Introduction
The examination of social exchanges in public places can be insightful in terms of individuals’ behavior. For this report, a coffee shop (CS) near the central park in the researcher’s city of residence was chosen to study how people interact. CS was selected due to presenting an interesting type of social interchange, which is one between baristas and customers (Cenni et al., 2021; Ferreira et al., 2021; Lavelle et al., 2019).
Narrative Analysis of the Observational Study Data
Covert observation was utilized to collect data, and the method is appropriate in public spaces where people may regularly watch one another (Henriksen et al., 2020; Jin et al., 2021). Nonetheless, while informed consent was not obtained from the involved people, the approval of the CS’s manager and the barista was received. Assessing how people interact with one another is essential to determine specific behavioral patterns.
Comparison and Contrast of Data Collected
A crucial aspect of examining social exchanges is comparing and contrasting the gathered data. Information about the participants’ conduct gathered for the current paper is included in Appendix A. The data were scrutinized based on whether the participants greeted the barista, voiced their gratitude for service or the worker’s words, and replied to the employee’s farewell.
In particular, almost all observed people reciprocated the barista’s welcome, although only some individuals were responsive to the two latter components. The participants were similar in their age groups, being in their twenties or thirties, and the majority were Caucasian. The differences among those observed were that they were dressed moderately distinctly and had varying interactions with the worker. The data suggests that the CS has a relatively diverse clientele in appearance and conduct.
Addressing Key Questions
Common Themes Across Participants
One shared pattern and some distinctions between the assessed people’s social behavior. A common theme among most participants was that most greeted the barista by saying “Hello” or “Hi.” Nevertheless, a few outliers were also marked and analyzed through frequencies. First, four of the six individuals did not voice gratitude for the received service or the worker’s expressions. Second, five of the six participants did not reply to the barista, who wished them a good/nice day.
Notably, one of the two persons who thanked the employee for their drink responded to the farewell expression, and the other did not. Also, it is interesting that one of the Caucasian men who came together and was dressed in sports clothes said “Hi” only after observing the menu. Accordingly, the analysis indicates that the people were keen to greet the barista but not inclined to continue the cordial exchange.
Furthermore, one common theme for many participants is that they were occupied with something or someone both after making their orders and upon leaving the CS. The Caucasian woman was busy talking on her phone about work, so perhaps she did not hear the barista or the employee but could not interrupt the conversation with the other person. The two Caucasian men had just finished their discussion before exiting the CS, and it is possible that they were too distracted by thinking about their talk to notice the worker’s words while leaving.
The Asian American lady asked about the CS’s pastry before getting her drink and leaving. Maybe she was contemplating whether or not she should have gotten some pastry and did not pay enough attention to the barista’s expression. Such aspects make one think that a person should not be judged based on the first impression, and more detailed factors should be considered.
Identifying Outliers and Descriptive Statistics for Observations
Finally, one individual who stood out among the participants was the African-American woman. She greeted the barista, conveyed her gratitude, and responded to the worker’s farewell, indicating a tendency for reciprocal social interaction. At the same time, the lady was not overly talkative and did not distract the barista from work. Such qualities were not detected among the other participants and left a good impression on the woman.
Conclusion
To conclude, observing the behaviors of people at the CS was insightful. The findings demonstrate that CS customers are likely to reply to an employee’s welcoming statement but may not engage in a further exchange of pleasantries. The assessed people were different in race and appearance, and they exhibited certain similarities and distinctions in the patterns. Overall, the present report indicates a limit to social cordiality.
References
Cenni, I., Goethals, P., & Vásquez, C. (2020). A cross-linguistic study of metacommunication in online hotel reviews. Intercultural Pragmatics, 17(4), 445-470. Web.
Ferreira, J., Ferreira, C., & Bos, E. (2021). Spaces of consumption, connection, and community: Exploring the role of the coffee shop in urban lives. Geoforum, 119, 21-29. Web.
Henriksen, I. M., Skaar, M., & Tjora, A. (2020). The constitutive practices of public smartphone use. Societies, 10(4), 1-13. Web.
Jin, H., Moscardo, G., & Murphy, L. (2021). Unfolding Chinese tourist shopping practices: An observational study. Tourism Review, 76(2), 460-472. Web.
Lavelle, J. J., Rupp, D. E., Herda, D. N., Pandey, A., & Lauck, J. R. (2019). Customer injustice and employee performance: Roles of emotional exhaustion, surface acting, and emotional demands–abilities fit. Journal of Management, 47(3), 654-682. Web.
Appendix A
Field Notes
Date: November 23, 2023
Observer: Student Name
Settings: A coffee shop
An African-American woman in her twenties enters the coffee shop. She wears a black jacket, a navy-colored T-shirt, and jeans and has a big bag over her shoulder. The lady and the barista exchange brief but friendly greetings, she makes her order and waits on the side. After a few minutes, the customer receives her coffee, expresses her gratitude, and heads for the exit. The barista says, “You are welcome, have a nice day,” and the woman replies with a smile while opening the door, “You too.”
A Caucasian lady of about thirty years old enters, wearing a white shirt, pants, and a trench coat. The barista greets the customer with a “Hello,” she replies with a rushed “Yes, hi,” and voices the order. While waiting for her drink, the woman calls someone on the phone and starts talking about work. This conversation is not provided here to respect the participant’s privacy. Later, the lady gets the coffee and leaves while speaking on her phone and without responding to the barista, who wishes her a good day.
While the Caucasian woman waits for her order, two Caucasian men in their thirties walk in, dressed in sports attire. The barista says “Hello” to them, one of the two gentlemen replies with a “Hello,” and the other silently observes the menu. However, the second man later states “Hi” before making his order. The clients then converse with each other and leave after receiving their beverages. They begin sipping their drinks while exiting, and neither acknowledges the barista’s “Goodbye, have a nice day.”
A Caucasian man in his early twenties enters, and he is wearing a longsleeve and jeans and has a backpack. The barista welcomes the customer, but the client does not reply and looks through the menu. The man scrolls through his phone while waiting for the order and later receives his drink, saying, “Thanks.” The barista voices, “You are welcome, have a good day,” and the customer quietly exits.
An Asian American woman in her thirties walks in and is dressed in a blue cardigan and pants. The barista and her say “Hello” to each other. She makes an order and asks some questions about pastry while her drink is being prepared. After the lady gets her beverage, the barista says, “Have a nice day,” but the woman does not respond and leaves the coffee shop.