I, too, have been with two old people when they died--and also a dog--and didn't notice any smell. However, when a person or animal has been dead for awhile, there's a distinct smell--yes, it ultimately is like rotting meat, truth be told. Detectives and others around dead bodies often put Vick's Vapor Rub in the edge of their nostrils to cut down on the smell.

However, that said, it could have been an expression of a foul odor or maybe there is something dead somewhere in the store---like a rat.