Duty-Free Shopping

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but the duty-free shopping shops in the airports remind me of the duty-free shopping you’d find in a normal shopping mall. It’s not a bad shopping experience by any means. The shops carry everything. Glassware, electronics, and a myriad of other goods. There’s also a wide variety of food and snack items. You’ll find everything from candy to ice cream to burgers to fruit to various nuts and candy bars to cold drinks to cookies.

What’s the best deal you can find at duty free? If I were to give you a list, I would have to mention green tea. It’s cheap and is one of my favorite drinks. Also, pick up a cool plastic container for your loose cigarettes. Your duty-free shop is going to want to hang on to your plastic container when you leave. If you bring it back to the states, they’ll give you an entry card for your collection. That means you get free shopping, cold beverages, and cheap cigarettes.

The Bad

As someone whose patronage of a top 20 online casino UK gamers love to take a punt on is driven more by seeking out some good value for the money I spend, this is where I think duty-free shopping goes wrong. You get to spend your time trying to get the best deal, but you don’t get to spend much of your time actually shopping. If I’m at the airport, I want to be sitting in a lounge or lounging in a hotel room. At duty free, you’re trying to do two things at once.

Before you leave the airport, try to make sure you have everything you’ll need for your next trip. Take pictures of anything you’ll buy. Take your boarding passes and a credit card. Pack up anything you don’t need. If you don’t know what you need, just grab things that look interesting. You’ll find things in the duty-free shops you’ve never seen before. It’s also important to carry your drinks and snacks with you when you’re ready to go through security. There’s usually a special place you’ll need to wait for your baggage at security. It’s usually in a covered area that’s not crowded. Make sure you’re prepared.

You’ll also get annoyed by the way the items at duty free are displayed. I know I have. I hate seeing the cheap bags and sunglasses crammed into tiny bins. It’s not that those items are worth a lot of money, but they certainly aren’t worth taking up the entire shelf space. You might find a cool lighter or tie clip, but it’s probably not worth the annoyance of moving everything around so you can find the cool thing you’re looking for. You don’t get free merchandise at the grocery store and that doesn’t matter. Why should you get free merchandise at the airport?

If you want to bring back gifts for friends or family, then you’ll need to take your time shopping. There’s a reason why the duty-free shopping experience is expensive. I would suggest taking your time. Take a photo of the merchandise you like. Try to plan ahead. You should take the time to enjoy it. I understand you’re in a hurry, but don’t take away your shopping experience by rushing to get everything you can in the limited amount of time you have.

Do you like duty-free shopping? What are your favourite items? Leave a comment.