Jim Haysom | This Is Your Life an internet professional in digital advertising

Duty Free rip off for Dom Perignon & Cristal Champagne

I like shopping, that's a fact.  I also like shopping and getting a deal, like most people.  I don't like going to Duty Free at the airport to later find out that I could have got items cheaper on the other side.  So the concensus is pretty obvious, I got ripped off at the Duty Free shop at Berlin airport last week, and it has left a bitter taste in the mouth.

The items I endulged in was two bottles of champagne, a Dom Perignon 2000 Vintage 75cl and a Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 Vintage 75cl.  Quite a luxury purchase of champagne, I'm sure you'd agree.  You'd expect to save some money at the Duty Free shop wouldn't you.  As I passed through the Duty Free shop at Gatwick airport, yards from exiting the final doors, I took a quick glance to see what the Dom was priced at.  Horror, a quick mental calculation of Euros to British Pounds meant that I was likely to be ripped off.

My suspicion was correct.  Although the Dom was cheaper UK side, it was vastly cheaper than what I paid in Germany.  They didn't sell the Cristal champagne, so I had to check the web to get the truth, and it is apparent that buying champagne online can save you money.

So I paid €127 (about £114) for the Dom Perignon 2000 Vintage champagne in Berlin, and at Gatwick is was offer for £85.  But the cheapest I could find it on the web was around £90.  But thegift box for the Dom was pretty cool, and found an example of this here.  So I paid about 20% more for the luxury of sticking it in the overhead cabin the easyJet flight.

As for the Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 champage, I was actually pretty lucky with the price conversions.  I paid €169 (about £152) and as mentioned it wasn't in the Duty Free in the UK, so that made me happy.  The cheapest I could find online was £150 and up to £175 at Harrods!

The total spent was £266 but I could have paid as little as £240 online, so I overpaid around 10% in total.  I find that hard to swallow.  I just have to store these two bottles for a very special occasion now.  With the Cristal at £25 a glass, it's certainly not sparkling wine to enjoy over a Sunday roast. 

Next time, I think I might go prepared with the online prices before my next business trip abroad.