Early last spring I bought an MK velour jacket on sale at Nordstrom. I didn't notice until I tried it on at home that it smelled strongly of Febreze, a scent I can't stand. Yuck. Since it was on sale, and washable, I did wash it and decided maybe it had been sitting around a long time.

As I've gotten older I'm more sensitive to strong fragrances and I am more and more allergic to lavender. I stay away from candle stores and perfume counters.

I forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago I came home with some tops from both BR and Nordstrom, and when I tried them on again, they smelled like Febreze. Fortunately they were washable and came out smelling neutral. Otherwise I would have taken them back, but what a hassle.

I Googled and found out that in some countries manufacturing processes might use strong chemicals or fragrances to disguise strong chemicals. This along with other factors about poor conditions for workers has made me determined to pay closer attention to labels and of course, do a sniff test when I pick an item off the rack. I guess in a store with lots of stuff going on and lots of people around, the smell isn't so noticeable.

For years I've tried to plan my purchases, but I still can't break old habits of looking for a bargain, as well as buying inexpensive stuff for the warmer months.

Now when I shop, I'm going to sniff and complain loudly if something smells bad.