Order 2014 087 Micro-Ethnography Performance Analysis PDF

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Running Head: STARBUCKS MICRO-ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION

Starbucks Micro-Ethnographic Observation

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STARBUCKS MICRO-ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION Introduction Ethnographic observation involves studying the daily behavior of certain groups of people. The ethnographer first enters the social setting and takes time to learn more about the people involved. This means the ethnographer must note down anything observed and learned in a systematic manner (Emerson, Fretz & Shaw, 2011). In this context, this report presents my field notes in the ethnographic observation I made while I visited Starbucks restaurant located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. Field Notes This study is observational in which the chosen cultural group is a Starbucks restaurant located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario. The location is an ideal hub for college and university students, diners, shoppers, and professionals. The observation began at 5 pm and continued for about 30 minutes, uninterrupted. Since this is one of the busiest Starbucks locations in Ontario, various social exchanges were expected. As I crossed the street in the heart of Downtown Toronto, I was excited because I had found my ideal destination. I have previously heard rumors that this Starbucks location in the city is the second busiest in all of Ontario. With the end of the workday approaching, I knew that this was the best time to conduct my study. Field Observation and Narrative I crossed the road to be welcomed by a barista standing outside enduring the cold to give out free samples of their holiday specialty beverages as an enticing promotional strategy. As I walked in, I was hit by an instant aroma of strong but slightly stale coffee. After passing the enticing aroma I noticed a quote on the wall painted in beautiful inscriptions with a dark gray hue and the bottom half has wooden wainscoting with beige painted color below. I found it to be a very outstanding focal point for the shop. From the entrance, the walls are painted in rather

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STARBUCKS MICRO-ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION dark colors, and to the left, five large abstract paintings grace this elongated wall of the store with mainly red and blue colors. The floors are tiled with an artificial wood gray color. The storefront is encased with large floor to ceiling windows surrounding the perimeter of the store which opens the space up a bit and allows in a lot of natural light. The ceiling is exposed and painted in a light gunmetal color which brings a cozy, rustic element to the environment. The Starbucks is located right on the corner of a busy fringe intersection, so this setting makes it a very engaging and rather interactive environment. At first glance, it appears there’s not much seating, but as I walked around I noticed there was enough seating as I turned to the corner in the rear. There is a variety of both low and high chairs and sofa seating accompanied by side tables around the whole store with outlets along each wall. I found a seat at a central section of the store, where I easily observed the main entrance and the front counter, with a good view of the people who are already settled. Before I began my initial observations, I settled in an isolated area by organizing my writing materials and notebooks so I would be precise while observing.

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Description of the Chronological order of events witnessed During my observation, I noticed most people that came in and out were in pairs of two and single. There were no groups of more than four people seen during my time. Since I was close enough to the counter, I heard all the orders placed at the counter. Surprisingly, many of the orders were simple black coffees, standard lattes, and Americanos. There were very few orders placed for specialized, customized beverages in my 30- minute observation. Almost all the people that I saw were formally dressed, with classic business wear such as pencil skirts and suits. It was just after 5 pm that I assumed that most of these customers were just getting out of work since most office buildings are just adjacent and around the corner. I also noted that many people at this location had various devices on their tables accompanied by various handbags and satchels. Groups/subgroups involved in the field site Inside Starbucks, different groups took on different roles. Along the right wall are three tables composed of two smaller ones pushed together to form one larger table. Each table has four occupied chairs with four female students in their mid-20s, all with a few textbooks and Mac laptops. Only three of them have hot beverages. All of them are wearing down jackets and with two wearing leather-styled boots while the other two wear a pair of Adidas sneakers. All members in this group were wearing jeans and had focused but serious looks on their faces and quietly talked amongst themselves. Another table had two female and two male students. One male student wore a sweatshirt and was staring closely into his iPhone with a notebook and Mac laptop at his side. The other male student was wearing a hoodie jacket, one female student wearing a zip-up jacket and the last female student wearing a North Face fleece. All students had Mac laptops and were talking

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among each other. The third table had two female students, also with iPhones and Mac laptops on the side while sipping on hot beverages. These two female students were elegantly dressed and one had a purse hanging on her chair. There were a total of ten students in their mid-20s, each having a Mac laptop and either working intently and talking quietly with serious looks. In the middle of the store, three bar-height chairs surrounded well-positioned round barheight tables. One table had three women in their 30s wearing formal business attire having casual, lively, chatter with comfortable and happy looks on their faces. The other had three female friends in sweaters and pencil jeans chatting very lively, both in their early 30s and late 20s. One professionally dressed man sat in the front window counter with his Mac laptop working attentively while peeping outside so often. His possessions were placed in two of the three empty chairs. One had his books and the other one his laptop bag. All were Caucasian. I noticed they all remained seated for the entire 30-minute duration of the observation. Particular Moment in the exploration that captured my interest In the middle of the observation, a group of six young females walked into the store wearing classical dance uniforms. All of them appeared to be in their puberty age range, they were very energetic and talkative as they headed for the counter to place their orders. As much as I was not bothered by their presence in the store, I observed that some older individuals were irritated by the excitement, energy, and noise displayed by the girls. I noticed that this location had quite a formal crowd; the noise level before the girls arrived was quite mellow, with many people on business or reading books. The sudden shift in noise levels astonished the regular crowd, as they seemed to react as if they were not familiar with such occurrences and became uncomfortable as a result. Conclusion

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This ethnographic observation analyzed the behaviors of people associated with Starbucks. During the 30 minutes, I felt as though I encountered different people with varying cultural norms and diverse interests. Visiting Going Starbucks in Ontario compels the customers to interact and socialize with different people from all walks of life. It restores a sense of belonging within a group. Not everybody in society enjoys drinking Starbucks coffee, but some do, and that builds a type of connection and membership however minute. It was predicted that many working professionals and students between the ages of the early 20s to early 40s would be the cultural group of this particular location. After completing the 30-minute session, it was concluded that the majority of customers comprise mainly of college students intending to complete homework assignments. This was demonstrated through clues of having textbooks and laptops in their space alongside their dressing.

STARBUCKS MICRO-ETHNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATION Reference Emerson, R., Fretz, R., & Shaw, L. (2011). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

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