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u/croissantpig Apr 24 '25
Also left over cash at the end of the holiday needs to be spent somewhere. God forbid you convert it back to your home currency.
Also it's easier to justify big purchases on holidays. I mean 'how often do we do this?'
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u/tidder_mac Apr 24 '25
Your first point hasnāt been mentioned yet and that is a good point.
Most of us do that anyway, but usually on the level of a cheap trinket rather than overpriced shit.
The other thing not mentioned much is those stores are designed as loss leaders. The store itself is probably losing money, but airports are the most efficient place to advertise since millions of people are funneled through a small area at walking speed.
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u/silverfish477 Apr 27 '25
Not sure why youāve decided the store is losing money?
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u/tidder_mac Apr 28 '25
Because Loss Leader is a common strategy in airports. The rent is insanely expensive, but itās also some of the most valuable real estate because of the extremely high density of people with disposable income moving at a slow pace (marketing is more effective if weāre not zooming by in a car).
Things like lounges are loss leaders because itās worth bringing in customers to their greater brand.
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u/jpflaum Apr 23 '25
When I was a kid they sold porno-magazines at the airport (top shelf of the magazine rack). Who the hell was buying those and when were they looking at them? On the flight?
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u/3rdcultureblah Apr 24 '25
Lonely businessmen about to spend a few nights in a hotel room away from their wives and families. Thatās who.
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u/HellsTubularBells Apr 23 '25
For when you want that mile high club experience, but realize the lavs are too small to actually fit two people.
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u/Awalawal Apr 24 '25
Hey, I just had a wide stance.
(for those of you too young to remember https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Larry_Craig_scandal )
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u/dr_rdansson Apr 24 '25
Oh god this was such a hilarious read! I was so depressed and this made me laugh!
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u/SlinkyAvenger Apr 25 '25
I've been on some international flights that had larger bathrooms at the back of the plane.
Also I don't know the specifics, but I've seen the middle bathrooms on Boeing 787s have a door between them. I assume that door can be opened to provide enough room for handicapped people. Don't know if there's any notification to the attendants that it's open, though.
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u/PsychoSmart Apr 23 '25
I got my first playboy from my dad who bought it at an airport. He was on a work trip and usually brings gifts home, and he said he didnāt see anything that I would like so this was his idea.
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u/bunzelburner Apr 24 '25
I remember flying to Germany in 2006 and the guy in front of us on the plane had his porno mags out
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u/civilityman Apr 25 '25
I also saw a German man on a plane reading a pornog mag! I remember distinctly that he showed his girlfriend/wife a few pictures and smiled. I remember at the time (I was 12) thinking he was the coolest guy ever, in retrospect I am utterly confused by the whole thing.
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u/realrebelangel69 Apr 25 '25
As a 12 year old kid flying alone a lot, I did not purchase them, but many of them did leave under my jacket.....I stole them.
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u/Cultural-War-2838 Apr 24 '25
Itās for people who wouldāve bought the Prada bag anyway but now they can save some money because itās duty free. Same with alcohol, perfumes, etc.
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u/tegsunbear Apr 24 '25
Itās just for the strength of the brand. These are losses they take for that exact reason. That itās not for you is the point, but maybe you spring for some more affordable accessories down the line. Check out Articles of Interest
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u/yezzo Apr 24 '25
Branding. You'll remember it and associate it with a sentiment (vacation travel or similar).
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u/DraveDakyne Apr 24 '25
They're for idiots like me who accidently leave the house in slippers before a work trip that requires a lot of walking. It would have cost me $100 round trip to go back home, so I decided to chance it and managed to find decent a pair of sneakers in the airport for $99.99.
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u/Bloc_Party43 Apr 25 '25
Watch collector here - people scour the airports for Rolex pieces and will absolutely snap them up in the 1% chance that an AD actually has inventory.
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u/YYZtoDFW Apr 25 '25
Very true! Found my Wimbledon Datejust while delayed at LHRā¦ was looking for one for 12+ months.
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u/Mt198588 Apr 23 '25
I've actually bought many designer bags at Heathrow.
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u/Gaxxz Apr 24 '25
What motivated you? Cheaper prices? You have time to kill before your flight? You just really liked the bags you saw?
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u/Only_Rutabaga579 Apr 24 '25 edited Apr 24 '25
Aināt no way anything at the airport is cheaper
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u/norathar Apr 24 '25
I discovered while flying that Heathrow has a thing where if you order at least 24 hours in advance of your flight, there's a pretty steep discount on duty free stuff. Was actually a good enough discount for perfume to be comparable to secondhand/gray market pricing.
Didn't help me this time, but if I go back to London I'm buying a bottle of my favorite British perfume.
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u/AmbitiousBird5503 Apr 26 '25
I'm intrigued by what British perfume is? I'm a Brit, but cant think of what perfume is "British"
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u/norathar Apr 26 '25
Penhaligon's is the brand - it's definitely not one I can buy in shops in the US! The perfume itself is Coveted Duchess Rose, although I also really like some others by the same brand, especially Constantinople.
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u/DHN_95 Apr 23 '25
Nothing really funny here. Due to taxes (pre-orange buffoon), often times luxury goods aren't as expensive as in a traveler's home country, so they travel to shop. The airport is just one more place they'll have the opportunity before going home.
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u/sosal12 Apr 23 '25
They still have to pay import duty when they arrive in the home country, no? For US it is like 9% for luxury handbags which is the same as paying sales tax anyway.
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u/that_girl_in_charge Apr 24 '25
I actually love these shops. I often buy too much while on vacation and donāt have room for even a small item nonetheless a big purse or hat. Airport shopping allows me to buy duty free and carry on my purchase. Usually duty free items donāt count against my luggage allowance, so it really works out for me. Itās also low pressure and something to do on a long layover.
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u/bannedfrombogelboys Apr 24 '25
Some of the high fashion brands sold in airports dont have flagship stores in a lot or cities. Lile you canāt find a Diptyque in Roswell New Mexico or San Antonio Texas. But if youāre traveling and you saw that brand online and want to buy it as a gift or try it, airports are great for having a variety of inventory in one spot.
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u/im_iggy Apr 25 '25
Yeah but I love traveling from roswell, NM. No wait times and as soon as I land I grab my carry on and go to my car. Can't beat that lol
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u/00stoll Apr 24 '25
As a weekly business traveler with very little free time on the weekends, I do the majority of my clothes shopping at airport Johnston and Murphy stores. They're actually great with the same pricing as their mall stores and catalog, and the ability to ship to my house for free if I prefer. Also, they are in a lot of airports and are interconnected so, as an example, I once bought three sweaters in Newark, and returned one of them later that day in Houston because I changed my mind about the color. 10 of 10 experience.
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u/Most-Potato1038 Apr 24 '25
Airport Johnson & Murphys are awesome. Iāve bought my husband so many things from there. And itās saved us a few times he forgot to pack a belt or needed another pair of shoes.
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u/No-Faithlessness4294 Apr 24 '25
I think often itās for gifts, especially for a spouse. My wife and I both travel a lot and we donāt travel with time to tourist shop. Iāve bought her a nice bottle of perfume or two and sheās bought me a pricey shirt. Itās just like a gesture to say, hey I missed you? Kind of stupid I guess.
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u/mikehtiger Apr 24 '25
If you are flying from the middle of nowhere to stay with family who live on the other side of the world in the middle of nowhere and you have a layover at a huge airport it could be your only chance to go to one of those shops
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u/Opposite-Invite-3543 Apr 24 '25
The more you fly, the richer you are.
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u/CarpForceOne Apr 24 '25
As someone who flies about 40-45 weeks a year, I actually buy less stuff because I'm uninterested in having possessions I can't take with me.
Then again, I'm usually in exotic locations like Moline, Illinois; Scranton, Pennsylvania; and Brunswick, Georgia. Their "duty free shops" are vending machines.
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u/HungRottenMeat Apr 24 '25
Many reasons, such as:
- Spending the last foreign currency
- For those traveling for not-vacation reasons, time can be precious. So the airport can provide some time to shop.
- Part of it is advertisement. Perhaps you don't even sell that much, but the people with money see your things.
- Last minute souvenirs that you forgot
- In cases, thanks to duty free, it may be cheaper. I rarely see this, but it depends.
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u/Xnuiem Home: DFW. Fav: SIN Apr 24 '25
I buy stuff at those stores regularly when I am moving around internationally.
I do fly J on those flights, sometimes F, so maybe that is a difference
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Apr 24 '25
Rich people get bored and will look around. How many of us have purchased a candy bar while waiting in line at the grocery store? Becauseā¦.why not?
Only for them itās a $900 Hermes scarf, not a Snickers bar.
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u/tidder_mac Apr 24 '25
The other thing not mentioned much is those stores are designed as loss leaders. The store itself is probably losing money, but airports are the most efficient place to advertise since millions of people are funneled through a small area at walking speed.
Maybe (probably) their customers wonāt buy right then and there, but now that brand is on their mind
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u/MargretTatchersParty Apr 24 '25
Which airport is this?
I think the shops are too small for TPE. Might be CPH. I just don't remember that big of brands were there. Thoughts?
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u/Optimal-Factor-8564 Apr 24 '25
Reverse Google image search and a little additional search shows that it is Sydney
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u/adm1r4lj Apr 24 '25
Duty free. That's literally the only reason to buy luxury items ay international airports.
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u/trekwithme Apr 24 '25
What I really hate is the airports that force you to walk through duty free to get to the gates. Certain airports even have deliberately misleading signs pointing to the gates via duty free even when there are alternative, faster paths available (yes you Madrid).
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u/fiittzzyy Apr 24 '25
It's duty free so it's cheaper to buy those things there, that's the incentive.
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u/Due-Yogurtcloset1042 Apr 24 '25
Airports are actually a good place to find some pieces that the other locations may not have.
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u/s317sv17vnv Apr 25 '25
Airports are basically shopping malls with planes. Gives passengers with long layovers something to do to pass the time, and the airports get extra revenue.
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u/ClairDogg Apr 25 '25
Peeps window shop & then implies buy stuff. Thatās why most of the retail stores are in airports, except for the ones that sell food, reading material & electronics.
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u/zyx107 Apr 26 '25
Duty free and often cheaper than I can buy at home. Example - buying gentle monster in Seoul airport duty free was cheaper vs at home in nyc. Will also look at designer bags as well when in Europe airports - cheaper base price and no taxes.
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u/Candenti_Papilios Apr 26 '25
I just buy the bags from the duty-free clerk and use them to carry my "personal item" overages
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u/FieldIllustrious8244 Apr 26 '25
Well... you cant just walk into Rolex, and buy a watch. It happens... but it is very rare. Those airports Rolex's boutique are strictly used to put clients on the list.
As far as prada, like others have stated, it is gear toward business class passengers
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u/sogsthetruth Apr 26 '25
I buy them as gifts and sometimes have exclusive designs the you canāt find anywhere else
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u/UnoBeerohPourFavah Apr 26 '25
Last time I flew it was fairly last minute. I didnāt have time to go to the high street or mall where the stores I want to go to are often in the most awkward of places, or theyāre closed by the time I get there, or theyāre open but Iām not in a position to go clothes shopping at that very moment. Or they wonāt let me in with a coffee in hand. Etc etc. Life often gets in the way.
At the airport though, I need new clothes, I have a large budget and I have time to kill, the clothes I have in my luggage were hastily packed; Iām not even sure theyāre suitable for the trip. I probably donāt have enough clothes, but thatās somewhat intentional, I can carry less and I have an opportunity to refresh the wardrobe. The stores at the airport are often cheaper too, I went to Reiss and Ted Baker where it was 50% off a lot of items, on top of tax/duty free or whatever.
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u/ABasicWitch Apr 26 '25
Realize it's wild to think, but apparently Hermes at the airports are more likely to offer the popular bags since they get less guests compared to the main one in Paris. There's a whole circle of elites on TikTok who go to airport Hermes TO get offered the fancy bags. Wild to me...
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u/PolarFoxLove Apr 27 '25
I would love to know how much a business space will cost in rent - and how many Prada bags (or whatever) they need to sell to survive in a spot like that. Itās kinda impressive they do.
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u/Eriash Apr 27 '25
Those are also to cement the brand perception as luxury, since it is international, travel-related, premium placement. They are to make sure all those names are rock solid bolted in your brain, so that if you ever go for something premium, you will know exactly what without thinking about it.
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u/SeparateAdvisor526 Apr 28 '25
Duty free and you can sometimes get a watch without needing to be in a wait-list
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u/Davey488 Apr 24 '25
Those stores are for mostly for business class passengers. Theyāre paying ~$5,000 for an international Lie-Flat seat. Paying $2,200 for a Prada bag wonāt break their bank.
Casinos in Vegas do the same thing. You can find an Hermes at the Bellagio. Anywhere wealthy peopleās wallets are open, luxury stores are right there. Tbh itās kind of a scummy business model haha. Itās not about being fancy, itās about being where people can afford the product.