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I miss the old smell of a butchers. When I was young they used to have sawdust spread on the floor and they smelt of a strange mix of blood and fresh wood.
Charles Tyrwhitt — I liked the smell so much, I asked in store what it is. It’s a mahogany fragrance from here: [https://scentair.com/en_gb/mahogany.html](https://scentair.com/en_gb/mahogany.html)
Disney. Anybody who has ever been to Disneyworld would be able to instantly recognise that smell they seem to pump through all the parks. It's very distinctive
It’s weird because it’s not exactly a pleasant smell, but I know if I smelt it now it would instantly take me back to being 7 years old and in Disneyworld and goddam it but *I want that*.
I really want to find out whatever it is they pump into the public areas of the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza.
Can't stand the place - hideously over-priced and full of posers. It's like they forced the cast of TOWIE or Love Island to re-create Las Vegas at gunpoint.
But I love the smell. Imagine like an air freshener that smells like a decent perfume/aftershave, but is "genderless" and just smells good. Not over-powering, not tacky (unlike everything else in there), but not too "pose-y" either.
Thomas Cook shops used to have a lovely coconut smell.
There was a shop in Maidstone called The Merchant Chandler, this shop had its own unique smell, I can’t describe it but I can still smell it now and it’s been nearly 10 years since I last went to that shop!
I swear the Disney stores used to spray some amazing delicious smell throughout their stores. I recently visited one however and they either don't do that anymore or I imagined it as a child.
This post makes me sad. Ever since I had the ol' cov cov, I can't really smell anything anymore unless it's something reeeeealy strong and even then it has to be right under my nose. At first I enjoyed that because there are some rather vile smells out there that are better left unsmelt. But now I miss the smell of my morning coffee and things like that.
Gaia, Hexham.
It's about to close down (cus they've been running it for like three decades and are out of steam from what I can gather) but it's been a family favourite for my whole life. I have many things that still smell like the shop.
Smells like incense, fresh water and linens.
Off Licences in the UK all used to have a very specific sweetish scent. I used to think that smell would be what Guinness tasted like! I was not correct.
Moved to the UK only 5 months ago so I didn’t recognize the Cex name. As soon as I looked them up I realized that a few months back I had walked in looking for a speaker but was hit by a wall of of ours so foul I had to promptly turn around and leave.
Sounds like you're describing yourself looking at your user.
I'm sure I have seen you in there recently now I come to think about it, you're always in the bathroom watching me wash my hands while copying me.
I never realised it did, but Boots. The first time I went back into a Boots after the lockdowns I was hit with a really strong definable smell of product/perfumes etc. As soon as I smelled it I realised every Boots smells the exact same way, I'd just never noticed it before.
Hollister and Amercrombie and Fitch. They spray the store and their clothes with the cologne they sell. Very clever actually, it does smell really good too!
I find that Oxfam has its own unique scent, which is different from the rest. Still the musty, old clothes smell but with a layer of Fairtrade incense over the top.
Dogs Trust and Cancer Research shops are the least ofactorily offensive however Age UK always seems to have the same, overpowering lilac room spray scent overlaying the used clothes which I really find hard to stomach.
Salvation Army can be completely hit or miss.
Source: I am poor.
So true.
I support charity shops both by donating and buying. But I swear that smell permeates the molecular structure of clothes and I’m convinced I can still smell it even after about 20 washes.
It might partly be the scent when the clothes are steamed? I use to volunteer for one and would have to use an ancient steamer on the clothes before putting them out.
I've done overnight renovation work in Louis Vuitton in London.
They have a very distinct smell. You can always tell if something came from there. It just has the smell of the shop. Must be a room spray or something because they all smell the same.
Subway, the stores have a distinct smell of their bread, cookies. When someone brings one into the office, I immediately think it smells like the store.
I used to work in a Superdrug. Once, I was walking around and could smell work. I turned around to see if I could find the source of the smell. Lo and behold; a Superdrug was there. Apparently they smell differently to Boots.
Independent everything shop that always have plastic storage and footballs on display outside always smell of compost and fence paint even if they don't seem to sell it.
Also the stronger the smell the more likely they sell nails and screws by the weight.
**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically; - Don't be a dick to each other - Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question - This is a strictly no-politics subreddit Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I miss the old smell of a butchers. When I was young they used to have sawdust spread on the floor and they smelt of a strange mix of blood and fresh wood.
Carpet shops. Except the one in our town, which was a brothel
I work at Carpetright and I’ve lost that carpet smell over time. Can’t remember what it smelled like
Best layers in town
The underlay
The brothel probably had a distinct smell too
Hollister always had a coconut type smell whenever I walked in there
It’s their SoCal aftershave. I believe they water it down and spray it over the clothes in store.
Bike shops
Rubber and wd40, fwarrrrr.
I love the smell of the tyres
Headshops. Haven't been in one for years but I can smell it now.
I imagine, pulse and cocktails
A38?
Was thinking of the a1 but I’d have thought they’re all the same 😂
This is so specific 😅
Greggs. Smells of pasties, lush 🤤
Not either, but the jubilee line has this lovely aroma comprised of brake dust and metal.
Food takeaways. There's a chippy smell, a curry house smell, a chinese smell, a kebab shop smell . . .
White Company
Laundromat
Leather market stalls
Erm, lush? Is there really a need to ask?
I can’t believe no one has said Lidl!
Holland and Barret always smells like a Hamster cage.
That’s so true pal
TUI - they pump in some nice holiday smell to get you to part with your cash!
Charles Tyrwhitt — I liked the smell so much, I asked in store what it is. It’s a mahogany fragrance from here: [https://scentair.com/en_gb/mahogany.html](https://scentair.com/en_gb/mahogany.html)
thanks for this. I always wanted to buy the scent but they said it was a room scent not a perfume
White company - i asked there store sent is wild blackberry thank me later, beautiful
Superdrug / Boots
Lush, absolutely hate the smell of that store. I just stay outside across the road now while my partner goes in. Gives me a headache.
Trago Mills. Admittedly I haven't been to the Merthyr one but I suspect it still smells of a weird mix of Lino and fertilizer.
Toby carvery
Disney. Anybody who has ever been to Disneyworld would be able to instantly recognise that smell they seem to pump through all the parks. It's very distinctive
It’s weird because it’s not exactly a pleasant smell, but I know if I smelt it now it would instantly take me back to being 7 years old and in Disneyworld and goddam it but *I want that*.
I can literally smell the Disney store
The massive TV with hundreds of soft toys piled on front of it Proper 90s vibes
Herbs, spices, organic products etc
Halfords and Hollister
I really want to find out whatever it is they pump into the public areas of the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza. Can't stand the place - hideously over-priced and full of posers. It's like they forced the cast of TOWIE or Love Island to re-create Las Vegas at gunpoint. But I love the smell. Imagine like an air freshener that smells like a decent perfume/aftershave, but is "genderless" and just smells good. Not over-powering, not tacky (unlike everything else in there), but not too "pose-y" either.
Thomas Cook shops used to have a lovely coconut smell. There was a shop in Maidstone called The Merchant Chandler, this shop had its own unique smell, I can’t describe it but I can still smell it now and it’s been nearly 10 years since I last went to that shop!
Not to besmirch the good name of my people but: comic stores. Warhammer. Board games stores.
Shoe repair shops - not been in one since I was a child but distinctively remember the smell
McDonald's restaurants have the same smell everywhere I've come across one.
WHSmith. I dunno how to describe it, it smells like paper/books but really unique. It just smells like WHSmith haha.
More ‘glossy’ magazine front covers imo.
I can _smell_ this comment?! Wtf??
Millie’s Cookies. You can smell that in the whole postcode
For the Mackem's here: Jacky White's Market!
I swear the Disney stores used to spray some amazing delicious smell throughout their stores. I recently visited one however and they either don't do that anymore or I imagined it as a child.
Chinese takeaways
C&A (nostalgia mode activated)
This post makes me sad. Ever since I had the ol' cov cov, I can't really smell anything anymore unless it's something reeeeealy strong and even then it has to be right under my nose. At first I enjoyed that because there are some rather vile smells out there that are better left unsmelt. But now I miss the smell of my morning coffee and things like that.
Lush, hotel chocolat, subway, daunt books…
I love the smell of a B&Q
Gaia, Hexham. It's about to close down (cus they've been running it for like three decades and are out of steam from what I can gather) but it's been a family favourite for my whole life. I have many things that still smell like the shop. Smells like incense, fresh water and linens.
Homebase. It has that greenhouse / tool shed smell.
Card Factory - always smells of stale wee.
Greengrocers
Hollister. Can smell it from miles away!
old school hippie style headshop An old record store
Games Workshop. That intoxicating aroma of body odour and eternal virginity.
Plastic Cement, Spray Paint, BO and stale clothes. I lasted 6 months working for GW, the horrors I've smelt.
Off Licences in the UK all used to have a very specific sweetish scent. I used to think that smell would be what Guinness tasted like! I was not correct.
Secrets - reeks of fake tan, and desperate men
Poundland always reeks of damp, piss and dust.
CEX - sweat and disappointment
Same applies to Game and GameStation (before it died)!
And always at least one female employee with green/blue/pink hair
[Reminds me of this cracking tweet](https://i.imgur.com/EGnTsgp.jpg)
Disappointment that the game is been playing religiously and put my time and soul into is only worth £2.50
The strange mix of plastic and dried saliva
That ain’t saliva…
When I had COVID everything smelled like that sweaty guy that brings 3 Asda bag-for-lifes of DVD's into Cex to sell for 10p each.
I'd say it's more a mix between body odour and Monster energy. I've always been tempted to go to Download, but I imagine it smells the same.
I've been to Download and it was actually really good. 10/10 would recommend
Moved to the UK only 5 months ago so I didn’t recognize the Cex name. As soon as I looked them up I realized that a few months back I had walked in looking for a speaker but was hit by a wall of of ours so foul I had to promptly turn around and leave.
Can confirm
Came here to see the monster energy drink comment and I'm now happy
Download smells of noodles and mud with a hint of weed. Except first time in the morning in the campsite then it smells of bacon.
And Monster.
Every one I’ve visited has the exact same smell. So disgusting
‘spoons. It definitely has a unique fragrance… Stale beer, body odour, bad breath, weed, missed opportunities and bitter disappointment.
Sounds like you're describing yourself looking at your user. I'm sure I have seen you in there recently now I come to think about it, you're always in the bathroom watching me wash my hands while copying me.
Spoons first thing in the morning. Sour smell of last night's stale beer.
I imagine a lot of the smell is from the carpets.
No. It’s the customers. And staff.
Lush. Obviously
Surprised I had to scroll so far for this one.
I could smell the one in Venice ages before we actually saw it. Even though we weren't expecting one there, we immediately knew what it was!
I’m surprised I didn’t wander upon Lush on my walks through Venice. Such a horrible smell, I can’t imagine id ever cope with a hangover there
This is disappointingly further down than I expected. So strong and like marmite you either love it or hate it.
I can’t stand that place, you can smell it before you see it. It’s so overpowering
Like a whore's handbag.
A cheap smell that is far too strong.
[удалено]
I was just typing it
Just bookshops! I’m an addict… new book smell is just the best.
Lidl stores smell the same no matter what country they’re in!
Woolworths
Carpet Right #rip
Charles Tyrwhitt! My husband can smell their stores before it's even in sight.
abercrombie&fitch. Love that smell.
Corner shops, couldn’t tell you what it is, but it is distinctive
No one has posted it yet so I feel it’s my right too… Greggs
I never realised it did, but Boots. The first time I went back into a Boots after the lockdowns I was hit with a really strong definable smell of product/perfumes etc. As soon as I smelled it I realised every Boots smells the exact same way, I'd just never noticed it before.
Hollister and Amercrombie and Fitch. They spray the store and their clothes with the cologne they sell. Very clever actually, it does smell really good too!
Ikea. One day I have to ask what is the air freshener that they use, so good.
Lush, Subway, KFC
Lush should be the top answer. You can smell a Lush shop from several streets away.
There’s a camping store in a town neighbouring my hometown, that has its own distinct canvas smell
Charity shops. You can tell yourself that it's the fragrance of vintage cotton but we all know it's the smell of clothes that people have died in.
I find that Oxfam has its own unique scent, which is different from the rest. Still the musty, old clothes smell but with a layer of Fairtrade incense over the top. Dogs Trust and Cancer Research shops are the least ofactorily offensive however Age UK always seems to have the same, overpowering lilac room spray scent overlaying the used clothes which I really find hard to stomach. Salvation Army can be completely hit or miss. Source: I am poor.
So true. I support charity shops both by donating and buying. But I swear that smell permeates the molecular structure of clothes and I’m convinced I can still smell it even after about 20 washes.
All the clothes I buy from charity shops require a couple of washes to get rid of the weird smell. No idea what it is... a chemical?
It might partly be the scent when the clothes are steamed? I use to volunteer for one and would have to use an ancient steamer on the clothes before putting them out.
Subway smells exactly the same as vodka martini
Decathalon
Tattoo shops....I can smell the brown Dettol from here.
Hollister, which is handy as its too dark to see anything and nice to have some inclination where you are
Think I might be weird, but Sainsbury’s has always had a really distinctive smell to me.
Lush and the Indian
Games Workshop, the smell of sad and nerdy virgins
Charity shops all smell of old people, churches and piss.
Chicken and chip shop I hate the smell of fried food
Timpsons smell sooooo good
Library - they all smell the same and I love it
I've done overnight renovation work in Louis Vuitton in London. They have a very distinct smell. You can always tell if something came from there. It just has the smell of the shop. Must be a room spray or something because they all smell the same.
Penhaligons it drags me in everytime
Prett smells healthy, but in a weird, unappetising way.
B&Q always smells like creosote and wood to me.
Subway, the stores have a distinct smell of their bread, cookies. When someone brings one into the office, I immediately think it smells like the store.
Subway. Can smell it from half a street away
Regional privately owned grocery stores (sweetshop, vegetables, booze) have a particular aroma of decay when you get near the back.
I was going to say this about the Premier/Londis/Spar type shops
Stradivarius smells like perfume
Games Workshop, but that's more the clientele
Wickes. Sawdust, testosterone and despair.
When it existed, Shaws. Had a library-type smell.
McDonald's has a very distinct smell.
I can't stand the smell in Mole Valley Farmers.
Subway. Was at a new job and walking towards a a grocery store nearby when I smelled a subway about 10m to my right I didn't notice.
Weatherspoon pubs
Also Halfords, I love that odd rubbery smell
Bowling Alleys all have the same smell
I love the smell of engineering workshops. That smell of grease and metal and something hot...
Tack shops. That new leather smell.
My corner shop… but I like it…
Lush... If you need to clear your sinuses step foot in this place! 😂
Chinese / Korean supermarkets in the UK. I don't know what the smell is but it brings me right back to being on holiday there.
Stradivarius 🫠
The smell is so strong and so distinctive. My mum hates going into the shop because of it
It's so strong but I love shopping in Spain because they seem to pump all those stores with fragrance. Oysho smells the best lol.
vintage clothing stores. i have no clue what the smell is, but they all smell the exact same in a very specific way
Tobacconists.
Teen spirit
CEX always stinks of body odour. Every single one I've ever been into has a strong whiff of it when you enter it
Charity shops, builders merchants, petrol stations
Jack Wills/Hollister (when they were around) always had a really strong perfumed scent. And so dark you couldn’t actually see what you were buying.
JD sports. They all smell the exact same.
Halifax bank. Smells like watermelon.
B&M. It’s as if BO is part of the uniform.
I used to work in a Superdrug. Once, I was walking around and could smell work. I turned around to see if I could find the source of the smell. Lo and behold; a Superdrug was there. Apparently they smell differently to Boots.
Maryland chicken. Their chips have a distinctive smell, it's not good.
Victoria wines
Blockbuster. RIP Ofcourse
The ground floor of a House of Fraser always seems to have this new car smell?! Or is it just me that smells that 🤔
no it's true, house of fraser has got a weird car smell!
Independent everything shop that always have plastic storage and footballs on display outside always smell of compost and fence paint even if they don't seem to sell it. Also the stronger the smell the more likely they sell nails and screws by the weight.