I've noticed lately that several stores "pipe in" scents into their buildings.

Tonight it was the grocery store. It was a strong smell, not quite cinnamon, not totally disgusting, but almost overpowering.

As someone with occasional respiratory issues, strong smells, perfumes, smoke, at times, are not good things for me to be around. Folks with serious allergies, respiratory issues might have a real problem with it.

I don't think it serves any purpose. It certainly didn't entice me to spend more money or send me to the cookie aisle. What do you think?

 

Well, now, surely that depends on the scent.

I've avoided those ubiquitous mall stores like the "Mole Hole" and the "Candle Factory" for as long as I can remember because the overpowering smells their products exude make me sneeze uncontrollably.

And some of our grocery stores here could use some cover-up scents for the smells their seafood counters, um, waft throughout the store.

But generally, I'd rather have that neutral fresh-air no-smell kind of environment when I'm in a retail establishment.

Now, there are, ahem, certain other houses of various kinds of repute that wouldn't be, ah, complete without some kind of scent. But I probably shouldn't go there... HPH

 

I believe Disney World pipes in a BACON smell though air vents on "Main Street USA"...and yet you can't find a single place that will sell you a bacon burger in the entire Magic Kingdom...
Also, they pipe in a bakery smell...to get you to buy things at the bakery...I also couldn't find what I was smelling out on the street, when I walked in the bakery...I think it was brownies or chocolate chip cookies, can't recall.
It's all about MARKETING with enticements.
Preying on human nature/instincts.
It's a proven fact that certain scents elicit hunger.

As for perfumes, candles, etc...
I am very allergic to certain scents.
I will walk out of a store if there is an overpowering scent in it.

 

Hi Mary

I haven't run across any piped in scents. I generally do like smelly stores though, like candle stores.

 

Hi Patty!

 

You never come visit us anymore.

 

I remember distinctly going into the Main Street Flower Store and being overwhelmed by the smell of fresh...VINYL -- from all the plastic flowers. It cracked me up then (when, in my fuzzy memory, I was under the influence of some kind of odd chemical or other) and the memory of it cracks me up now. HPH

 

 

With all of the fossils around here, we get more than enough smells brought into the stores. I think some of these old gals apply their perfume with a garden hose.

 

Hi Planky, I was just asking about you and here you are. We missed you.

As for the scents, the Japanese pipe calming scents into the workplace to keep their workers calm and I notice my building here doing the same thing. I'm deeply into aromatherapy so I keep my own stash here at work and they do affect us, both positively and negatively. My favorites are the citrus scents but I use a lot of lavender for all sorts of things. Oh, and natural (essential oils) over synthetics are much better, without a doubt.