Originally Posted by
susiesan
The problem with leaving security and buying grocery items outside of airside is getting them on to the plane. If I buy a small bottle of okonomiyaki sauce I cannot take it in the carryon as it won't go through security as a liquid. I will not have access to my checked luggage. If I buy something like this airside I can put my checked bag at ORD upon entry into the US before rechecking the suitcase on to my final destination, Kansas City.
What's your airline's checked bag allowance? If the free allowance is 2 bags and you're only going to check 1 bag in Sri Lanka, then you can take a carry-on bag from Sri Lanka to Jpn, then stuff your liquid items into it and check that in for free at NRT. More practical thing is to simply focus on acquiring non-liquid items (and suck it up and pay US prices for your okonomiyaki sauce back home).