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| - I've always loved airports: the idea of going away, people coming & going, wondering where certain people are from, where they're going. Shopping, eating... YYZ/Toronto Pearson is pretty bad as far as lame airports go--but not THE worst (they offer free wifi). Its shopping and eating options are downright dismal, especially in T3, but just as well since some check-in staff at certain airlines lack adequate training so you don't end up with much time to shop/eat anyhow. I appreciate that many retailers within are Canadian but that doesn't enhance my travel experience. If I'm at YYZ, chances are I'm pretty excited about leaving and wouldn't mind getting this gone-away feeling ASAP! Airports have really upped their game in the last decade or so, realizing their vast income potential as retail outlets--how novel! Unfortunately, the concept seems dreadfully slow to catch on here, but readily caught on like wildfire in many European airports and almost all the major ones in Asia. (I've yet to dine at Massimo Capra's (Mistura) recent additions at YYZ but perhaps one day.)
If you enjoy duty-free shopping but are flying out of T3 to a US destination, I suggest you save yourself the disappointment of not finding anything unless you're good with something from a very tiny selection of (a) common non-premium boozes, (b) Canadian cigarettes which aren't hella cheaper than in regular stores, (c) run-of-the-mill chocolate or maple syrup in little jugs, or (d) old, dated cosmetic products from this cubby-hole of a shop.
From what I understand, the Nuance chain is German, though I can bet that their other locations are far better. I wanted to pick up a bunch of cosmetic/skincare products for my aunts and cousins abroad but had to settle for items and brands I wasn't totally sure of, hoping for the best. Many of the staff (there are many; no idea why as the store is so tiny. 'Seems like a 1:1 ratio of staff:shelf!) don't speak English so well but with that many on hand, you're bound to cross one who can. What's worse is they can't answer simple questions about anything in the store. When approached, they form a group, all huddled together staring at you like you're a giraffe who's escaped from the zoo and they're at a loss as to what to do. Even worse was when I gave the gifts and some recipients opened them to find that there were some very noticeable defects!
On two past occasions, I've bought moisturizers at duty free stores in North America that caused severe rashes: once with Estee Lauder, once with Lancome. They must have been old as I hadn't had issues before with these creams, but they also didn't smell the same nor did they have their usual consistencies. I don't know about the creams I bought as gifts as no one mentioned anything so hopefully no one broke out! BUT...each Clinique lipstick in the 5-pack were ALL defective. They were packaged individually; four had scratches in the actual lipsticks, while the other one was covered in a murky white film! I was pretty embarrassed and horrified when recipients opened them, having had to snatch them away immediately. It was settled then: cosmetics (creams and lipsticks; ie, anything that goes on your face) should be avoided at duty free in N. America. Companies seem to be packaging defective goods (every major cosmetic company has a quality control team) and/or offering old stock (every box is stamped with a code ID'ing where and when it was produced, which is why they ask for the code) by allocating them to outlet or discounted retailers. (There is a chance that there is low turnover on stock but then vendors should be informed not to leave items on shelves past a certain period--it's too risky for the companies, no?) Of course, no company would ever admit to any of that! Duty-free shops sometimes offer refunds but what good is it when you need a boarding pass to get back into the airport to get to the store, and often within a restricted period of time??
I contacted Clinique 2X to no avail. I was not pleased so I got in touch w/Estee Lauder (its parent company) head office in NY. I was offered a chance to repurchase from a Clinique counter. No thanks, I don't even use Clinique. I had to wait for them to send over a pre-paid mailing label to return the lipsticks for analysis along w/receipt. The woman e-mailed saying they'd send me a reimbursement cheque amounting to what "should be more than satisfactory". I wasn't expecting an Ed McMahon Sweepstakes payout but all they did was send me a refund for the amount paid AFTER I chased them down a few more times AFTER the 6-8wk processing period was up! One lady told me there was no trace of the cheque ever being processed then the original woman said it must have gotten lost! I got my cheque after FOUR MONTHS.
I'm not upset w/T&DF for what happened w/Clinique but don't think much of their "selection" of "goods", and awful service. I'd never shop here again.
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