(no subject)

[danohu]

I just read that 10% of perfume sold in the UK is sold at Heathrow airport. Huh? Can that really be true? Why?

[I looked briefly online for confirmation. There are several pages repeating the figure, but none giving a source for it]

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Because you get off a plane and think, fuck, I stink.

[nanocreturns.livejournal.com]

probably all those business men thingking "what can I get for my mistress(es) in Amsterdam?" on the way out, then thinking "whay can I get for my wife?" on the way in.

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

It's because you can get them Duty Free once you're into the boarding lounge (i.e. are about to take a flight somewhere foreign). You pay a huge amount in duty for luxury items especially perfume in the UK...

[helixaspersa.livejournal.com]

Well I am going through Heathrow tomorrow so I'll see if I can resist the temptation. . .

Glad to hear you shall still be in Berlin. I am arriving tomorrow and will I think have reasonable internet access through my language school once settled in. Would be great to see you before too long. I have been rather unwell and am only *just* deemed well enough to travel, so I'll be taking the first few days v. gently. But looking forward to exploring once I've perked up a bit.

[uisgebeatha.livejournal.com]

I shall investigate this on Saturday when I'm at Heathrow, but I'm inclined to go with nanocreturns's theory...

[gerald_duck]

I'll go with the theories from feanelwa, nanocreturns and azekeil, though also that perfume is an aspirational item and air is an aspirational form of travel, so people in airports are more likely than average to be perfume buyers anyway.

This would be especially relevant if that's 10% by value not by volume.

Alternatively, maybe Al-Qaeda is secretly stockpiling cheap perfume in the ceiling void above the loos in Terminal 2 until they've got enough volatile hydrocarbons to bring down a plane.