Are there bargains for non-smokers in UK duty free shops?

[Nottingham Nick]

Following on from a comment in classybird's trip report here.

As a non-smoker, I have long thought the Duty free shops at LHR and other UK airports are a waste of space. I think there are better booze deals to be had at supermarkets, if you wait for special offers.

Am I wrong? Am I missing a trick? What bargains are there to be had at these places?

Nick

I haven't bought anything in UK duty free in years - everything including cigarettes are so much cheaper onboard.

Nick, Like you I'm a non smoker so that section holds no interest

I've stopped buying booze in duty-free basically because I have a cupboard full of it plus like you say it can be cheaper on the high street but there is something of a holiday 'tradition' of stocking up on booze and fags. Though I have been known to try one or two of the free samples.

Some of the offers on cosmetics can be good. Earlier this year I bought a Clarins gift box (obviously a left over from christmas) with a full size gents moisturiser + 2 travel sizes for cheaper than the normal box of moisturiser.

I've shied away from electronics mainly due to worries about what if I needed to return it plus I'm not a gadget geek.

Thing is to have an idea of what the high street prices are for the items you may want and then compare with duty free.

[mitchja]

I haven't bought anything in UK duty free in years - everything including cigarettes are so much cheaper onboard.

I completely agree with this. I never ever buy cigarettes from the airport (unless I'm on the VS200 ! as you can't pre-order duty-free for this flight) and I always pre-order them for on-board collection as they are nearly half the price!!!

I did buy my MacBook from Dixons Duty Free the other year, which at the time, worked out slightly cheaper than buying in the US.

[Neil]

My mum always buys her perfume at duty free, as it is up to £20 cheaper than the shops, but we never buy anything.

IMHO there are none and the only time I use them is to buy a new Jo Malone fragrance on the way out of LHR (because it's a ritual and I don't have a JM stockist locally) or to dump currency I'll get a rubbish exchange rate on when I return to the UK (like I did last week in SYD and AKL).
DL

Strangely enough, we were just talking about this. Been to Florida a few times in the last few years and noticed that especially in the last 12-18 months things have been getting more expensive.

This coupled with the c*** exchange rate and remembering about the tax which is never added on and is often forgotten about, a pair of Oakleys cost £125 in the Premium Outlet Malls and .... £95 in Gatwick duty free :0

David

There are bargains to be had in DF but only on account of the VAT gain and for items which will generally be non-sale.

My #1 for example is a devotee of La Prairie. It's rarely if ever on sale in stores, prices are generally the same, but you save the VAT at the airport and on unctions costing hundreds of pounds that's a saving.

If you see a really good pair of Hermes sunglasses, get them at DF, etc. for high priced branded goods.

For anything commodity, read almost everything else, I see no benefit.

And isn't this the case for booze the world over? My experiences of the US and the caribbean are that supermarkets are waaaaaaay cheaper than duty free (and have the added advantage of being duty paid).

On a very similar subject, is there any way of knowing what stock is held at the Tax Free Dixons at LHR T3? I want to get a camera VAT free but don't want to risk them not having the one I'm after!

[mitchja]

You can pre-order goods from Dixons for collection when you pass though the airport.

See http://www.dixonstravel.co.uk/

On a very similar subject, is there any way of knowing what stock is held at the Tax Free Dixons at LHR T3? I want to get a camera VAT free but don't want to risk them not having the one I'm after!

Phone them in advance? Dixons T3 - 020 8564 8468

Phone number from - http://www.heathrow-airport-guide.co.uk/shops-t-3.html

[buns]

I haven't bought anything in UK duty free in years - everything including cigarettes are so much cheaper onboard.

Could not agree more Tinks y)

I cannot even remember the last time I actually brought something in a UK duty Free

buns

[honey lamb]

Like James I got my MacBook in Dixons in T3 by pre-ordering it. I was thrilled silly as I bought sterling from the bank on the day that the euro and the pound hit parity and paid in cash to avoid cross border charges on my credit card. Between that and the cost of MacBooks over here I reckoned I had saved €400!

[Nottingham Nick]

Thanks for all the replies - at least I am not alone in my thoughts. 8D

The thing is, it always seems to be busy at LHR when I walk past on my way to the Clubhouse - so, either some nationalities must find it worthwhile, or there are a lot of browsers killing time till their flights are called.

Nick

Nick, I think its a bit of both.

As as I said before there is a tradition of getting stuff in duty free before you go - usually fags and booze for us chaps plus some nice perfume for the 'missus'.

Then there are the people trying to use up £s before going home - I bet a few of us have done that on the return leg to get rid of the last local currency.

I am now a much more savvy duty free shopper - I have an idea of what I'm looking for and what a good price is for it and if its not there then the Amex stays in the wallet !

It really depends on what you are looking for. On Sunday I bought 2 bottles of Bells Whisky for 18GBP (1 ltr)at the DF shop in T5. UK domestic market is normally 70cl so I think that is a good buy. You do tend to get a lot of exclusive lines in the DF shops which are not available on the high street

Prices are certainly not as cheap as they used to be mostly down to the astronomical rent rates that the airport authorities now charge for space. It is not uncommon for this to be between 40-50% of sales especially at the premium airports.

Prices on board are usually cheaper as the airlines obviously do not have the rent charges to factor in to their profit margin.

As I always say to people it is Duty Free, not Profit Free :w

You can pre-order goods from Dixons for collection when you pass though the airport.

See http://www.dixonstravel.co.uk/

I'm going to buy my wife an iPad, and was thinking of getting it in NYC when I'm over there at the beginning of August. (As they work out about £100 cheaper than here) However, flying to Tokyo next week, so could pick one up at Duty free if it works out cheaper than the USA price.

However, the Dixons Tax Free website doesn't show the price of the ipad... (or am I being stupid?!)

However, the Dixons Tax Free website doesn't show the price of the ipad... (or am I being stupid?!)

Dixons don't have the right to sell the iPad in the UK. At the moment only their sister company PC World has the right. So you won't find ipads in any dixons, currys or currys digital.

Dixons don't have the right to sell the iPad in the UK. At the moment only their sister company PC World has the right. So you won't find ipads in any dixons, currys or currys digital.

This would suggest they are

I've done some digging around on the price, and they're still cheaper in the States, so I shall wait until then.

Dixons and PC World AND Currys are owned by the same holding company - DSG International.

The wiki page for DSG says

Exclusive Ipad Deal With Steve Jobs' Apple

DSGi secure a 60 day exclusive sale of Apple's ipad before general release. In the first month sales are described as "phenomenal" although data is yet to be released as to exactly how many have been sold through the Currys and PC World stores. Although classed as an exclusive deal, the ipad was in fact also available from Best Buy UK and Apple stores.

So I guess they can sell them anywhere they want

Dixons don't have the right to sell the iPad in the UK. At the moment only their sister company PC World has the right. So you won't find ipads in any dixons, currys or currys digital.

This would suggest they are

I've done some digging around on the price, and they're still cheaper in the States, so I shall wait until then.

At EDI Dixons today they are in stock at:

WIFI 16 £416.50 32 £484.47 64 £581.55
WIFI + 3G 16 £513.59 32 £581.55 64 £678.64

Hope this helps

Paul

A lot depends on exchange rates. At the current rates, a bottle of Plymouth Gin at the duty free works out about 5 dollars cheaper than buying it in a US store. It's not a "commodity" gin - anyone buying Gordons at the DF rather than the 1.75L bottle at Costco would need their head examined - so there's some arbitrage to be had there. Break even exchange rate tends to be somewhere around 1.65/1.7 for booze. Of course, even at 5 bucks cheaper you have to figure whether it's worth it, and by the time you get to 2/3 dollars I'm not interested.

For me with booze it's not so much a case of it being a deal, I'm more interested in bottles I just can't get over here. With some scotch (especially cask strength) you find things at LHR that just aren't available in the US. Of course there's a couple of shops in Soho that are extraordinary for this sort of thing, but I don't always get to go there. A bottle of cask strength Bowmore can generate a lot of peace and good will at Christmas

WIFI 16 £416.50 32 £484.47 64 £581.55
WIFI + 3G 16 £513.59 32 £581.55 64 £678.64

Thanks, so this compares to the following on the Apple Store:


WIFI 16 £429.00 32 £499.00 64 £599.00
WIFI + 3G 16 £529.00 32 £599.00 64 £699.00

That's not a lot of VAT Dixon's and sounds like an added profit for them!

[mitchja]

My 16Gb WiFi iPad I bought in Boston in April worked out at £353.14