If you’ve ever forgotten your phone’s USB-C charging cable before flying and went to buy a new one, you’ve noticed that the prices at the airport are significantly higher than what you’ll find on Amazon. According to travel journalist Gary Leff, author of the blog View from the Wing, prices for USB-C cables (and just about everything else, for that matter) at airports are a two-pronged problem. Part of it is the cost of doing business at an airport.
In an interview with WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh (via YouTube), he said it’s expensive to locate at an airport and many airports prioritize “profitable concessionaires.” The more money they make, the more they can pay airports to stay, and what’s more profitable than a captive, desperate customer base? Once you get through security, it’s not like you can walk down the street to a Target and buy a USB-C cable. Ironically, the inflated prices may be the product of a conflict of interest.
Before a business can sell at an airport, representatives sign a lease, and some of them include “street price” rules: Retailers cannot price gouge and must match the cost of items at similar locations outside airports, but stores often don’t follow these rules, and airport authorities don’t always enforce them. Is it due to greed or the fact that those in charge are not paying attention? That’s the million-dollar question, and until it’s answered, airport customers are footing the bill.
How to guarantee street prices
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When WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh investigated the prices of items at airport stores, it discovered a 2022 Allegheny County Comptroller’s Office report indicating that 80% of local airport stores had raised their prices. The implications are pretty obvious: If you want to buy a USB-C cable in an airport at a reasonable price, you need to visit different stores and compare their prices to those available on Amazon and Target.
Now, it might be unfair to compare an Anker USB-C cable to an Amazon Basics version because Amazon Basics technology is so cheap, so instead compare an Anker USB-C from an airport store to an Anker USB-C available from online retailers. However, you can make your search easier by channeling your inner misanthrope and looking for vending kiosks, those large vending machines from chains like Best Buy that dispense items like headphones and USB-C cables.
These vending machines typically display the higher prices associated with airport stores, but they have one thing other stores don’t: a price match guarantee. Simply purchase the charging cable from the kiosk, pay the inflated price, then visit a physical Best Buy store during the return/exchange period (within 15 days of purchase). If the item is sold for a lower price in-store, Best Buy will usually honor the warranty and pay you the difference. It may take a while, but at least you’ll save money. Add in other perks, like a My Best Buy membership, and you could save even more.
Talk to your representatives
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The phrase “Let me talk to your manager” is the Karen’s main weapon, but it can be surprisingly effective. The main thing is to use it as a last resort, in the interest of everyone, rather than trying to get preferential treatment. The aforementioned Comptroller’s Office report made several recommendations to combat pricing issues, such as strengthening the language used in leases to include penalties for stores that violate street pricing rules and enforcing said penalties.
After WPXI-TV News Pittsburgh conducted its investigation, it contacted the office, which said it would resume examinations and reporting soon. If customers frequently brought pricing issues to the attention of organizations like the comptroller’s office (or higher up, like local congressmen), they could potentially force people with a significant level of authority to take action.
The studies focused on an airport, an airport whose street rates are written into its rental contracts but which does not actually apply them. Many airports in the United States don’t include sales prices in their leases and therefore don’t have the same hypothetical safeguards against high prices whether it’s a sandwich or a USB-C cable. But again, if enough people talk to their local members of Congress, this could potentially change.
