system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Duty Free. Why are they found in airports/borders, and why do they usually have mostly alcohol?
gpt
Duty free shops (generally found in international airport terminals) allow travelers --who are traveling out of the country-- to purchase certain items free from most taxes.


Depending on the country the traveler is from, at, or going to, these items can be sold at a large discount because some countries have high taxes. In other words, if your home country has high taxes on alcohol, it may be much cheaper to buy it from a duty free shop since there will be less taxes.

Why Alcohol and tobacco? Because many countries impose very high taxes (called sin taxes) on these items, so to get these without taxes could be much much cheaper.


For Americans, duty free alcohol isn't actually all that cheap (for the most part) because US taxes on alcohol isn't nearly as high as other places, you may only save a few dollars.

Quick EDIT: To be clear on leaving the country. Duty free is only available for travelers who are leaving the country as in they cannot consume the products before they get to their destination.