World Duty Free Heathrow T5

[Butts]

I have just paid £68 for 200 B&H Gold still cheaper than the £150 odd in the UK but....

BA only charge £51 for onboard delivery - unavailable on my Jersey Flight tonight and Ryanair and Easyjet charge even less.

The so called "Duty Free" at LHR is charging more than you can buy them for in a lot of normal shops in Europe (not DF)

Are they ripping people off ?

 

[daveo]

Should be minimum £200!!!

 

[Butts]

Should be minimum £200!!!

Anyone got a serious contribution of WDF's seemingly profiteering at the consumers expense ?

Imagine if it was Wine ?

 

[RailWonderer]

Heathrow T5 is extortionate in just about every shop, for everything, because they can be. For food and drink (I know you buy smokes) I buy on board the high life cafe on BA as their menu is always cheaper than any shops at Heathrow.

 

[dosxuk]

seemingly profiteering at the consumers expense

Isn't that the goal of virtually every shop?

 

[Butts]

Heathrow T5 is extortionate in just about every shop, for everything, because they can be. For food and drink (I know you buy smokes) I buy on board the high life cafe on BA as their menu is always cheaper than any shops at Heathrow.

Luckily for those who qualify it's free in BA Lounges - wonder how much a Large Talisker Surge would be at a Heathrow Bar ?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Oct 2023 ==

Isn't that the goal of virtually every shop?

But cigarettes are slightly different as they are being sold as "Duty Free" by World Duty Free Shops when quite clearly they are not.

Having said that i doubt any other product at T5 is available at such a discount to the High Street Price - even at WDF !!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Oct 2023 ==

World Duty Free in Jersey - 200 B&H £61.....£6 cheaper than their London Counterparts !!!

 

[CyrusWuff]

Luckily for those who qualify it's free in BA Lounges - wonder how much a Large Talisker Surge would be at a Heathrow Bar ?

Doesn't look like anywhere at Heathrow offers Talisker, but a double of 10 year old Laphroaig or of Auchentoshan American Oak will set you back £10.55 in 'spoons in T5.

 

[thejuggler]

Operational costs of a shop in T5 will be far higher than elsewhere.

 

[jon81uk]

But cigarettes are slightly different as they are being sold as "Duty Free" by World Duty Free Shops when quite clearly they are not.

Having said that i doubt any other product at T5 is available at such a discount to the High Street Price - even at WDF !!

World Duty Free in Jersey - 200 B&H £61.....£6 cheaper than their London Counterparts !!!

Duty free doesn't mean cheapest possible price, just no duty. Same as Waitrose might charge more than Tesco and a Tesco in London might charge more than one in Manchester, BA can charge less than WDF and the shop in Jersey can charge less than the Heathrow one.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Are they ripping people off ?

Generally speaking, yes and no. The rental costs are absolutely sky high in airports for duty free shops, and if you look at the typical design, they really don't maximise floor space at all because airports place rather strict restrictions on them to ensure passenger flow/safety.

What you'll find is that the airport themselves will be taking a cut of the sale price as well, which might not/probably isn't the case in Jersey. I don't know about Heathrow, but 9% of sales is nothing uncommon in airport retail in other parts of Europe.

BA (and other airlines) can offer them at that price because they're not paying anyone for rent, and onboard sales are not particularly high anyway, so they're not losing much by storing a few cigarettes.

The thing that surprises me more are the cost of cigarettes in the UK now. I don't smoke and don't pay attention to the price, but at least this explains why customs in Luton have always been paying close attention to the early morning flights from CEE destinations.

 

[Butts]

Generally speaking, yes and no. The rental costs are absolutely sky high in airports for duty free shops, and if you look at the typical design, they really don't maximise floor space at all because airports place rather strict restrictions on them to ensure passenger flow/safety.

What you'll find is that the airport themselves will be taking a cut of the sale price as well, which might not/probably isn't the case in Jersey. I don't know about Heathrow, but 9% of sales is nothing uncommon in airport retail in other parts of Europe.

BA (and other airlines) can offer them at that price because they're not paying anyone for rent, and onboard sales are not particularly high anyway, so they're not losing much by storing a few cigarettes.

The thing that surprises me more are the cost of cigarettes in the UK now. I don't smoke and don't pay attention to the price, but at least this explains why customs in Luton have always been paying close attention to the early morning flights from CEE destinations.

Conversely at LHR T5 I rarely see any visible Customs presence if at all.

In Jersey there were three standing at the entrance of a tiny Airport and this is not a rarity.

 

[Mojo]

I find shops at airports in the UK are usually much cheaper than shops at overseas airports, but it really depends on the country. I bought a deodorant at Warsaw airport the other month and it came in at over £3, whereas Boot’s in Terminal 5 were charging the same price they charge on their High St shops. Alcohol however was cheaper than the UK.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Warsaw airport

Polish airports are... let's just say horrific when it comes to pricing. I could say many more things, but it's definitely true that UK airport shops are cheaper. You definitely can't get anything comparable to a typical meal deal in a UK airport for the same price.

 

[Harpers Tate]

I suggest you go to Gibraltar. Marlboro about £40/200.

 

[1D54]

I suggest you go to Gibraltar. Marlboro about £40/200.

I stocked up in La Linia last time i was in Gib. We were in the EU at the time and no Spanish customs official would bother with people taking cigs 'the other way'

 

[Harpers Tate]

La Linea, being in Spain, is now subject to a 200pp limit as is Gib - or anywhere else.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I suggest you go to Gibraltar. Marlboro about £40/200.

I just got 400 Marlboro Red for €75 at duty free in Lanzarote Airport. Good as I could double up allowance with my wife- neither of us smoke but my mum smokes like a chimney.

I’ve not looked at cigs in Heathrow T5 but value on the booze is hit and miss. Plenty of it is as cheap in Tesco, but two 1L bottles of Johnnie Walker Double Black for £49.99 in the summer was a good deal.

 

[AlastairFraser]

It isn't just a UK thing either, I think it was about 65 quid for 200 fags in Charleroi Airport (Belgium).
I think it was 55 euro/approximately £49 for 200 on Ryanair back to the UK (don't smoke personally, but a friend here requested some).
What was interesting is that the Duty Free and non-Duty Free fags were only a few Euros apart.

 

[1D54]

Ryanair prices jumped from €40 to €55 overnight last year.

People see ' duty free' and think they are in for a bargain but the opposite often applies when it comes to ciggies. Obviously depends on where you are but Spain stands out!

 

[Butts]

Polish airports are... let's just say horrific when it comes to pricing. I could say many more things, but it's definitely true that UK airport shops are cheaper. You definitely can't get anything comparable to a typical meal deal in a UK airport for the same price.

Not when it comes to Golden Virginia - £5 pouch earlier this year - Black Market Value in the UK £15 pouch - Retail north of £30 pouch.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Oct 2023 ==

La Linea, being in Spain, is now subject to a 200pp limit as is Gib - or anywhere else.

Unless you live in Northern Ireland for non-DF purchases - as for the limit it's observed as much as 70mph is on the Motorway !!

 

[superalbs]

I have just paid £68 for 200 B&H Gold still cheaper than the £150 odd in the UK but....

BA only charge £51 for onboard delivery - unavailable on my Jersey Flight tonight and Ryanair and Easyjet charge even less.

The so called "Duty Free" at LHR is charging more than you can buy them for in a lot of normal shops in Europe (not DF)

Are they ripping people off ?

Sorry, but what costs £51? What is onboard delivery?

 

[AlastairFraser]

Sorry, but what costs £51? What is onboard delivery?

Onboard delivery of a reserved 200 Duty Free Cigarettes. It's possible (I think mostly on the full service airlines) to reserve in advance to ensure they'll be available.

 

[Cross City]

they are being sold as "Duty Free" by World Duty Free Shops when quite clearly they are not.

How much tax does it say you've paid on your receipt?

Duty Free does not equal cheapest, the only think it means is that you pay no tax. The shops are still free to charge what they want.

 

[Butts]

Sorry, but what costs £51? What is onboard delivery?

BA Highlife Shop - order your cigarettes and pay for them online and they are delivered to your seat during the flight.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2023 ==

How much tax does it say you've paid on your receipt?

Duty Free does not equal cheapest, the only think it means is that you pay no tax. The shops are still free to charge what they want.

Where can you buy cigarettes cheaper than in some form of Duty Free outlet ? (legitimately)

 

[sonic2009]

I recently bought back some Golden Virginia Tobacco from Bulgaria, for a colleague at work, and paid around £24 after conversion for 200g in 5 x 40g pouches.

So it does show you how much cheaper tobacco is in other countries.

 

[jon81uk]

Where can you buy cigarettes cheaper than in some form of Duty Free outlet ? (legitimately)

As you stated in the OP they are cheaper from BA compared to the store in Heathrow. You also stated that the duty free store is charging more than some regular stores in Europe.

 

[Butts]

As you stated in the OP they are cheaper from BA compared to the store in Heathrow. You also stated that the duty free store is charging more than some regular stores in Europe.

it's not a matter of public concern any more as so few people smoke now.

If the same thing was happening with Wine there would be a national outcry

 

[deltic]

The whole idea of duty free is bizarre - another subsidy to the relatively well off. Many major airports are shopping centres and car parks with a runway attached although it looks like the majority of Heathrow's revenues are aeronautical related. Airport retail is just like railway station retail - very high rents leading to high charges for customers.

 

[dosxuk]

it's not a matter of public concern any more as so few people smoke now.

If the same thing was happening with Wine there would be a national outcry

I would be very surprised if the same thing isn't happening with wine.

(Edit the next day) And indeed it does - take this pretty cheap and widely available bottle of wine - https://london-heathrow.worlddutyfree.com/en/63/19-crimes-deported-coffee-red-wine-75cl - they're selling for £6.99 duty free. It's a 13.5% wine, so it will attract approximately £2.78 in duty and another £1.93 in VAT - so the full price would be about £11.59.

Tesco sell it for £11.00
Sainsburys currently have it on offer for £8.50 (reduced from £10.50)
And Ocado's price is £10

Using your logic, if we take the lowest non-offer price of £10, World Duty Free shouldn't be charging any more than £5.70/bottle - but they do, because that's their prerogative. And there doesn't seem to be much of a national outcry about it...