Delays, and random airport observations

It's becoming an increasingly familiar part of my life to be sitting around and airport waiting for a flight which may or may not depart.
Over the past month I've had no fewer than 8 flights delayed by 2 hours or more.
Its become the norm.
Added to that is the atrocious state of British airports , the seemingly arbitrary security rules (only British airports restrict you to one piece of hand luggage and they mean ONE piece), undermanned screening and passport controls and it all adds up to a tedious, frustrating ordeal.
Airports are odd places.
Only in an airport do you see tattooed hooligans lined up in duty free to sniff the latest creation of some gay icon of the fashion world.
If ever you doubted that Haute couture is just a clever marketing platform for perfume and cologne, you've never seen the madness which takes over the hordes as they spend $100 on sculpted bottles of man scent in Duty Free.
Skin creams, the con of the modern age, also do brisk business.
I wonder what percentage of their overall sales are accounted for by duty free?
People who wouldn't give this crap a passing glance "landside" are drawn like magnets to lay down their holiday money for snakeoil.
I never realised that soap and perfume were the objects of crippling import taxes in all countries in the world..... they must be as they always have pride of place in the Duty Free shops.
It's interesting that the average cost of this stuff is more than the average cost of a Ryanair ticket.
" Fly to France for 10 pounds and spend 150 in Duty free"
Lemmings.
Another question I have is who buys the $1000 watches?
It may be duty free when you buy it but it won't be when you come home.
There is also the issue of perceived value.
Sure the carton of ciggies is only 22 quid at Heathrow but he same ciggies are 10 quid in Dubai duty free.
The same ciggies.
Both places are duty free.
Its just that at Heathrow they mark up the base price ( double) and soak you.
You buy the stuff, whether it be designer ties, a bottle of whisky or a video camera, because you're trapped in an airport with nothing to do.
My advice is if you desperately need to pick up a little something, do it on the plane.
The prices are always about 20% cheaper.
The other thing about airports I find odd is the magical ability they have to make people knock back the booze.
People, who wouldn't dream of cracking a beer during the day normally, are happily downing pints at 10 am.
"Its the start/middle/end of my holiday....I'm in an airport so its OK.
Strange mass hysteria.
Rant over.
Love to all
T