Duty-free shutdown drama: Thai airports set to lose big bucks

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, daveAustin said:

For Brits, pre-booking Heathrow has great prices and all sealed. 

OK for some flights but not all countries will allow duty free to transit, even if it is sealed.

The duty free shop is supposed to check the route from your boarding cards before selling, but not always. BKK sold me whisky that was then confiscated in Mumbai.

[Celsius]

I don't understand.

 

Will they be instead selling 7/11 products at inflated prices?

[Will B Good]

11 minutes ago, sandyf said:

OK for some flights but not all countries will allow duty free to transit, even if it is sealed.

The duty free shop is supposed to check the route from your boarding cards before selling, but not always. BKK sold me whisky that was then confiscated in Mumbai.

OH!! Is that why they always ask for your boarding card?...often wondered.

[bamnutsak]

11 hours ago, Silencer said:

I never knew arrivals had duty free (departures sure)....my goal is get from plane to immigration ASAP.

 

 

There is Duty Free on Arrival after Immigration, within the baggage carousel area.

 

Savvy shoppers know the price/volume of items they buy consistently, so they know what represents a price advantage.

 

For me, scotch/bourbon in the 2,500 - 3,500 range represents a significant value at DF, vs. in town.

 

At the airport, you get 1L for the same price (or slightly less) as a 700/750 in town. So a ~25% savings.

 

 

 

[patman30]

13 hours ago, Big Bert said:

I spend nothing In Thai airports. Check in and straight to the lounge. Duty free has always been a rip off

rip off only when you are looking at the wrong products
a bottle of Dom P is half the price in duty free
many limited edition whiskeys are cheaper and some only available in duty free like JW traveller

it would not surprise me to see very similar duty paid shops open after king power leaves
tourists will not know and may spend regardless

[Will B Good]

1 hour ago, KannikaP said:

Surely it makes more sense to only sell Duty Free at the arrivals so that all that extra weight of inflammable liquids is not carried in the already overloaded overhead lockers (or hat racks as Emirates calls them). 

 

 

Scares me rigid.....you can't carry on a bottle of water.....but 2L of highly flammable Brandy is fine???

 

Pretty sure a Swissair flight to Alaska was downed when someone emptied a bottle of spirits and set light to it.

[ChipButty]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Wasn't the previous owner the boss of Leicester City FC and killed in helicopter crash a few years back?

Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha (Thai: วิชัย ศรีวัฒนประภา;[a] born Vichai Raksriaksorn, Thai: วิชัย รักศรีอักษร;[b][c] 4 April 1958 – 27 October 2018) was a Thai billionaire businessman and the founder, owner, and chairman of King Power. He was the owner of Premier League team Leicester City from 2010 until his death in a helicopter crash just outside the club's King Power Stadium in 2018.

[steve187]

15 hours ago, Big Bert said:

I spend nothing In Thai airports. Check in and straight to the lounge. Duty free has always been a rip off

 

Arrivals duty free

[Sydebolle]

a) the big bucks are lost by King Power and only second in a row is
b) AOT is not getting their cut on rent and commission for doing absolutely nothing which
c) makes Thai Duty Free shopping very expensive; some luxury consumer goods (i.e. watches) can be bought cheaper duty paid in town during some promotions
d) I personally think, it is a smoke screen for the fact, that possibly
e) the little brown manillas were not adequately filled to the expectations of the licenser, but we shall see, if 
f) in the future they will celebrate a big re-opening with fanfares by the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Funny Hats

Stay tuned! 

[zig]

14 hours ago, daveAustin said:

They should take heed because many feel the same. Duty free here used to be okay but is now borderline extortionate. They are just glitzy shops with high prices, and the arrivals are/were a waste of time. This is why they are closing, because people don’t fall for it. If you want good prices, get duty free when leaving your home countries. For Brits, pre-booking Heathrow has great prices and all sealed. 

Indeed, some years ago it used to be possible to buy booze at 30% cheaper than in the city so I sometimes bought while waiting for luggage. Nowadays, the prices are about the same in duty free and the city.  They have also stopped selling the cigarette brands that I liked and which I could not find in Bangkok. There is no point for them to exist anymore.

[john donson]

the rip off start at the airport

 

every bank gives 3-4 baht less per EURO... saw a few days ago

 

every food chain ups their price, like... in the airports food is more expensive than a few km further down ?

[AgMech Cowboy]

On 7/31/2024 at 7:39 PM, Big Bert said:

I spend nothing In Thai airports. Check in and straight to the lounge. Duty free has always been a rip off

 

The shops are in the baggage claim area after immigration. (but I'm sure someone else has already told you this)