It's nothing to do with actual crisps, as I understand it;
I've suffered a similar effect working in a supermarket; there are certain customers for whom a combination of no detectable personal hygiene, combined with no detectable laundry activity, results in body odour so strong it actually stings your eyes to stand near them. At first it smells like someone's opened a bag of cheap salt and vinager crisps near you, but it can get worse as they approach; I understand the butyric acid from fermenting sweat acting as weak tear gas.

We often had to take exposed cashiers off the line for a few minutes, send them out for some fresh air until they could see properly again.

(The problem is worse in warm weather; since cold weather means less sweat to feed the problem, and forces them to layer which provides a degree of ming-baffling)
(The Incredible Sulk Finally remembered his password on, Fri 4 Jun 2010, 10:04, 1 reply)

Oh god
I used to work in a book shop specialising in Mills & Boon (rock 'n roll!)...

The smell from some of my more elderly customers was so strong I could taste it.

Even 15 years later I can still recall the putrid taste of an elderly incontinent.

/mind bleach
( rofl harris, Fri 4 Jun 2010, 10:50, closed)