip you off worse than duty free
To be fair, it depends a bit on the country. In finland, the duty-free at the airport is actually a lot cheaper than outside (between 25-40% i'd say). Similar story in other Nordic countries as well. I'd argue that duty-free is still a good deal in countries where alcohol is taxed heavily, and the tax reduction offsets the higher cost of rent and smaller order quantities that the shops can order. So for example Nordics and Singapore are great examples where the tax free still makes sense. Spirits were also generally cheaper in German airports, beer not so much.
What's odd about Duty-free shops is that unless you're interested in alcohol, cologne,/perfumes, or chocolate, it seems like a weird business model.
that's mostly what they sell though, and other stuff ppl might want if they forgot something at home or fight got delayed like airpods, chargers and books/magazines
And noise cancelling headphones.
Those are what have traditionally had the highest taxes on them.
I was never interested in Duty free because they never had something worthwhile to buy. Why would I need a bottle of Vodka on the flight or on my destination? I can understand electronics or drugstore articles you forgot to bring but everything else is boring.
For souvenirs/presents it's not the worst option at airports. I don't have to bother with fitting any big items into my checked bags.
At my last arrival to Prague airport I saved foreign couple from drawing money from that orange ATM at the baggage claim hall which has high fees. It is outrageous that such thing is at the airport at all.
I bought the bus ticket at the airport and learnt later that I am eligible to travel free on buses and metro.
@@janami-dharmamFortunately the ticket isn't that expensive. Less than 2 euros.
Ah yes. I used to work at the airport in my hometown, because of my actions they removed two EuroNet ATMs as I was pointing out to everyone who tried to use the machines the exchange office which had way better rates 😂
Not to mention how much you have to pay for changing a name on a ticket
@@vaitti8096 What kind of ticket? On public transport? There is no such thing. On air ticket? That is not what is discussed here.
This was very big in the news in the UK a few years back. Stores such as boots, WH Smiths demanding boarding pass on checkout so they can claim back to VAT even though it was on regular overpriced goods.
Still today, nothing changed
so thats why
So that's why they do it! thieving bastards..
Once flying out of Acapulco i was checking out the shops. They were selling some Cuban cigars and i thought okay that's a reasonable price, 200 pesos for a nice cigar, still more than I'd pay elsewhere, but reasonable. Then i realised it was priced in dollars
Since then I've never even bothered to look at duty free stores
Portland (Oregon, USA) airport has a rule stating that prices have to be the same as street pricing - that is, the prices have to be the same as in downtown. Food and drinks are reasonable prices! I wish more airports did that.
Downtown Portland prices is still fleecing most people going through
@@ZontarDow I was at PDX recently and prices were definitely cheaper than other airports, both at the restaurants and at the stores. I saw bottles of water for $2.50. I had to take a photo because I couldn't believe it hahaha. The restaurants weren't just the same generic HMSHost restaurants that every US airport seems to have, either.
@@Daniel15au perhaps but compared to normal prices Downtown Portland isn't exactly cheap or even normal
Nothing like free market and price competition, as they say in USA...
Guess that business model doesn't do as well.
Going through customs and walking into a store has been standard in most airports I've been in. I'm not an impulse shopper so I have no problem walking right through it but for the fact that they sell their "duty free" designer perfumes and you can't get away from the stink. By the time you're through there, it's in your sinuses so you can almost taste all the perfumes. I think the reason I get a coffee on the other end is to inhale the coffee beans and clear my sinuses.
Where are the youtubers who destroy wallmarts? Here's where you need them. 100 youtubers slip up, destroy a window display of stolen perfumes, and these companies rethink whether it's a good idea to have everyone in duty-free shops (and pay outrageous sums for rights and lobbyists to get people to walk through their stores)
Imagine working at an airport store. Often the husbands came browsing in the store I worked at while the spouses were in the perfume shop trying all the samples. The stench when they finally came over was horrible.
The worst thing is if you're late for your flight and you have to run through the maze of stands while attempting to avoid knocking over the towers of bottles or shoppers lazily trying on perfumes. In Stansted they literally changed the layout of the path from security to the lounge from a straight corridor to a S shaped gauntlet of duty free.
But they don’t sell aftershave. Wtf?
I have never seen that at ORD, IAH, ATL.
Back in the day (this would be 1970's and 80's) when there was no air travel over the USSR from Asia to Europe, so many flights had connections in Dubai and the duty free there was legendary for cheap electronics, cameras, etc. Today it's not that good in DXB, but still seems a bit better than most airports, and they actually have stuff you would buy, sometimes at just a small premium. As someone else here pointed out, people from countries where it's hard to buy or ship goods will pick up high-end items like laptop PC's, hard drives, high-end mobile phones, good Bose or B&O portable stereos and even fashion items that can be tucked in a bag and can pass for your property at the destination.
Normal Chocolate bar: $2.50
Duty Free Chocolate bare: $10
I think Duty Free means that they can relief your wallet from it's heavy cash so you can travel lighter
@@Kosin-gf7io In my experience they are usually just impractically large versions of the normal product.
@@hedgehog3180They're just to buy for people you forgot to buy a proper present for 😂
I am always fascinated by duty free. Just that someone in the customer journey does not pay tax does not mean the retailer will not raise the price if they want 😂
If you're Australian, duty free does INDEED work out cheaper. But that's only because our alcohol and tobacco taxes are incredibly exorbitant
If you're Australian, duty free does INDEED work out cheaper. But that's only because our alcohol and tobacco taxes are incredibly exorbitant
@@m1000-n8w But you are only allowed 25 cigarettes or 25g of tobacco duty free. 2.25l of alcoholic beverages though, so quite a bit.
Apparently Copenhagen airport has a special 'fragrance-free' corridor that avoids the duty-free shop. It's supposed to be for people with allergies, but I have an allergy to overpriced stores, so I guess I'm OK. I flew through Rome recently and getting through the duty-free store was awful.
I fly out of CPH frequently, and I’ll be looking for that corridor. For several years you’ve been led straight from security through a giant duty free store to get to any gate.
Look for a discreetly marked corridor to the left or right before being funneled in to the tax free. I have seen these in Norway, too.
Here's a tip. If you want peace and quiet in an airport, and I mean quiet, but don't want to pay for a lounge (which may be full of kids anyway), find the chapel. There's one in every airport, usually tucked away down a corridor where they can't rent shop space. They are blissfully quiet, usually empty, and free. This atheist has used them many times.
Yoooo best place to take a nap in the airport, don't let more people find out about it 👀👀👀
Be prepared to be kept awake by my very loud byzantine chanting if you ever do such selfish things in my presence. A chapel is a place to pray, not satisfy your earthly desires.
@@TheOneAndOnlyOuuo How the fuck can you chant loudly in a nonexistant language? Is this some sort of riddle like the sound of one hand clapping?
@@hedgehog3180 I can assure you that the greek language very much still exists.
@@TheOneAndOnlyOuuo ah, the entitled Christian assuming they deserve the space, getting it, and then ruining it for others
I travelled to Germany for the 1st time in 2008 as a student . Back then since I was counting cents spent. I realized that duty free is rip off under most circumstances. Fast forward 16 years, since living and traveling in Germany , I find certain products are only available in certain duty free locations . I bought few special edition whiskey from Macallan in Dubai Duty fee which you normally don’t get even in high end store in Germany . Same applies for certain luxury perfume brands like Tom ford or Guerlain.. but regular alcohol/ chocolate/ perfume.. Best Buy is at your city malls ..
Special note to the content creator. I loved watching several video of your regarding Prague. I travel often to Prague ( I live close to Czech border ) and I was scammed once by a taxi driver in Prague few years back but never let another scam happen. Love. Czech Republic. Great culture, lovely and friendly people.
Because high end whiskey is also a scam. Germans know this. There is a reason why they all come in great cases. They are show like a Hermes Bag or a $800 Nike sneaker. I tell you that almost nobody in the world can taste a difference after you cross the $50 mark for whiskey.
I worked at an airport duty free store for a few years as a student worker. There are several factors affecting pricing:
- Airport store space is generally expensive AF to rent. And some airports even contractually take a cut on every sale their tenants make. This of course affects the price of in-store items to compensate.
- If the person travels inside Schengen agreement zone, they still have to pay VAT, but they don't need to declare at customs in the end. Whereas if you travel outside the Schengen agreement zone, you do need to declare those bought items at the destination customs and might have to pay VAT or import taxes there.
TIP: if you bought it for yourself, take it out of the packaging and do what you can to make it look a bit used (peel off all protective films, perhaps scuff/scratch it at some places), so the destination customs can't consider it new / import.
Bottom line result is: duty free stores definitely aren't cheaper, but neither are they a scam (with the exception of food and non-alcoholic drinks imo. The 100ml fluids ban was BS from the start). If you don't have to pay VAT you might still get lucky but most often, you don't.
Most people don't declare duty free items as you don't need to declare duty free items when it comes to low value goods. It's only usually if you go over the (allowance) quantity / value of goods that you have to pay tax on your goods in your arrival country.
If you buy 400 duty free cigarettes you have to pay vat on half of them when entering the UK as the allowance without vat is only 200 cigarettes.
Food and drinks are the only thing i buy there 😅
Because the security does not permit liquids, the passengers are forced to buy the drinking water from the duty free shops. And there are cases when the drinking water is more expensive than the soft drinks or the beer.
No passengers are not "forced" 😅
In every Europe / North American airport you can go through a security with an empty bottle and filling it at the bathroom / fountain after security, I've been doing this all my life
(Only in a country where tap water wouldn't be safe I dont do that)
@@madameclem i live in a "particular part of France" where potability of water is not guaranted, when we have tap water at all that is. Tonight i have tap water, not yesterday and not tommorow...
A youth addiction to RedBull taught me much about how pricing works in different shops and situations. I can't say I recommend the addiction but I can say to know by heart the local price of at least a bar of chocolate and use that to compare shops.
Also these days it's so easy to check prices online. When you see candy go for 10€ it is most likely way overpriced. But people who go through airports are mostly rich and there's no competition and an automatic influx of customers so it's no wonder the prices are high even when they don't have to pay taxes for the products. It's just funny to me they advertise "duty free" when it's basically just them saying they get more money from your purchase than regular retailers, and has no benefit to the buyers.
were you really addicted to Red Bull or was it just general lack of impulse control tho
The caffeine in it creates addiction and there was little incentive to stop so a bit of both, I'd say. Still a good benchmark for prices in shops.@@p0ddie
There was a period where duty free alcohol used to be decent value. It's very rarely the case any more. I think it's airports capitalising on the 100ml liquids thing, which thankfully is starting to go away in some airports.
I got 3 € lower than the local 164 € online price for a bottle of Cognac. I wouldn't have bought it if I knew...
I hate that lots of UK airports make you walk through twisty paths through shops after security with no direct straight path to the terminal area.
For some time I work at a duty-free shop in Greece, one of the shitiest companies ever. After I left they renovated the airport I worked at and put the entrance to the shop after the security check just like it is shown at 5:33 so you are force to pass through it. Also the inside of the shop has the same layout and style and the prices are the same story, but worse. The prices were all the same with tax included no matter if the destination was EU or non-EU, with the exception of cigarettes were it had that distinction, and of course slightly higher compared to city prices, but not by much. The shop belongs to Dufry group and they have stores in some countries worldwide.
Anyone growing up on a council estate in the UK would remember the days of people randomly selling bin liners full of duty free cigarettes and tobacco after getting back from their "holidays". How times have changed.
Still doable, but not at the same sort of volumes. I always bring back as many packs as I can... legally, even though I never had one myself!
Still do it. Baccy is £4 to £7 in outside EU airports.
£20+ in the Uk
I don’t live on a council estate tho 😂
Nothing wrong with council estates @@PickleThePig
The £4-7 tobacco is 50g packs and the price here is £35+ not £20! Outrageous. @@PickleThePig
Long time ago the Duty Free shops were used to be cheaper due of the fact that each borders had customs with tariffs and it was made almost impossible to get decent prices locally. Since the Schengen agreements and the no-border policy in the EU, it vanished the purpose of those Duty Free shops so they had to "mark up" their prices due of the rent fees of the airport.
The only prices that they can't change are cigarettes prices which are stamped locally.
If you are going to Nordic countries buy alcohol at the duty free, at least 30% cheaper. A 700 ml bottle of the cheapest vodka in Sweden is about $21. Duty free even in schengen area is cheaper.
@@shinnam The cheap vodka is why we come to Sweden. Only $20 for a bottle of vodka? sign me up!
@@TheOneAndOnlyOuuo😢 Norwegian?
@@shinnam Finland. People in the North go to Haparanda and people in the South go to Tallinn. Norwegians have it even worse... they sometimes come to Finland! (and estonians go to Latvia, and they go to Lithuania or Poland...)
If you only have a carry on and want to bring, semi, local gifts that contain a lot of liquid the duty free shop is your only choice
That is one benefit for sure.
That might be true, on the other hand I wouldn't be surprised if the bottle get cheaper if you just order it from some czech eshop and let it ship to your country.
So this is by design, right? Better business.
That’s what’s pushed prices up in airports for something like a bottle of water
I always put my wine bottles for example in my main luggage as it’s not banned to do so and I can still save $€£ for bringing gifts for family/friends.
Most probably unbeknownst to most passengers, these duty free shops are usually not any small local shops which sell only in a specific airport local goods without local taxes, but are businesses owned and run by a couple of huge multinational duty-free-shop enterprises such as Avolta (formerly known as Dufry), DFS, or Lagardere Tavel Retail, which own sometimes hundreds of such shops all over the world.
The probability to find accidentially a great deal in such shops is not really high. Yet one can try to find in advance any special offers on the website which at least some of these airport duty free shops have. Sometimes, one can even order in advance and pick the stuff up during departure. Another chance to get cheap duty free stuff on travels can be inflight shopping of the airlines, where you can get sometimes stuff like cigarettes or alcohol at much cheaper rates than in a supermarket at the departure location. Usually, the inflight shopping offers can be downloaded as catalogue or accessed on the website of the airline, so it is easy to find out the prices before the flight, and you can even order in advance or pay with miles instead of money.
I never once even considered that three stores could NOT be a scam.
I live in Finland and all duty free prices are lower than in Finland. But usually Ill try to buy everything from country that I have visited and I know that most have better prices than duty free. Good video!
Popular in Finland is to travel to Estonia and previously Russia to buy cheap cheap cheap food and other stuff, Swedish and Norwegians go to Finland for cheap booze, rather ironic.
7:12 - “I think you’re weird!” 😂
Hey there! Following your channel for four years now and want to thank you for an amazing job you guys are doing! Here we come, Prague! We'll see you again tomorrow!❤
I love your videos. I learn so much from you. I also love the city of Prague, and you are so informative. Everyone that travels to Prague needs to watch your videos before they go
Usually , outside it is 70cl (700 ml). While at the airport, it is 1liter (1000ml).
5:20 I haven't flown in 2+ years due to health reasons, but sadly this is how it is in sooo many airports at least in Europe. In some terminals you just can't get to your gate without walking through a duty free. Good thing I've never been a compulsive buyer.
I don't mind it, since they are so ridiculously overpriced that I don't feel forced or pressured to buy anything. Basically they shoot themselves in the foot. I just buy a bottle of water so I don't have to order on the plane (which is more expensive)
@@alihordaorder on the plane? What kind of redneck carriers do you fly with? I’ve only encountered one time where you have to pay for food/drinks on an airplane and that was Ryanair. For an 2 hour flight I can go without a bottle of water
Well you're a man for one thing, 80 percent of buyers are women
Once in the line at the cashier I realised I was the only man there and I left not buying anything.
Changing Prague and the whole of Czechia, for the best. Thank you for your service
Yes duty free is a waste of time
I came up against this one time in Heathrow when I thought I'd "save money" by buying an action cam in one of the stores there. I was disappointed to find exactly what you did. Not cheaper than I could get online in any way so I just bought it online anyway. big scam
I was at the Prague airport a week ago and seeing your videos about scams in Prague makes me relieved, knowing I managed to avoid the majority and made good financial decisions.
All the effort that they go to in order to convince you to buy stuff suggests that it's very profitable for them... which suggests that they're overpriced or at least not giving the best best pricing. Anytime I want to bring anything back from Prague (or anywhere else) I buy it at a local shop and put it in my checked luggage & I've never had a problem!
Thanks, I was always suspicious of these prices, nice to know my instincts not to buy were true.
Actually the one time that I bought a bottle of alcohol in a duty free shop (which yes, slightly more expensive than regular) was when I traveled with only a carry-on baggage. I then took the bottle to the plane and it traveled in my overhead bin which was way more convienient than buiyng additional baggage. Not to mention that we had a overnight stay in another country and I could freely bring in the bottle with me to another flight since it was still sealed in a bag.
I think most duty-free airport zone are like that. The one here in Chicago is definitely like that too. In the duty-free store, a bottle of Johnnie Walker (green label) costs$64 and in most supermarkets all over the city it costs $49. In Sao Paulo Brazil, I purchased some chocolates for $56. The very same chocolates in a supermarket near the hotel were going for $29. Perfume in the airport CDG in Paris were at least 30% more than in town. I really believe that these duty-free stores are a real scam.
Good video there. The content is right on.
Being forced through duty free stores in airports is the main reason I have to book accessibility services as an autistic person. Some airports - like Copenhagen - have a somewhat hidden, but publicly accessible, way around it, but most require assistance to escort you through staff only areas, to avoid the duty free store.
This is true in almost all duty free shops in every country.
I would say there is a tax on the items sold in the duty free shops. The tax is called airport tax. The owners of the shops still pay rent, water, electricity, etc. Airports are special places so the rent is higher I would say.
The craziest airport I have seen was Panama or Cartagena it felt more like a shopping mall with flight connections than an airport.
Recently went through Brussels airport and they actually force you through a massive duty free shop while making a connecting flight. Meanwhile at the same airport, if you want to get to Africa, you go sit downstairs and wait for a bus to take you a separate side of the airport. Not like they don't have money to build a train or walkway.
Ah yes, good old European colonialist mindset. Let the Africans get the bus, not worth building infrastructure for them.
So you're implying the airport is racist? You're not too good with numbers are you?
Prices in duty-free shops are at least twice higher than prices in common shops in cities and towns
To me duty free is a place that last minute reminds me that I forgot to bring a gift when visiting my family or in laws.
there is however one notable exception for this: Scandinavia.
If you ever go to Iceland or Norway, it is actually cheaper to buy alcohol at the duty free shop (on arrival) rather than buying it in the supermarket as the taxes on alcohol are so high that the inflated airport price is still cheaper than the supermarket one.
Surely you have watched the queue at the Systembolaget?
Same in the us
Probably true but in Sweden definitely isn't the case
Australia makes you walk through the store after PP control too, and it winds you around the whole shop before exit.
This is probably the first video I've seen from this channel I can actually relate to. I remember my first time travelling by airport on my own a few years ago, and also riding the Helsinki/Stockholm ferry with my friend the same year where I visited the duty free stores - the first thing I noticed was how jacked the prices were compared to general stores in Denmark, and I was thinking what's the point of advertising tax free prices when you'd end up paying more anyways, though I guess having the stores be located past the security checkpoint gives them an edge when they likely don't have to compete with outside stores, especially since you don't want to go through security again if you want to go somewhere on the outer layer of the airport for something moderately cheaper.
These shops at the airports are really tax free! But it works in OPPOSITE direction that most people think.
Ever wondered why you need to scan your boarding pass? The shop can prove the goods were 'exported' and can claim the VAT/Tax back. So its duty free.... FOR THE SHOP!
.... you pay the regular or higher price, and THEY get the VAT/TAX back. So really, its Duty free, but its the shop who gets the benefit;)
so there's sales tax written on the receipt? but how would that work at border crossings shops?
In Germany, most spirits come in 0.7l bottles, so a 1l bottle for a comparable price is a bargain. But you actually did compare litre bottles :-)
When I was on duty in Kosovo, the army sold the cigarettes tax-free with a tiny fee and you could buy 200 Gauloises for as little as 6€. While, at the airport or aboard, it was 18-23€…
came back from a holiday few months ago, landed back at home airport and there was a staff standing outside the stores section calling "last chance to buy duty free!" to all passengers as they walk through the gate and pointing to the stores. everything in there was mainly common brand you can get from supermarkets but for double the supermarket's prices. they may removed the tax, but profit margin tripled.
5:16 In Brussels Airport you also have to walk through the duty free shop to get to your terminal. I don't fall for the trap, but I hate having to walk through it because it has an overwhelming perfume smell which is really annoying.
This walking through a store after & before you board the plane in the UK & Germany... I always take advantage with the test purfumes though that costs over £200 then carry on walking 😂
Same! I'm like, 'Thanks for the Chanel!" 💃
Why not ay😋 @@asiamommi
This makes me think about airports like KLIA2 and MNL that would sell beverages after passport control, but make you dump all liquids to then get on the plane.
Its things like that that make me so glad my local airport has a policy where vendors MUST have the same price you'd find on the street. They have evicted shops based on this.
Never buy anything there. Even water. Take empty bottle with you, go through security and then fill that bottle with water from the drinking fountain.
You also have to factor that your normal store sells 750ml, but most duty free shops are selling 1L.
Great video. In Australia, Alcohol is very heavily taxed, so its common for Australians to stock up on as much as alcohol as they are allowed to carry when leaving the airport. If you travel here, you might find the Duty Free alcohol is cheaper than in stores outside the airport, but everything else: food, gifts, perfume etc is the same or more expensive inside the airport.
How the heck is your English so good? You could almost pass for someone born in the US!
I have only found one bargain at the duty free shop: on the way home to the uk, the DFS store at Singapore sold a box of Dominican cigars for half the UK retail price. I bought them
In Australia the duty might be total 15% but the airports have such high leases & outgoings compared to normal retail spaces in metro areas that they need to have a larger mark-up to survive.
Recently in Japan I bought a genuine bottle of liquor from 2 brands. I found that the price was EQUAL to the market rate even before special or discounts. I''ve always felt that airport shops are predatory by their nature and I only used to buy food because of that. It really depends on the market, in Asia the prices are comparable and especially during the holiday season such as TET the motivation to spend is higher because genuine, unique goods are really heartfelt. It also depends on what you're buying, but the added benefit of DUTY FREE is that in some cases you can carry MORE with you across the trip in your hands while it not counting against your baggage. The price for luggage was 200 buckeroonis this last christmas to add another checked bag. Again, miles may vary but in my case for MOST goods especially culturally specific goods it really was cheaper to buy it at the border to circumvent a lot of hassle.
I got this before. It’s cheaper than retailers in countries like Singapore. But the most important thing is the quality wasn’t the same. The more expensive the better taste.
I've learned that many years ago. Once at the tax-free shop you don't know what the price at a regular store is. And the other way round. You're a captive without escape. Just like buying a beer a the stadium. One thing is true. Prices at regular stores are always lower than at airports.
This stuff made sense in the 1970s. Maybe 1980s. By the ’90s it was a pile of branded garbage, and the exceptions you can count on one hand.
Interesting, I didn’t know it was like this in Prague. I’ve never had an issue at duty free, always cheaper than in my city stores.
I’ve always felt this was the case, given the high rents and remembers that the terminal runs as a business it makes sense that they want to offer you a “special price” given pricing is subjective 😊
Having traveled non-stop for the past 3 years (we try to minimize flying though, so we didn't visit *that* many airports) there are cases where these duty free shops turn out to be cheaper, but you need to treat them as just another shop and compare prices.
In Bucharest airport you have to walk through multiple Duty Free stores to get to your gate, especially if its one at the end of the terminal.
It depends on the item I believe. Recently in Gatwick’s duty free I found aftershave and perfume 30% less than what I paid and I shopped around for the best price when I bought it so that was a decent discount.
The problem is people are too lazy to compare prices, if you buy without checking then don’t complain about the price because it takes 5 seconds to google an items price and we all know businesses main goal is to make profit not give us a deal.
Found the same thing to be true with perfume as well, cheaper than online. But you're right, people can't be bothered with a small google search...
When I was in the Navy we pulled into Bahrain and there was a duty free store on the dock. I remember buying cartons of Newports for like 10 bucks and there was crazy crazy cheap cigars and alcohol.
Not always the case in every country. In Australia, spirits in duty free at substantually cheaper vs. retail.
I remember when I was coming back from Cuba and seeing Cuban cigars for "cheap" in "Duty Free", they were around 1000 times more expensive than what they cost in a HOTEL I was staying. You can get a (wooden) box (50 Cohiba cigars) for around ~$50 at Cuba, or one Cohiba in plastic wrap in Duty Free for a bit less than a $100.
In Australia, the highest taxed per capita nation in the world, it can still make sense because tax on some items is HUNDREDS of %. Even if the store owner charges 5 times the cost price, its still cheaper because the government isn't charging 10 times the cost in tax.
In some airports the stores don't have to pay rent but they have to pay an high percentage on their revenue to the airport.
What can outweigh the normal tax by a lot
It seems as if these shops are targeting business travelers who have been to a a place for work and so busy that they could not buy anything for their loved ones. But his wife or kids are expecting some gift when coming back. So many guys just go to duty free when on their way back and buy overpriced items. It is a scam.
Even in India, the recently renovated Bangalore terminal makes one walk through a mall to get to the boarding gates. Very hard especially with children and shopping prone family members. Hate it.
With alcohol, airport duty free shops can sell 1 liter bottles (for example with vodka or gin) for around the same price as standard 700 ml in shops so you pay a similar price but get more booze. Also some alcohol (like whisky) have “duty free exclusive” or even “airport exclusive” versions/editions that you can’t buy or is harder to find in regular stores.
The security line at Marco Polo Airport in Venice also funnels you into the duty free shop.
The only airport I bought anything in the last 30 years is the arrival duty free shop in Liberia, Costa Rica, between immigration and luggage pickup. 1L of Bacardi is US$ 9, limit is 5L. That's even cheaper than Costco.
There is a case where it might sense to buy from the airport. On low cost flights you pay extra for check-in luggage. So if you travel light, it is probably cheaper to buy a bottle or some presents from the duty free instead paying for check-in luggage just to put it in there.
Always worth being savvy. We went on holiday from Bristol airport and certain spirits were VERY cheap so we stocked up on some. And tobacco products are undoubtably cheaper in these duty free shops (from someone living in UK)
This gets more ridiculous in Switzerland (Geneve and Zurich), where they sell Swiss-knives after you pass the security check. Knives!
I don't buy booze at the airport or at my local supermarket, so I save money regardless. I can't even recall buying something at a duty free shop aside from some snacks. Auckland New Zealand does the same thing to you. Once you're past security and passport control, you have no choice but to walk through the duty free shops to get to the terminal gates. There's probably many other airports too. They want whatever is left of your credit card limit used up before you board the plane.
Generally, most popular products prices are pretty close to normal retail price, but
1) range of liqueur is huge and you can buy something rare. Usually rare liqueurs are a bit overpriced in retail.
2) sales - sometimes the are significant
3) gifts. A got travel bag with cognac ~10 years ago. Still using it to go to gym.
Here's a good tip: instead of buying duty free stuff at the airport, you can also shop in the destination country, pay the VAT, and get the VAT reimbursed at the airport once you leave. Most larger airports have these offices and all you have to do is keep the receipts.
I actually checked the prices and they're either the same or maybe 1 euro cheaper. In some countries you even pay more than my home country. So, definitely not worth the effort. Oh, and when leaving the country the duty free prices are higher than when you're entering the country. 😂
I usually do a price comparison on items like Veuve champagne or Grey Goose vodka as we often can tell right away whether the entire store is a discount or a markup in comparison to local shops, and also whether it's marked up due to importing or if its a local item.
Most duty free stores are not good deals at the end of the day, though can offer great selection.
In Brazil (Sao Paolo airport) besides the fact that you must pass trough the duty free shop in order to get out, and the scam prices and tatics used (yes, at least it does not make me want to buy, if I know that the tax is at least 60%, and your price is about the same as street market something do not add up), another low level policy is: You can pay in US dollars (maybe euros too, dont remember well), but you cannot use coins to pay. Because coins aren't accept in the exchange booths in the country. BUT, I've bought a bottle of alchoolic and they gave me the exchange in coins...
Made a formal complaint to someone, and told I would never ever buy anything from there again.
Only small airports, for example at the Canary islands, used to have okay offers for lokal(ish) spirits. I bought a lot at close border shops in Czech Republik though and saved a lot doing so.
I've noticed that in the U.S. liquor is usually sold at significantly discounted prices compared to what you can find anywhere else within the same state. There are definitely not any normal priced grocery stores which really is bizarre to think about.
I agree with every point here, ppl should not be forced to go through shops, especially with fake claims.
It's a classic example of market monopoly. The duty-free stores have a local market monopoly inside the airport to sell stuff, esp. >100mL. There is basically no competition inside and between airports as the same few companies operate in all airports around the world. I think they are probably competing with the airline food service prices. And also all goods transported inside an airport goes through security control, which would raise prices a bit. Things do sometimes get stuck in security.
I've always seen duty free shops as a more expensive option of getting something you forgot to bring.
You forgot to bring snacks for the flight? Guess you'll have to pay airport prices.
Didn't drink enough before going to the airport and now you're thirsty behind the security gate? Airport prices.
Returning from holidays and forgot to buy a souvenir? Again, airport prices.
Your connecting flight is delayed five hours and you're stuck in the transit area for lunch? Guess what: airport prices.
They really should start adding mascots and play booths because the only thing more expensive than airport prices is amusement park prices.
Depends what country. I always notice at London airports the prices are way higher than supermarket and most of Europe is the same. Dubai and Brazil though are dirt cheap for tobacco whilst Mexico City airport is useless but in the country it's cheap. Ultimately I guess someone must buy the goods to keep them going but I often find them a waste of time.
thanks for these reviews these type videos will be cultish in the future like "you are trying to save credits" what a weirdo, thank you for the honesty!
Airport cash exchange might be one of the worst scams. Most recently when returning from Europe to the states I had a 50 euro note remaining, and stopped by an exchange stand fully prepared to take a bad trade for convenience. They offered around $30, with the exchange rate at the time being over $60. I did not accept it, obviously.
I used the Eurotunnel last month, same story; looked at a scotch whisky, about 20-30% markup from what you get with tax in normal stores