Airport Shopping:
Do people really buy all that really expensive stuff at the airport? I’m not talking about the snacks and magazines and small electronics; I get all that. But what about, for example, the store I passed where they were selling Brooks Brothers dress shirts for men that were on sale at 3 for $125? Really? First of all, to the average consumer like me, that’s not really a great deal as far as dress shirts go. And second, who really is going to stock up on that kind of stuff at the airport terminal? It doesn’t stop there. There were also expensive Italian boots for women, high end electronics, etc.
Now I can’t claim to be immune to the persuasion of airport shopping in the terminals. I was guilty of buying my wife a nice piece of jewelry when I was in a layover at the airport in France. I didn’t get any other chances to pickup presents for the family, so this was one instance where the airport shopping came in handy.
Blog News:
This week we’ll start the posts off with a story about a special letter my nine-year-old daughter received in the mail. Haters of credit cards, get ready to hate some more!
Later in the week I’ve got an update on the limits for saving money in your retirement accounts. Good news – they’re going up!
Link Love – Blogs You Should Check Out:
In case you missed them, here are a few great stories you should check out this weekend:
- Daisy from Add Vodka wrote my favorite post of the week in Spending Money Isn’t Bad
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what’s your Financial Confidence? Check out this story at Budget and the Beach.
- Michelle from Making Sense of Cents navigates the tricky waters of wages in Do you want a higher salary?
- Dr Kim from Eyes on the Dollar writes Obesity in America: What It Costs Us. Having to sit between two fairly large people on the plane this week, I can identify!
- Emily from Evolving Personal Finance weighs the pros and cons of another credit card in Adding Credit Cards – How Many Is Too Many?
- Justin from The Frugal Path explores money excuses in Common Reasons Why People Complain About Money
Carnivals & Mentions:
My Money Design was featured on the following sites this week:
- Can’t Take My Eyes Off These Blogs #13-Veteran’s Edition
- Friends of the Family: Leaf Raking Edition
Thanks to everyone for linking to my site and enjoying my posts. I really appreciate your support and hope you continue to visit!
Posts This Week:
1) Netflix vs Redbox – I Always Knew We’d Get Back Together, Netflix
2) Black Friday Shopping Tips – Preparing to Get the Best Deals!
Image Credit: Unknown
The only thing I ever bought in an airport was food. I’d never buy anything else there unless I was really rich… which a lot of those first class fliers are… they’re the target.
I’m always surprised by who ends up being in first class. A lot of folks you would never guess while just standing around in the terminal waiting.
Thanks for mentioning my post! And I only buy food at the airport, and even then it tastes horrible and I always regret it.
You’re welcome for the mention. Not only does the food taste bad, it costs twice as much!
I guess people must buy that stuff or all the stores wouldn’t be there. The only thing I ever bought was a Colorado Avalanche T-shirt that said Stanley Cup Champions years ago. They don’t seel much hockey stuff in our part of the state.I think it was $10. Thanks for the mention.
You’re absolutely right! Someone buys that stuff or else there wouldn’t be any stores.
Thanks for the link love! I have no idea why people would buy that kind of random stuff. Maybe someone’s luggage was lost, or who knows! I’m sure there is a circumstance which would lead to that kind of purchase. 🙂
I think it is probably a lot of “gifts”. That’s the only thing that has ever motivated me.
Maybe flying stresses people out (esp. unexpected delays) so they shop to comfort themselves??
Thanks for linking to my post!
Maybe! I think its an element of “being trapped” and having a captive audience to market to.
I have some Brooks Brothers stuff from an airport. 70% off holiday sale and I needed a shirt/sweater to go under my suit for a conference (it was part of a multi-conference trip and I had underpacked). They have a lot more men’s clothing than women’s which is the opposite of regular Brooks Brothers stores. The sales person there told me that they aren’t run by Brooks Brothers but they buy Brooks Brothers clothing. (And that’s why you can’t get your pants hemmed for free like you can in the regular BB stores.)
I think their market is people who don’t normally have time to shop because they’re too busy making money. Being trapped in an airport means you can kill time buying things.
Very interesting theory, and you’re probably right! They hem your pants for free at BB?
Yes, but only at the real BB stores. The outlets and the airport stores don’t.
I have some BB pants and a BB suit. They have 59-70% off sales 2x a year, and one of the times corresponds with the major conference in my field. At the 70% off sale, I won’t say they’re cheap, but they’re definitely reasonably priced for the quality. My (high income) sister got my mom a pair of pants for Christmas one year and I wanted some too!
Want to hear something funny? A few days after publishing this post, CJ sent me an email asking me to signup for the BB affiliate program. I guess I caught someone’s attention!
I was going to shop at the Paris airport one time when I was passing through, just to say I had been shopping in Paris. But then there was some type of terrorist threat and I stood in line to get through security for five hours instead. Still caught the flight, though!
Ha! To say my wife had jewelry from Paris was a small part of the motivation too! That would be crazy to have to deal with a terrorist threat in another country! Glad to hear you made it to your flight on time.
I travel a bit for work and have wondered the same thing. I guess for some gift items you might not have a chance on a short trip but there are some oddly placed stores, as you say.
I also wondered if it was a culture thing. For example, would European or Asian business travelers be more inclined to spend more money at those specialty stores? At the airport in France, ALL the store were very high end!