Shannon Airport in Ireland invented the modern concept of duty-free shopping in 1947 to exploit the captive audience of transatlantic passengers whose planes had to land there just to refuel.

A closer look

Shannon Airport in Ireland invented the modern concept of duty-free shopping in 1947 to exploit the captive audience of transatlantic passengers whose planes had to land there just to refuel. The Irish government realized they could legally sell tax-free alcohol and luxury goods to international travelers who technically had not entered the country, birthing a multi-billion dollar industry based entirely on a geographical loophole. Now, every major international terminal is essentially a massive, overpriced shopping mall that just happens to have airplanes attached to it. We have been socially conditioned to believe that purchasing a giant Toblerone and an overpriced bottle of mediocre vodka at six in the morning is somehow a crucial part of the international travel experience, all thanks to some clever post-war Irish bureaucrats