If someone who really reeked sat next to you in a public place, would you tell them that they were offensive?

Question

Would you ask them to move and keep your seat or move yourself in protest and for the sake of your olfactory senses?

Answer 1

This has happened to me in church. a homeless women sat next to my wife and I, and she had some strong body odor. Many people moved and uttered their objections to her being in church smelling so badly. I was offended on her behalf and so was my wife. The Bible says come as you are. She did. We sat right next to her because God loves her as she is, and so do we. She had just as much right to be in church as anyone else. We could all fall into homelessness at any moment. Why judge?

Answer 2

I am a cashier in a grocery store and deal with this quite often. Unfortunately, I can't just get up and move. I have to suffer through it. There's is nothing that I can do about it. There are usually a lot of people around that are quite aware of it too. I can't say anything privately, and I don't want to embarrass them. However, I have a very weak stomach, and ever since my first pregnancy, my sense of smell has become very acute. I sometimes, pretend to scratch my nose, and take a wiff of the vanilla scent I put on my wrist each day before work. If that's not enough, I will hold my breath for as long as I can, then turn behind me as soon as I can to breath. If there are not many people around, I will get the can of Lysol that is at the service desk and spray some as soon as they leave.

Answer 3

where I work I deal with this on a almost daily basis, one of the employees, has a chronic problem with body odor, and has tried everything to over come it.
normally by sending him home the take a shower, he is able to make it through the rest of the day, I have talked to his father, who says that he always showers before coming to work, and sometimes showers 3 times a day. so we keep deodorant for him to use, and it must very embarrassing for him, as it is something that he is unable to control, an I thank God that it is a problem I have been free from.
but others are customers, and I find it really hard to offend them, a lot are homeless, and have no way to take a bath on a regular basis.
how are we to know what a stranger is going through,
I would much rather move away, when it is possible, but that is not always an option, but they are all human beings, and it is better to try to be understanding, and tolerate, for we never know when we might be in their condition.
one that has been a customer for several years, and I became friendly to, came in the other day, clean and I ask him why he was using a cane, to my surprise, he told me that he had, had an aneurysms in his brain, and it was only through the grace of God that he was still alive, he had been a master mechanic, when the aneurysms had exploded and had become dysfunctional as a result of that, lost his Job, and become homeless, for years.

Answer 4

If I were to say anything to them, I would do so privately, and very discretely trying to cause as little embarrassment as possible, and with a heart looking to help them.
Usually, when people get into this state, they either have a physical problem that is causing this, they have financial difficulties that have caused utilities to be shut off, or they are depressed and as a result they have stopped caring about their physical appearance.
Either way, they are someone who needs a helping hand not a kick in the teeth.

Answer 5

Most times that I've found myself sitting next to a person who smelled badly, the person in question was homeless and unable to bathe regularly. Although I empathize with their plight, I do not feel I should have to subject myself to the smell out of politeness. I do not say anything because it would be rude, cruel and do no good--the person already knows that they don't smell bad. I just remember my right to move somewhere else, quietly and discreetly, and I use it.

Answer 6

In my senior year of high school I was tri-captain of the track team....and the captains - through the head coach - had to deal with one of our teammates who had a locker that was in pretty bad shape.

I told the others I would handle it and mentioned to him the next afternoon that his locker really needed to be cleaned out. Instead of having a confrontation, he told me he had been planning on it for the past day or two, cleaned it out & it was the end of the problem then and for the remainder of the year.

Though - to be honest - the clothes that had been collecting in that locker probably would have destroyed most washing machines!

Answer 7

I would yell out a random name and wave my hand, whether I saw someone I knew or not, and I would get up and walk away, sitting by someone different. I would start talking to them and fake a smile, and then I would explain what happened and ask them to play along with it.

I wouldn't want to hurt the person's feelings.

Answer 8

If it was a restaurant or place with a manager I would tell them. Otherwise I would get up and move. No need to say anything. If they reek bad enough I can smell them then they know they stink and if they know and do nothing about it, what ever I say will be no use.

Answer 9

I would move, if possible. It is inappropriate for you to tell a stranger that their odor was offensive to you. If not, grin and bear it. Turn yourself to the opposite side of this person if you have no other choice.

Answer 10

I wouldn't say anything, but I would probably move to another seat.