Are Duty Free shops a scam?
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- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
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0:00 Opening
0:40 At the airport
1:41 Checking the prices
2:59 Wrong math?
3:33 Why are airports expensive?
4:30 Why is this store cheap?
4:55 Liquid limitations
5:33 Changes to the airport
6:48 Is it all an illusion?
7:06 Scams at airport?
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Janek Rubeš & Honza Mikulka, Prague based journalists
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Two decades back at one of London Heathrow Duty Free shops, I had said the same thing- “your prices are higher than high street prices”.
The sales girl replied “ Sir , it is Tax Free and NOT Profit Free”. 🧐🤔🤫.
I have never asked that question again 😂🤣
You should have replied: "Okay, so you charge the tax to the customer, then put it in your own pocket".
Well, she was not wrong.
It was tax free not scam free
@@jelleg.8079the cashier doesn't set the prices
@@markmilan8365It isn’t a “scam” to charge what you want for ur goods 😂 At least the money goes to a business and not to the government black hole
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-Taxxer sometimes it is possible to find some sale items in duty free shops cheaper. But probably 99% of the time it is cheaper just to buy elsewhere.
@@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!!
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.
Sadly, passing a Duty Free store right after Immigration and/or security is already a standard and an ever-growing one. I flew 40 weeks a year for several years and I'm still flying around 6 to 8 times a year nowadays and I keep seeing this phenomenon growing more common. It sucks, but people fall for it ALL OVER THE GLOBE so its here to stay. The only thing we can do about it's what you're doing: EDUCATING people.
Thanks!
I will tell you more... forcing people through the duty free shops is considered a best practice to pump up the revenues of the airport, so much of a best practice that it is in literal in airport management manuals!
Yep, in Lisbon it's right after the security check in terminal 1 and right before the gates in terminal 2
Recently travelled from Glasgow to Chicago via Dublin, Chicago was surprisingly the least in-your-face about it.
Both Glasgow and Dublin force you to walk through several stores.
Glasgow was probably the worst, corridors that feel cramped due to the number of people and rows and rows of stores to walk past or through, even the waiting area is surrounded on 3 sides with stores and bars
Dublin was okay, the bulk of the stores were off in their own sections but you still had no choice but to walk through them to reach your terminal
Chicago was great, since US Customs and Border Patrol do prechecks at Dublin, once I arrived I could just leave the airport almost immediately, I had to walk past some stores but never *through* a store, and the huge size of O'Hare meant you never have to get close and the signage was quite subtle, even on the way back home through O'Hare, it was mostly just coffee shops, bars and restaurants on the way to my gate
In Thailands BKK Airport they make their living from people who step even a meter outside their shops without paying and arresting them for shoplifiting and make them pay a $1000 fee. Even if it is clear that they just wanted to show something to their spouse waiting outside. A real scam, very popular, very well known and documented.
Not sure you can educate someone who falls for cheap marketing tricks. Also, if you're shopping for a bottle of booze, chances are, you most likely are aware of the standard prices.
Another busted scam! I have been flying since 1978. I have never once bought anything at a duty free store, because it has always seemed like a rip off. Thanks for diving into the 'savings' swamp.
I've been flying for decades, I have never seen a bottle of any liquor or cigarettes that have been cheaper than what they sell at the grocery store. If you want real tax free booze, hit an indian reservation
At my local airport they made huge discounts in the period right after COVID. Only time I'd ever bought from them
@@DougBurgum4VP
Also the middle east airports (dubai, doha etc). Yes, booze is cheapest at Indian airports but other items are expensive.
Yeah its a double win for them, no tax deductions and charge way higher prices due to lack of consumer options
Depends on where you're flying.
Here in Iceland alcohol taxes are 90% of the price and anything with any alcohol content is only sold at government liquor stores so buying duty free is a lot cheaper than even the cheapest place within the country.
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
I also do not mind prices being higher at the airport - if anyones wants anything there for the given prices - no problem to me. I just know ehere to buy what I want gor the better price. But I just hate those BS statements like "Duty free", "Lowest prices", "Last chance"... And of course the airports being redesign to force you to go through these scam shops in zig zags till you exit them.
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
I'm always so amazed by Prague airport having a normal supermarket with regular prices - haven't seen it anywhere else.
Cologne aswell
7/11 in Thailand airports. They are also all over Thailand. I use them to buy a small bottle of coke at in order to break a large bill. Getting vendors and taxi drivers that carry change is a challenge
Otopeni aeroport Bucharest has a small Carrefour if I remember correctly
Cointrin in Switzerland, but you have to go near the station - so out of the transit zone.
Zürich airport, Geneva airport... lots of airports having shopping centres within easy walking distance of the terminals.
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.
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 have been flying since 1963. There was once a time where duty free was actually a major saving. It hasn’t been for decades now. Many regular stores sell the same products cheaper. Especially Costco.
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
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.
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
Prices set by the State😃
Nothing like free market and price competition, as they say in USA...
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 never once even considered that three stores could NOT be a scam.
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..
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 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.
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
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
@@user-gz1nv6nw3q But you are only allowed 25 cigarettes or 25g of tobacco duty free. 2.25l of alcoholic beverages though, so quite a bit.
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.
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 have occasionally found high end makeup items which were cheaper in the duty free, however it was only about 10% cheaper than buying it in the store. VAT tax here in the UK is 20% so they were still artificially inflating the prices.
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.
In south america many people will buy stuff at the duty free because they sell unique imported products that are not common or easy to find in the country. They are still very expensive and few can afford it, but the ones that buy it do it because of its exclusivity, not because of the prices.
That's the main reason I buy stuff at the duty free shops. It's less about the price and more about the "I can't get this anywhere else."
I live in Cancun. Do you want to know what the most annoying aspect is? The majority of souvenirs are made in China, while the locally handcrafted goods are being sold at bus stops for less than nothing. The traditional craft is being lost to the next generation because they cannot make a living. You would think that this is something the government would protect.
Super sized chocolate bars are my only go to in "Duty Free" shops have never seen them for sale anywhere else.
@@mikeklein1779Even hand crafted pencils from japan wood from Japan can be shipped anywhere. I'am sorry for your situation, but buying products in duty-free zones doesnt help it.
If you can't buy something in your own country, it's through the laws you are involved in passing.
But more often than not, these high-turnover companies don't want to get into a market where they would have to meet covenants such as not abusing animals or providing a warranty. And so they leave the market in those countries.
@@bmxrichard21 I appreciate your concern for my desperate situation. I guess a bottle of scotch that is only for sale at Terminal 5 in Heathrow is analogous to some items that would easily fit in my carry-on.
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!
One notable exception: perfumes are often cheaper at duty free. Would love to know how they're the only products that really are cheaper.
Nowadays, airports seem to be malls where you happen to be able to fly from. But look into the former Berlin-Tegel airport. That one was designed like a bus terminal - but for planes. Every gate had its own checkin desk, security checkpoint and waiting area. You basically could arrive 15 minutes before door closing time and STILL make your flight. It was pure awesome to fly from there compared to all those "modern" airports. So sad they closed it down. It was so efficient, that it ran on about 3 times of its design capacity (and 8 times of its original 1974 design capacity) in its last few years. And still coped.
Unfortunately, most people that went through Tegel in the last 20 years hated it. It found overcapacity difficult to cope with and people hated walking into queues.
From an architectural standpoint, I do personally like it, so I'm glad they're preserving the building(s). Unfortunately, it just could not meet the demands of the huge surge in passengers that arrived end of the 90s
Its really insane how much tourist traps there are. It just leaves me wondering why people dont think of their own towns and cities when being a tourist in other countries.
i most airports, including PRG airport, the vast majority of people flying somewhere are local people.... which makes this even more 'interesting':)
To be fair, if you're from abroad, the shops often have alcohols that aren't available "locally".
Always important to compare.
Leisure travel is an affliction of the consumer, who believes that they're more interesting to other people if they have the means to travel far away and spend money on being fancy while they look at foreign stuff in person. There's an excellent ABC Radio National The Minefield episode (titled "Travel is bad for the climate - but what if it’s also bad for us?") that delves into this phenomenon.
@@lollycopter That's a toxic, dishonest, and absurd way of looking at things that was invented by people who I guarantee you will never give up leisure travel and private jets.
@@lollycopter I assume you have very shallow social circle. I and none of my friends travel for reasons you mention..... and also do not "spend money on being fancy" :)
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.
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.
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
Thanks for educating us! Keep going
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
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...
You're doing great work. keep it up!
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 😊
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.
It makes sense in countries like Costa Rica or Iceland on arrival, after immigration and before customs. The prices are marked up, but local VAT/sales tax is so high that it's still cheaper at the duty free store vs your local supermarket
I love your videos even more when they have voiceover ❤
Whether or not you get a deal at duty free stores really depends.. you just have to be very familiar with the prices to actually score a deal and not get ripped off
Cigarettes is one of the things you can make MASSIVE savings on, depending on where you're going and where you're coming from.
@@Sam-vi2hoany place in the world where cigarettes are cheaper in the duty free compared to the price in an average shop outside of the airport?
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...)
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.
man, if not for ppl like u who willing to do these researches great job and keep up
7:12 - “I think you’re weird!” 😂
My relatives from Sweden would still come out ahead by 40-50% paying those duty free prices compared to their local shops. It depends on whether you have checked luggage, or enough spare weight/room to haul a couple bottles home.
you can carry duty free shop stuff on the plane as long as you keep it in the duty free packaging (at least at my airport)
@@4rumani As a Swede i did the misstake once of not taking a duty free bag for my gin (already had a bag, for enviromental reasons and such), forced at the gate to throw it away even though it was clearly a duty free bottle. 60 euro down the drain...
@@4rumani I'm pretty sure he meant wether or not you have the checked luggage space for non-airport booze.
Yes it will vary a bit depending on country probably depending on excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco specifically, which won't apply to other goods. Those are very high in Scandinavia so people who are addicted to tobacco products especially can still save a bit compared to buying in a store afterwards if they are in any case on a trip. (Though it may be way cheaper to pick that up to the allowed limit in the country one is visiting depending on where one is travelling if one has luggage space for it)
Like me, I will be flying back from none EU country so there is no way it’s not a good deal.
Being in one of the cheapest countries from alcohol is not a very good point of reference.
Amazing job❤
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
I love this Billa supermarket at Prague airport. I visit it everytime
Yes, it's the best choice if you need to buy something for your flight. Unfortunately you can't find normal supermarket in other airports
Every airport needs a supermarket!
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.
Usually , outside it is 70cl (700 ml). While at the airport, it is 1liter (1000ml).
The one thing is depending on the alcohol you can’t ship it or get it to bring back unless you go duty free.
Why would you buy an addictive poison? Are you a communist?
Yes duty free is a waste of time
The walking trough a store at airports is quite common, i take lots of flights between oslo and brussels,at brussels when you head for a gate you go trough a shop (but not on arrival) and for oslo on arrival you go trough one but not on departure it causes chaos
I've been to many airports that have a compulsory duty free shop between security and the gates. Never understood why anyone would buy anything from there except maybe a last minute souvenir on the way home
I had a cup of coffee at the Pargue airport (before the passport control). I almost had a heart attack.
Changing Prague and the whole of Czechia, for the best. Thank you for your service
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.
Prices in duty-free shops are at least twice higher than prices in common shops in cities and towns
I look normally for the perfumes at the Duty Free and often they are more expensive than in the internet. But I had in London Stansted also the other way around. The exclusive line from Chanel was there way cheaper than online, because you get these fragrances only in the Chanel Boutique and online at the chanel website. So I think for some especially more pricey items you can make a good deal there. But often its just scam.
Agreed. I get the fancy brands cosmetics and perfume cheaper even when flying inside EU. Other stuff I don’t bother
I feel similar. Most is way more expensive, but some luxury like perfume is cheaper.
Thanks, I was always suspicious of these prices, nice to know my instincts not to buy were true.
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.
I learnt to buy whatever I want in the regular shops and put it in my checked bagage a loooong time ago.
Awesome work with that slick camera timing and metaphor when comparing the airport to that piece of art.
Janek and Honza .. good to see you guys doing this .. I never buy ever buy anything from Duty free .. cos I get it cheaper from UK supermarkets then Duty free .. I can’t believe how inflated the prices are
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.
Another excellent video!
You can't also buy anything in duty free shops without your boarding pass being scanned at the checkout. I guess that's how they tell if you need to pay the EU price or the without VAT price?
no, this is how they prove they can claim VAT FOR THEMSELVES! So its really a 'reverse duty free'- THEY get the tax back, you pay regular(or higher) price:)
Yes, you're correct.
Which is ridicilous. Many years ago i had some medicin and I needed water. I was not able to buy it after the flight. And remember, before the flight the water was taken away from me by security.
Under European law you don't have to provide your boarding pass when buying goods at Duty Free and its an offence if they refuse you service because you refuse to provide it. GDPR breach as your personal information is on the boarding pass barcode. The VAT refund is yours, not theirs and they are in effect stealing.
@@Bopzibeel not really…. VAT is paid by seller of goods/services when they biught inputs (goods) frim the supplier….so its the seller who is eligible to claim it back….. in theory the mechanism shoul be they could sell you goods “at loss” knowing they will get the back using scan of you boarding pass as proof the goods were “exported”
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!
Thank you for confirming what I have always suspected.
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.
I used to buy cosmetics and perfume or chocolate. In recent years the prices on perfume is outrageous anywhere including the airports.
At a few European airports, you can buy paper cartons of water (I think they were 750 ml) for 1 Euro. I get them so I have water on the flight if I did not bring my water bottle. That is far cheaper than you can get similar items at other shops. That is literally the only thing I have ever bought at a Duty Free shop. ;)
You also have to factor that your normal store sells 750ml, but most duty free shops are selling 1L.
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.
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
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.
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.
I always thought of airport stores as "YOU FORGOT SOMETHING" stores if that be a charger, handbag, or souvenir but expected it was at an up-charge for that convenience. Tax-free is a benefit advertised to international travelers, as they often don't want to pay taxes somewhere they don't live or go through the processes they have to get those taxes reimbursed in their home country. Also some areas have this benefit on legally limited things like cigarettes where some countries sell Marlboro and other major brands for pennies on the dollars compared to the US but impose strict limits to fend off reselling.
Unfortunately walking through a store at aiports is very common. I've been to many of airports and almost on every single one I had to walk through a store.
This is by design; once I was escorted by a staff and I realized that I really had to walk very little. This happened in Delhi and also in Bangkok.
@@janami-dharmam Every airport I visited had some sort of a shortcut, either through the fast track security lane (e.g. Heathrow Terminal 3, Krakow) or through a hidden corridor (Gatwick South, Stansted). They have to do it to accommodate PMRs and allow quicker movement for staff.
I got a good visual memory, so the pricetags on my first duty free shop were a huge shocker. I knew right away all was overpriced AF. Even worse are the buffets and bars on the airport, if you wait for very long, you can spend huge amount of money in them without getting full and/or drunk. Like 5€ for tap beer? Did they fly it in keg by keg with helicopters?
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?
Well, I actually did this for wine bottles at 3 airports and several brands and compared them to online wine shop prices. To my surprise, the prices were almost always very similar.
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.
Australia makes you walk through the store after PP control too, and it winds you around the whole shop before exit.
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
I noticed this when trying to stock up on alcohol for a wedding. The prices were almost always higher in duty free, vs getting it in a regular store. The only thing that I noticed and that you didn't mention is that, at least in north America the duty free stores have 1 Liter bottles vs the regular stores carried 750ml bottles. With that said, even when you do the math by volume, the duty free alcohol would still be more expensive.
This man doing the lords work!
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€…
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?
Only things i buy at airports are the oversized chocolates, like Toblerone, because i can't find them in regular shops or webshops.
I always thought those stores are only to buy some really expensive water in case security took it away from you.