When duty free
Bag a bargain on booze, cash in on cheap cigarettes, find a deal on sweets and smell sweet with discount perfume shopping duty free at airports lets you pick up that last minute holiday saving before heading back to reality and the day job.
Except in many cases it doesn't.
And when prices from nine of the UK's biggest airports against were compared with the nation's biggest retailers, a lot of the time it turned out you could get way better prices outside airports.
When duty free costs more
Careful now. A lot of this is more expensive than at home
Perfume: Think duty free, and perfume is likely to be one of the first things to come to mind. No surprise when World Duty Free (WDF), the UK's top duty free outlet, stocks almost 500 different fragrances. But when two of the UK's most popular fragrances CK One byCalvin Klein (200ml) and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Eau de Toilette (75ml) were compared, they were both found cheaper outside the airport. CK One cost duty free, but is just at Boots while Le Male cost duty free, but is just on Amazon .
Spirits: We all know the tax on booze in Britain is big, so duty free should mean equally big savings, right? Well, not exactly. A litre bottle of Gordon's Gin, sells for at World Duty Free, but Morrison's sells it for
Confectionery: Chocolate the last minute holiday present of choice. But you'd be better off picking it up on the way to work than in the airport in many cases. World Duty Free sells a 400g Toblerone bar for but you can get the same bar for at Waitrose, Debenhams and Morrisons.
When it's cheaper at the airport
Cigarettes: Airport savings are more than 50% on cigarettes, with a 200 carton of Marlboro Gold selling for compared with for 100 on the high street.
Sunglasses: Perhaps one for the way out, rather than homewards journey, but there are big savings available at the airport on sunglasses. A pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers sell for at the airport, but the cheapest they can be found on the high street is at Debenhams and John Lewis .
Electronics: Dixons Travel now has shops in 12 of the UK's major airports, but are they worth visiting? The answer here seems to be yes. Dixons Travel was found to be cheapest for a Go Pro Hero 4 and Beats headphones and the 3rd generation iPad Mini.
Bag a bargain on booze, cash in on cheap cigarettes, find a deal on sweets and smell sweet with discount perfume shopping duty free at airports lets you pick up that last minute holiday saving before heading back to reality and the day job.
Except in many cases it doesn't.
And when prices from nine of the UK's biggest airports against were compared with the nation's biggest retailers, a lot of the time it turned out you could get way better prices outside airports.
When duty free costs more
Careful now. A lot of this is more expensive than at home
Perfume: Think duty free, and perfume is likely to be one of the first things to come to mind. No surprise when World Duty Free (WDF), the UK's top duty free outlet, stocks almost 500 different fragrances. But when two of the UK's most popular fragrances CK One byCalvin Klein (200ml) and Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Eau de Toilette (75ml) were compared, they were both found cheaper outside the airport. CK One cost duty free, but is just at Boots while Le Male cost duty free, but is just on Amazon .
Spirits: We all know the tax on booze in Britain is big, so duty free should mean equally big savings, right? Well, not exactly. A litre bottle of Gordon's Gin, sells for at World Duty Free, but Morrison's sells it for
Confectionery: Chocolate the last minute holiday present of choice. But you'd be better off picking it up on the way to work than in the airport in many cases. World Duty Free sells a 400g Toblerone bar for but you can get the same bar for at Waitrose, Debenhams and Morrisons.
When it's cheaper at the airport
Cigarettes: Airport savings are more than 50% on cigarettes, with a 200 carton of Marlboro Gold selling for compared with for 100 on the high street.
Sunglasses: Perhaps one for the way out, rather than homewards journey, but there are big savings available at the airport on sunglasses. A pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers sell for at the airport, but the cheapest they can be found on the high street is at Debenhams and John Lewis .
Electronics: Dixons Travel now has shops in 12 of the UK's major airports, but are they worth visiting? The answer here seems to be yes. Dixons Travel was found to be cheapest for a Go Pro Hero 4 and Beats headphones and the 3rd generation iPad Mini.