Duty - free shopping is hit - or - miss for Americans . Duty-free stories once specialized in heavily taxed items , such as alcohol and tobacco products , but now they hawk other products that are n't as deeply discounted . The best deals are on items deemed ` ` ' free '' and otherwise tax heavily . For countries in the Americas , duty - free shops at restaurants and hotels are also tax - free .
Duty - free shopping is hit - or - miss for Americans . The best deals are on items deemed ` ` ' free '' and otherwise tax heavily . For countries in the Americas , duty - free shops at restaurants and hotels are also tax - free .