I’ll admit, I’ve never purchased anything from a duty free shop in the airport. This isn’t due to any particular reason, I just haven’t found the need to take home cases of cigarettes or bottles of liquor for a discounted rate. But how much money do you end up saving anyway, and is it worth the added hassle of complying with the TSA’s anti-liquid policy?
On his blog, Tim Leffel — author of The World’s Cheapest Destinations — set out to find out the truth behind duty free by doing a bit of comparison liquor shopping.
“… some items were a wash, some were clearly a better deal at duty free (especially true when there’s a 2 for 1 deal going on), and in the case of the most expensive item, the local liquor store was cheaper.”
Don’t take his results as the final word, however. In the spirit of Tim’s frugal traveling style, he urges you to be an “informed consumer” and do some research of your own before blindly purchasing your next duty free item. If nothing else, maybe this post will get the “I like to stop at the duty free shop” Seinfeld jingle stuck in your head.