The scent inside the parcel

Text: an original contemporary consumer-column-style practice extract.

The parcel contained the notebook I had ordered and an unexpected smell of lavender. A card explained that the tissue had been scented to make opening it feel special. I liked the notebook. I put the tissue outside before I had finished reading the card.

A friend would have enjoyed the fragrance. For me, it filled the room more insistently than any printed advertisement could have done. I had chosen paper, size and colour; the smell had arrived as somebody else’s idea of pleasure. The seller’s website had offered no way to decline it. When I wrote to ask about future orders, the reply was courteous but described the scent as a complimentary touch, as though its price answered my question.

I do not want every parcel stripped of personality. A handwritten message would have been welcome, and another customer might prefer the lavender. What troubled me was the assumption that an extra could only add. The notebook stayed on my desk. Its packaging had made me less certain about buying the next one.

In this extract, the writer tries to show that a small extra can make a purchase less welcoming.

Evaluate how successfully this is achieved. Support your views with detailed reference to the extract.