I’ve noticed a rise in “duty free” in domestic terminals, and gone seems to be the day when they ask to see your boarding pass just to enter. Whether they really are (ok, pretty sure they aren’t) duty free I don’t know, since I avoid any and all shopping.
I don’t know that there has to actually be a separate duty-free store. When I go on cruises , there are often liquor stores in the ports that advertise as “duty-free” - but they also sell to local people who can walk away with their purchases while cruise passengers ( at least sometimes) must have theirs delivered to the ship. I assume it must work much like sales tax , where there are basically two different prices, one for locals and one for travelers.
There was a duty free store in EWR right next to my gate when I flew to LAX.
There are physical stores labeled “duty free” within US domestic terminals. In many US airports there’s a complete co-mingling of flights departing for domestic and international destinations.
What differs is the price you’ll pay or whether your goods are handed to you right there or are delivered to the airplane “in bond” before departure and are only released to you after they’re in the air. In some cases it’s more like "We’ll sell you our booze and cigs only duty-free and only for international departures, but all the rest of the merch in the store is ordinary stuff for cash-and-carry.
I wonder what duty free EWR could offer to people heading to LAX.
Taylor Ham?
Stromboli?
Calzone?
Actually Good pizza?
There’s a duty-free store in LAS, in the terminal that handles US domestic flights, and Canadian arrivals and departures. Obviously, the duty-free is for those going to Canada, while the regular-priced stuff is for US domestic travellers. I would imagine that travellers going to Canada have to show a boarding pass stating a Canadian destination in order to get the duty-free price. I don’t know for sure, because I’ve passed through it a few times, but never bought anything.
I don’t often buy luxury items from duty free. But I don’t despise it. The deals tend to be quite modest. It might be good for last minute gifts. It was better in the past. It can be great in some countries where American money goes very far, though again maybe in the past.
I have been to many airports with too many similar shops. My major complaint with duty free is that they seem to be the same basic generic shops at any airport, with too many cigar options and too little local character. Though there is too much walking, and I sympathize if this is difficult for many travellers, in my experience there are usually washrooms and food courts interspersed with the stores selling scotch, smokes, scarves and stinky scents.
A tip of the hat to the few (fewer?) airports that have full bookstores, good pharmacies, fast food at usual prices, great food at reasonable prices, ample places to comfortably sit, many restaurant options, plentiful washrooms and help for those who don’t want to walk many miles.
A related airport rant; the goddamn noise pollution in the terminals from the endless announcements. I just flew out of JFK and it was particularly horrible, with constant announcements about flights ready to board and naming passengers who hadn’t yet boarded. Here’s an idea; if a particular passenger hasn’t boarded in time, leave without them. Stop annoying everyone else by broadcasting their name three or four times. JFK also had a stupid announcement about checking your carry-on bag for firearms before going through the security checkpoint. That’s another announcement I’m willing to sacrifice. And JFK also had Christmas carols playing on an endless loop.
Meanwhile, other airports have welcome announcements from the city mayor. LAX has a stupid one about how the airport is closed to the general public. None of the other airports seem to find that necessary.
I don’t remember seeing it during previous trips out of RDU, so it must be fairly new. There has been a recent increase in International flights out of RDU, which may be why someone decided to open a “duty free” shop. Most of the merchandise was cigarettes and liquor; I cannot speak to how the prices they charge for these items compare to prices elsewhere, since I neither smoke nor drink.
I was not asked to provide any documentation regarding my flight status, or whether I was a native of NC… I was charged state sales tax for my purchase.
Today I’m flying out of Medellín Colombia. After mercifully short lines at the ticket counter, security, and immigration (emigration really), the next thing is the duty-free mall. Of course.
But ref the OP, there was a set of bathrooms just off to the side at the start. Which did not have prominent signage and it would be very easy to walk past them unnoticed just as you’re starting to get your bearings. The gauntlet of shops was maybe 150 feet; not too bad. But this airport only has 10 international gates, so not a huge passenger headcount to sell stuff too.
Definitely the duty-free gauntlet was the shiniest and most brightly lit area of this fairly new fairly modern terminal. It opened in 1985.
-
As I’ve noted in other threads, the actual merchandise in duty free has always been a rip off in my experience. The fact that there’s no tax is a great thing for the business, but for me as a consumer it’s massively offset by the margins added at that location.
-
While I’ve been to airports with duty free mazes, and found it infuriating, they seem to be the exception not the norm. Maybe it’s because I spend most of my time at the big international airports? The bigger airports have many shops, but you don’t need to walk through any. And there are shedloads of washrooms.
The more common “walks of shame” IME occur on landing; sometimes there’s a network of corridors between your plane and passport control, or between passport control and the exit. And often these have no moving walkways. And at least once I’ve turned the wrong corner and been told I now need to go through security again before I can go to my transfer 
IMO back 40 years ago the businesses were not so savvy about ramping their prices so they keep 99% of the tax expense foregone. Nowadays they’re that smart and/or the public is that dumb.
I grew up in the US southwest and a common thing out there was/is Native American reservations with tax-free tobacco stores. They predated casinos by decades as the "Indian"s favorite money maker.
Back in the day you could get smokes there for half what you’d pay in a regular non-tribal store. The Feds didn’t get their taxes and the tribe and the customers split the savings. Last I looked a few years ago, the same store was selling smokes for a dime a carton less than the nearby non-tribal grocery stores.
The duty free in Reykjavik is significantly cheaper than stuff in Iceland. Not seen that elsewhere.
If a luxury item is far cheaper in one country than another (due to dollar, distribution, district or destiny), it will also likely be much cheaper at duty free, so there is a rare relative bargain.
In Minnesota cigarettes sold at Indian casinos charge exactly what you’d pay anywhere else. They have an agreement with the state not to sell at a lower price, but the tribes don’t have to forward “taxes” cleected that would otherwise be sent to the state, letting them keep those amounts.
They’re still around. The tribe I worked for has a tobacco and liquor store (with a drive through!) that I supported when I worked for them. They also have a casino. They’re within walking distance of each other, actually.