Community Corner

Wearing 'Puke-Inducing Perfume?' Stay Out of My Personal Space!

This North Strabane guest columnist gives her take on people's perfume habits.

By Sherry Sacco, of North Strabane Township

I have one question: Why is it that smokers are banned from nearly every establishment on the face of the earth, but retailers are allowed to spew their essence of perfumes throughout the malls?

Every time that I go to the mall and walk by certain stores (and they know who they are) I have to cover my nose and mouth so that I do not have to inhale their putrid scents. 

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And still, I almost choke, I get an instant headache, I have a hard time taking my next breath, and I literally want to throw up. I find myself reaching for my inhaler so that I can breathe freely again. In the larger department stores, I absolutely avoid any of the perfume and candle departments for the same reasons. 

I actually began my own personal quest of not being subjected to these foul and offensive odors which we call perfume and cologne.  

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I have asked people to leave my office if they are, let’s just call it, scented.  

I have asked my vendors to not be scented when they come to visit me. If you want to ride in my car, don’t be scented. If you want to sit next to me and are scented, don’t! 

I have moved on several occasions to get away from the stench of people who are scented or those who refuse to wear deodorant (and that is a whole other subject). And, if you want to lather your hands up with some ridiculous fruit or flowered hand cream which, by the way, now clashes with or masks your already puke-inducing perfume, then stay out of my personal space! 

I was always taught that the rule of applying perfume is: If you put a dab of perfume on yourself and you cannot smell it but others can, it means that scent is perfect for you—it doesn’t mean to keep coating yourself until you and the whole city block can smell you. 

And then I love the people who buy the same perfumed soap, lotion, bath powder, and perfume. It is the smell that keeps on giving, FOREVER! 

As a smoker, I know it is a little weird to complain about something as silly as perfumes and colognes. And I honestly do not mind if places are smoke free.   It is nice to know that I am not bothering someone else who may have a problem with cigarettes.  

But at department stores there is no escape.  

Every other store has some scent hovering around its  space, whether it be perfume, teas, candles, food, etc. Most of these stores' fumes are centralized and do not venture too far past their doors—but there are two stores that are allowed to spray their perfumes outside of their spaces and it permeates throughout the entire mall. 

I was at the mall yesterday, and when I walked out of one of the major department stores, I could instantly smell it. You have to realize that this particular vendor is almost all the way at the other end of the mall.

I was thankful that I was on my lunch hour and had to leave the mall quickly.  

I know that I cannot be the only one who feels this way.

Editor's Note: What do you think? Do you agree? Don't mind "the scented?" Let us know in the comments!

 


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