Domestic Duty-Free Shopping: A New Trend?

In Terminal D of the Dallas-Forth Worth Airport, you may overhear travelers gleefully echoing that familiar Seinfeld catch phrase, “I’d like to stop at the duty-free shop!” Now even the domestic travelers have carte blanche to shop at DFW’s duty-free shopping mall, minus the previously mandated international plane ticket. The alluring display cases of sparkling luxury goods have never been so accessible to U.S. travel ticket holders.

Miami-based DFASS Group is the company premiering and operating this new concept — allowing domestic travelers to shop in their U.S.-based duty-free retail mall – near American Airlines’ gates. While DFASS Group hasn’t announced plans yet to grow these open-to-everyone duty-free stores, the success of their first retail experiment may drive more. By January of 2018, one month after the DFW’s duty-free mall grand opening, sales were up 47%, a harbinger of good things to come. But there’s one small catch: U.S. travelers are disqualified from purchasing the two items that are historically the best deals at duty-free shops – cigarettes and alcohol.

Thanks to the convenience of smart phones, duty-free shoppers can easily validate if they’re getting a better retail deal by shopping inside or outside of Terminal D.  For some, the exotic indulgences of duty-free stores, combined with a generous expense account, can override price or practicality. After all, you won’t find artist James Surls’ floral wall hanging for $250,000 just anywhere.

Duty-free shops offer a retail experience for shoppers exempting them from paying local or regional taxes, or duties. The first and world’s oldest duty-free shop launched in 1947 at Dublin’s Shannon Airport and is still in operation today.

When shopping duty-free on behalf of your company, AmTrav always recommends familiarizing yourself with your company’s corporate gift and travel expense reimbursement policies. For information on travel policy and expense best practices, please contact AmTrav at 1-800-795-8371.

By: Denise D.