i grew up all over the place, but one of those places contained a yankee candle factory. might've been a school field trip, might've been one of the more boring weekend family trips, but i ended up in a tour of the factory. the reason i can't remember the specifics is because the pure wall of candle smell that hits you when you walk in is almost enough to knock you out. there's not a word i can use to properly describe it

many years later i'm driving along the same highway with a friend who sees it passing by and makes a sound of disgust. "i used to work there. i didn't mind the physical labor but i could never get the smell out of my clothes. i still can't light a candle without wanting to puke"

now i mostly associate yankee candle with people posting reviews online about not being able to smell them (spoiler: due to covid). they'd still probably be able to smell the factory though. it gets inside your brain