Are perfumes cheaper in duty free shops at Heathrow airport as compared to high street retailers and online?
I am planning to buy 3-4 perfumes as gifts but wondering if they are cheaper at Heathrow airport’s duty free shops as compared to high street retailers and online shops which i truly do not believe if they are genuine. Can i get promotions and gift packs at duty free shops too? What about coats , are they cheaper at duty free or not? Thank you.
Quite frankly, no. Over the last couple of years the cost of perfumes in the UK High Street has fallen since the big supermarkets started to get in on the act. My partner and I used to buy all our perfume and aftershave and so forth from duty free and it became a bit of a ritual. We have now broken the habit and at the moment with the sales on you would have to be mad to buy in duty free. I compared a well known brand at Birmingham airport with shops in Derby at the beginning of January and could buy in Derby for three to four pounds an item cheaper than at the airport.
February 15th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
I’ve never bought perfumes at Heathrow or know the prices in the UK, but I have bought lots of items including perfume from duty free shops. Most of the time the prices are no different in duty free shops and sometimes even higher. They may be duty-free, but not free from high mark-ups. Sometimes they do have promotions at duty free shops, but you’ll never know until you get there.
The one advantage to buying perfume at duty-free shops is that you’re able to carry liquids over 100ml. onto the plane, something you can’t do if you bring them in your carry on from outside the duty free area because of the restrictions on gels and liquids over 100ml. in you hand luggage.
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February 15th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Duty Free shops are, as far as I can see, a rip-off. I have in the past bought colognes in the airport duty free only to find the same product in High Street stores at a cheaper price. Even one that I bought that was marked ‘40% off’ was cheaper in Boots. Often you can find some products in other countries at a better price for example if you were to travel to Spain you can make killer savings on drink, tobacco products and perfumes, I have bought EDT sprays in Spain far cheaper. This will be dependant on the prevailing exchange rate though, at the moment it’s crap so you have to take that into account, also you could have the same problem of dodgy provenance as buying online, although there is no guarantee of a genuine product even in a top store in the UK as counterfeit products enter the supply chain of the best established retailers. You might sometimes get a special multi-buy offer at a duty free, other than that I would say don’t bother.
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February 15th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Duty Free is a huge rip off, as the other answerer said. Sure, it’s cheaper than the department stores, but they both mark up their products massively. However, if you can’t be bothered waiting for the sales that happen once or twice a year (which I love by the way) you’re best off buying from DF.
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February 15th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
No!!! As silly as it sounds…..so called ”Duty Free” shops are often more expensive that High Street stores!! If you’re shopping for perfumes for yourself, and know what you’re looking for then go to;
http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk
They do loads of different brands at really good prices, and you can also get some great bargains if you’re not too fussy about the perfume being boxed or having a cap etc. I recently bought A full sized bottle of Jean Paul Gaultiers ”Fragile”, which normally retails at around £44,but because it was actually a ”Tester”…I had it for just £20!
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February 15th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Quite frankly, no. Over the last couple of years the cost of perfumes in the UK High Street has fallen since the big supermarkets started to get in on the act. My partner and I used to buy all our perfume and aftershave and so forth from duty free and it became a bit of a ritual. We have now broken the habit and at the moment with the sales on you would have to be mad to buy in duty free. I compared a well known brand at Birmingham airport with shops in Derby at the beginning of January and could buy in Derby for three to four pounds an item cheaper than at the airport.
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Ten to twelve long and short haul flights a year
February 15th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
You really have to know the prices of what you are looking for.
There are some places in the Caribbean that me and usually the rest of the crew head off to Duty Free to buy dirt cheap Grey Goose vodka………
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F/A