Konini Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I gave up buying anything in duty free shops a lot of years ago when I realised I could get most things cheaper on the street. Recently I've had occasion to buy a few bottles of Samsung for maintenance people doing work and helping us with odd things in our new condo. I was amazed to see that the very same bottles I bought in Makro for 259 baht are on sale in King Power Duty Free for 350 baht. I think they were on sale in Makro and cheaper than usual but still, that's a fair old difference. Just as well it was duty free, eh? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YipYipYa123 Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 king power is duty free in name alone everything costs as much or more as regular stores how could they sell without paying tax duties anyway in the middle of bkk ? would all the other big stores not complain ? ive been in it once about 10 years ago and never agaain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseFrank Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I recall from several years ago that Thai spirits were always more expensive at King Power than in a local 7/11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BADDAT Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I have to agree that I have not seen really good value at duty free, but I do not think comparing Thai whiskey in BKK is a good comparison. A comparison of an imported product may be a better representation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post hanno Posted April 7, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted April 7, 2014 I have to agree that I have not seen really good value at duty free, but I do not think comparing Thai whiskey in BKK is a good comparison. A comparison of an imported product may be a better representation. Agreed, but even there King Power fails. Most duty free shops the world over are rip-offs. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJIC Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 (edited) Yep! Duty free aint what it used to be! Supermarkets in the UK are now doing 1 litre of Gordons Gin,Captains Morgans Spicy Rum,Vodka,and Famous Grouse Whiskey for £15. Limited offers of course. But personally I haven't seen many Duty free bargains,compared to the high street outlets,as long ago as 10 years! Perhaps i'm just plain lazy,but hump a bottle of whatever around for 3 hours to save peanuts is not my ball game! And looking for a nice bottle of Perfume for your wife or Girlfriend, forget it,you will get a much better deal in the high street outlets in the UK! Edited April 7, 2014 by MAJIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bung Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 You would need your head read to buy anything at King Power. I would love to see them disappear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benalibina Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 You would need your head read to buy anything at King Power. I would love to see them disappear. They did read my head.....not conclusive 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Digitalbanana Posted April 8, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted April 8, 2014 > Recently I've had occasion to buy a few bottles of Samsung for maintenance These Samsungs are taking over the world! I hope Sangsom takes them to court over this Thai intellectual property rights violation. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art vandelay Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 a mate wanted me to pick up some 'duty free' perfume as i was leaving bangkok, which i did though i did warn him. the cost at suvanabumi £54.00. had a look at at house of fraser perfume dept on return to the UK, same brand, same size bottle, not on special offer, price £34.00. as i said, i did warn him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eeeya Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 When coming through immi the last thing on my mind is stop to buy a bottle of piss. I just want outa there! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YipYipYa123 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I have to agree that I have not seen really good value at duty free, but I do not think comparing Thai whiskey in BKK is a good comparison. A comparison of an imported product may be a better representation. Agreed, but even there King Power fails. Most duty free shops the world over are rip-offs. except maybe ireland ,where the duty on alcohol and cigarettes is ridiculously high .......... but probably as many smoke as before ..........they just buy illegally imported ones from russia ,poland or ukraine from local 'gangsters" the government has slipped up and created a huge incentive to smuggle tobacco /cigaretes for organised criminal gangs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post CharlieH Posted April 8, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted April 8, 2014 Interested to know what the hell a bottle of SAMSUNG is ? New liquid phone? 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisinth Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 (edited) "Duty Free" and "Duty Paid" are two different animals. How they work out the difference is still a mystery to me................................. Edit: I normally find for some reason that duty paid goods (accompanied with the tax seals) in Thailand are cheaper than any duty free shop. Edited April 8, 2014 by chrisinth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryLH Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 "Supermarkets in the UK are now doing 1 litre of Gordons Gin,Captains Morgans Spicy Rum,Vodka,and Famous Grouse Whiskey for £15. Limited offers of course." Four for 15 does sound like a good deal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminbkk Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 First time I ever wandered through a duty-free store I already noticed that it was not cheaper, so I never wander through one again. Besides, it's usually stuff that I don't really need anyway. It's like eating expensive food at the airport, when you will get a meal on the plane, or you can eat before you get to the airport. And that bought duty-free stuff becomes carry on bagage that slows the boarding process. Ahh well whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konini Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 > Recently I've had occasion to buy a few bottles of Samsung for maintenance These Samsungs are taking over the world! I hope Sangsom takes them to court over this Thai intellectual property rights violation. Oops! Rotten auto spell checker on the (not Samsung) tablet. Either that or too much Sangsom and passion fruit juice (seriously, try it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konini Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 a mate wanted me to pick up some 'duty free' perfume as i was leaving bangkok, which i did though i did warn him. the cost at suvanabumi £54.00. had a look at at house of fraser perfume dept on return to the UK, same brand, same size bottle, not on special offer, price £34.00. as i said, i did warn him. And most likely it would have been under £20 in the discount Semi-Chem type shops, and they are definitely the same product as I've bought a few bottles myself and can spot the difference quite easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tullynagardy Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 http://www.forbes.com/profile/vichai-srivaddhanaprabha/# Probably explains why this guys wealth has gone up by about 8 fold in the last year and the football club he owns (Leicester City) are about to be promoted to the Premiership after he wiped out their debts. Hard to comprehend how a small chain of shops, allbeit expensive monopolised shops, could make one man so rich. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatdrunkandstupid Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 The business model of many enterprises here are based on the fact that the customers are ill informed, idiots, or both. Beer bars are another relevant example... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namdocmai Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I read somewhere on TV that the King power shops at suvarnabhumi don't sell Marlboro cigs anymore because years ago the have sold fake Marlboro cigs. I checked the cigarettes in King Power some weeks ago, 600 baht a carton. 250 baht for a carton Gaulloises Blondes in Abu Dhabi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotrod4098 Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 cigs are ok..average uk price £10 a pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skint Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Duty free is for the Chinese Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noise Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 The only good part about the Duty Free Shops is, as one person mentioned, seeing some items not available on the local market (e.g., higher proof spirits). Goods may be duty free, but the shops are for profit and cater to "convenience" and lack of knowledge of what is available locally. So prices are based on what the market will bear. One King Power employee tried to tell me that not having the VAT added on made this higher priced item a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaucho Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 cigs are ok..average uk price £10 a pack hey mate be careful with your typing ...u said ten pounds a pack .....SURELY u r kidding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konini Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 cigs are ok..average uk price £10 a pack hey mate be careful with your typing ...u said ten pounds a pack .....SURELY u r kidding? No, that would be about right. Last year I bought a pack for someone and they were 8.90 Ciggies on the street here though are nothing like that, didn't look to see how much they were in KP. In the olden days when we used to do the Kangaroo Route (Australia to UK), I always was glad when the flight we chose went through Singapore as that was the cheapest place to buy duty free ciggies I'd ever seen. You weren't allowed to take them into Singapore, zero allowance, but they were great if you were leaving or in transit. I note in Australia now the allowance is 50 - sticks, not packs. Won't be long before that is zero too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirtless Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cigarettes in Australia are as high as 18 dollars a pack, every year tax is increased twice , 18 dollars and that was 2 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Konini Posted April 9, 2014 Author Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cigarettes in Australia are as high as 18 dollars a pack, every year tax is increased twice , 18 dollars and that was 2 years ago. An awful lot of people we know aren't buying them anymore - they're getting chop-chop from the Vietnamese shops. Never been a fan of roll your own, but at the prices now being charged if I still smoked I think I'd go for it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigurris Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 No just ciggies. I like a drop of Glenlivet 12 year old. At duty free it is 1395. Last night in Foodmart it was 2395. Thats a decent saving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanno Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Cigarettes in Australia are as high as 18 dollars a pack, every year tax is increased twice , 18 dollars and that was 2 years ago. Last time I was in Oz 2 years ago (and when I still smoked), Marlboro went for AUSD 25.00!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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