Originally Posted by Boraxo
100% correct. Vodka is always on sale and generally cheaper at Safeway. Scotch is much cheaper at BevMo. In Washington, DC you can find cheaper liquor at Calvert Woodley on Connecticut Ave or BevMo in Virginia.
Duty free in the US is a waste of time and money unless you are buying for overseas consumption and forgot to pick up a bottle on your way to the airport.
However, I would note that we found good prices on Grand Marinier and Cointreau in Italy (non duty free). Still hard to justify lugging bottles around to save a few $. LHR also has good prices on high end scotch.
VA has a state liquor monopoly called ABC Stores and the booze is a more expensive than MA, NYC and NH where I otherwise have experience with liquor prices.
Imported liquor is cheaper from US duty free and the prices are lower than European duty free stores that price relative to the local market. With gin the stuff that's imported from the UK like Tanqueray and Beefeater is expensive domestically in the US but you can get Gordon's (made in USA) much cheaper than duty free. I used to pay ~$12 for a 1.75 liter Gordon's on sale in Boston or up in NH. In fact I am still working on the second of those purchased circa 2000.
Scotch is generally cheaper duty free.