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Hi all,
Ana?s duty free post brought back a lot of memories. I have scoured many duty free shopping areas when I was with an airline and even now, my favorite-est thing to do when traveling is to hit duty free. Most people bring back alcohol and chocolates, I bring back shoes, makeup and jewelry! I can safely say,I have almost done a PHD in duty free shopping, Here is my list of best airports and in one case a city to shop from! As a rule, try and pay cash as you will be charged interest if you pay by credit card and that can amount to a lot of money at the end of your shopping spree.
Lets start with India first:
Delhi Airport Duty Free Shopping -?
Delhi airport is nothing less than a shopping mall.Because its duty free, even dresses at Mango are cheaper than the city and like A mentioned, MAC is cheaper. As a general rule, MAC and ?Maybelline are cheapest in India. I will give a comparative pricing later on.
Mumbai CSIA Duty Free Shopping:-
Mumbai CSIA is not all that great but you will get fab discounts on alcohol and chocolates.The choice at CSIA is so limited , I generally take my book and go sit at coffee bean and tea leaf and wait for my flight to be announced.
Hyderabad & Bangalore Duty Free Shopping:-
Hyderabad and Bangalore are also average shopping areas. For people boarding flights from Cochin and Thiruvanathapuram can buy themselves fab cashews and handicrafts! So this is the gist of Indian Duty free.
Now we come to real thing. I will take it from country to country, Please keep in mind that things change very regularly at most airports and also different airlines land at different terminals so what you see may differ from what I write.
1)Newark Liberty International airport NJ,Usa(EWR)or JFK airport NEW YORK
uty Free Shopping
This my ladies , is a shopping mecca. USA is generally quite reasonable for cosmetics and food .SInce most brands are manufactured in USA itself, They r very cheap compared to India. Clinique,VIctorias secret? and our beloved MAC is cheap here. A mac lipstick costs about 14.50 USD at duty free in USA or maybe less.This is a good 300 or 400 bucks cheaper than what we get here. Perfumes are reasonable.One thing to avoid at all airports is buying drugstore brands, unless its a product you do not get in India.India is cheaper for Maybelline and Loreal. Revlon can be bought from USA as here in India the price is higher. To keep it short, if you are traveling back from USA keep plenty of time in hand or risk missing your flight. Don?t worry about carrying your stuff till the gate as you will receive your stuff only after you clear security checks. In short., buy what you fancy as you wont get it cheaper elsewhere.
2)Singapore Changi Airport?Duty Free Shopping:-
This airport is well known for its pricing of electronics.AN example:I picked up my MAC BOOK AIR for rs 20000 cheaper than India.There are lots of perfume shops and chocolate shops,but the one not to be missed is the CHARLES and KIETH signature store.The shoes there are half price of what you would get In India as Charles and Kieth is a Singaporean Brand.In Singapore, there is DFS store in the city at Orchard road.This is the only kind of duty free store in the world!You can also buy Duty Free items from there,although I have not bought anything from there as I would end up buying at airport itself. Skip MAC at this airport!its more expensive than India.For eg: A MAC Lippie costs 28sgd or roughly 1300 rs. Do not? forget to eat Chole Bhature at Kaveri?s at the airport.Also one imp thing to keep in mind, Singapore airport is a silent airport; they do not announce for flights. A passenger is expected to be at the gate at the time stated in the boarding card and this is taken very seriously at Changi. Now, moms..you must be wondering what will your kids do while you shop? They have tables where your kid an draw and trace and take their handiwork home!
3)Hongkong? International Airport Duty Free Shopping:-
Perfumes ,perfumes and more perfumes. This also is the airport if you wanna stock up on chocolates. Again,avoid Maybelline and Loreal, but you would get good offers for Clarins and Guerlain and l?occitane and other high end brands. Sea food lovers. rejoice there are some great Japanese restaurants at this airport.I have heard it from friends and colleagues?I am a veggie myself so cant be sure.Also ,great chinese green tea is available is gorgeous packaging which makes it a great gift for your health conscious friend ! HKIA is a great place to shop for cute souvenirs.
4)Uk and Europe Duty Free Shopping:-
Avoid !unless you have found something to die for. The conversion rate is crazy and Europe is very expensive!! Although, the handmade chocolates that you get at Brussels airport and Frankfurt are to die for ! Very expensive but you must have them if you are there.
?In the next part, I will cover Bangkok and airports in the gulf and UAE and one unexpected place to shop from. Also one good thing to keep in mind is, most companies have Travelers exclusive sets sold only at airports which are basically sets of either perfumes ,?makeup or skincare. Its a good idea if you wanna try some range or brand!
Which is your favorite airport to shop from?
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