Verbal/ Non Verbal

Today at my field sight it is an average day. The customers are going through their normal routine and when it comes to the outside environment it is actually a little cold now that the seasons are changing to winter. I don’t believe that climate change has an effect of the population within the organization that I am absorbing but I do think that the time at which I came to observe with alter that factor. I decided to come to my field sight in the evening so I’m expecting slow customer activity. As far as the population that is within my field sight there are a few families but they do seem rushed or busy to go somewhere. As I glance over to the lounge section of my field sight there are a few individuals that are relaxing on the couches that are provided. What I notice is that one individual is sitting on one end of the couch while the other is sitting on the opposite end of the couch instead of sitting right next to each other. That goes to display how people feel more comfortable when they have their own level of personal space when being in contact with an individual they don’t know. As for as actions one of the individuals, which is female, is on her laptop as in she’s doing some type of work or browsing. Her body expression seems a little more conserved as she has her legs crossed and elbows tucked in while she is typing. On the other end of the couch there is a male but instead of being on a laptop he is listening to music and interacting with his phone. His body posture doesn’t seem as conserved but he does seem like he’s not completely comfortable in his situation. I can tell because although he has his legs extended to some point and is sitting more casual on the couch, he is also tucking his elbows is as if he is trying to cover what he s viewing on his telephone. Although this is a simple and common situation that happens on a daily basis I find it unique how people would rather be antisocial instead of opening up to those around them even if the two individuals are not familiar with each other. This is a prime example of how generations have changed as technology is revolutionizing society in a drastic fashion.

Windy Days

The weather is horrible today here at my field site. Luckily I will be located indoors hidden from the wind and dust storm. The environment inside is typical to the location. The temperature is around 60 degrees and there is must present in the background. The genre music is an R&B type of style, but then switches to the country style type. I just heard that it’s the El Paso station of 104.3. The amount of customers is about normal as to every other time I’ve came to my field site. There’s single individuals enjoying either a cup of coffee or a meal, groups of people either enjoying a meal or conversing among-st each other, and customers just browsing through the aisles looking for their product that’s needed. As far as race, it looks the majority of the population is either Caucasian or Hispanic. I don’t notice any social trends instead there all diverse in their actions. For example, there is a gentlemen who look like he’s in a rush to find his product while a couple aisles next to him there is a family slowly browsing the aisle looking at each product. When I pay attention to the lounge section of the building, there are many young individuals relaxing on the couches and chairs, most of them having headphones in, I’m guessing because they prefer a different style of music then what my field site is presenting. This brings the question as to why they would rather be anti-social and listening to music by themselves rather than being social and communicating with each other. As I visualize myself in their situation, I guess I can say that I would be pursuing the same actions. What I have realized of the many observations here at my field site is that this location is popular for individual’s to relax and get away from life stressors. As a result, today is a typical day and actually slow in customer activity due to the bad weather Las Cruses is experiences.  

Group Work

Today is a typical day at my field site. The environment is a little cold which is the norm here at this location. I came to my field site in the afternoon and the first thing I notice is there are a group of individuals sitting in section that is surrounded by couches and it seems like they are rehearsing or studying something as a group. These individuals look like students but I’m not too sure if they are at the high school or college level of education. The group looks like it consists of just Hispanic and Caucasian descents when it comes to ethnicity. Ironically all the women expect for one seem shorter than five foot seven, the other female looks like a volleyball player, and the three gentlemen are actually really tall averaging at least five foot ten. Everyone in the group looks older except for one female who is with one of the gentlemen but she doesn’t look like she’s associated with the group. I’m guessing that the younger female and older male are siblings and she is just there cause she has to be. I came to this assumption because everyone else is somewhat engaging in the group conversation except for her in which she has some headphones in and is also seated out of the group. As I observe their behavior it seems like some of them seem to be really social while others are more isolated. For example there are a couple of specific males and females who seem to be the “leaders” because they are organizing the whole situation while the others are taking the command. It’s not that those individuals are bossy; as I observe their interaction longer it looks as if they are guiding the group instead of ordering the rest of the group on what to do. It looks as if the “leaders” are still part of the group instead of them being tutors which was my first assumption. The other individuals in the group who don’t seem as social as the rest of the group seem to be more busy on their phones but I doubt their looking up information that’s relevant to their group because they seem to use their phones more to break the awkwardness within the group. The longer I observe their group the more I notice that when those certain isolated individuals are conversing within the group their answers seem shorter or they are simply just agreeing with the majority of the population. It’s like being here at this occasion is either not important to them or their just socially not wanting to participate. As I observer their discussion it is now clear that they are working on a presentation as they are all surrounded around one computer which explains why each person had a different place in the discussion. It wasn’t so much that some of the individuals were socially awkward but that it wasn’t their turn to put their input in the project. As I turn my attention away from the group the rest of the environment looks as usual. There are random customers throughout the store along with purchasing a beverage or food. Seated around me are a couple of individuals who are by themselves which seem to be enjoying the alone time. As a result it was interesting focusing on a group that was working on a presentation and watching how the social norms change in time and throughout the conversation between all the individuals.

Halloween

The weather is getting colder and colder as the month of October is coming to a close. Since we are approaching Halloween I noticed that at my field sight they are using a Halloween theme within the building. Since they were celebrating this holiday by celebrating Halloween related decorations, The question that came up to mind is if the business is displaying Halloween decorations for celebratory purposes of if they are doing it to increase customers and customer satisfaction. The temperature inside the building is cold and there is music playing throughout the building. As far as customers there’s an average amount with the occasional shopper and the individuals who seem to be working on different tasks on their computers. As far as races that are present at my field site there is a mix population with the majority of the population looking Caucasian.  When I pay attention to social behaviors there are individuals who are giving signals that they don’t want to convers by putting their headphones in, and isolating themselves from other people by sitting completely away from other people in their area. There are also individuals who are around a group of people that are talking to each other on a routinely basis. Besides the customers, the employees also seem willing to keep a conversation with their customers. I’m watching people purchase different beverages and food. With each customer the cashier is not only taking their order but asking the customers how their day is going, more of a small talk. On the other hand there is another employee who is making the drinks and getting the food but he doesn’t seem to like he wants to converse much. Instead he seems busy on his tasks and completing the orders for customer satisfaction. As a result, I haven’t noticed a change in the amount of customer at my field site due to the Halloween decorations in the amount of time I have been observing. This causes me to believe that the decorations are more for celebration purposed of the holiday. 

Small Talk

It’s a chilly day outside today at my field site. The wind even picked up making it even colder. After all the hail that we have recently got I’m not looking forward to the cold weather that’s closely approaching. Luckily I’m seated inside so I don’t have to deal with the wind. You would think that when it’s cold outside and the business that you are observing in main selling beverage is coffee, that it would be warm inside. But that’s not the case and I’m already cold from the air conditioners that are running inside. It’s the evening so there’s quite a bit of people seated with their computers out in front of them, or they are on their phones, or working with a group of people. A Taylor Swift song is playing right now which goes to show how this organization isn’t afraid to play different genres of music to their customers. There is not a lot going on besides one of the groups of people who seem to be working together are being really loud and laughing obnoxiously as if they have no care in the world of other people that are trying to focus on other tasks. They do seem to be having a fun time together so I’m starting to think that they are here more for social purposes than business or work aspects. That just goes to show how my field site is a place where people can go to either get some leisure time, bust out some work or homework, and also to just simply convers with others using small talk. As a result there isn’t a lot of action happening at my field site today. I’m guessing the weather had an impact on the amount of customers that are present in this organization. All in all today’s observations goes to show how different organizations can maintain different social behaviors within that business. 

Music Distractions

Today is a hot day at might field site even though the weather doesn’t really play a factor on my location since I’ll be inside the building anyways. Although the weather won’t affect me directly I’m anxious to see if the weather has an effect on the amount of customers that are present.  Since last week at my field site it was a bit colder and the amount of customers seem like there were more than usual, there were more “to go” customers than there were customers who sat down to enjoy their purchase.

Even though it is hot outside, inside the building it is cold like how it always is. There are a few customers but for the most part it seems like there are more individuals sitting down conversing or on their computers than there are people waiting to purchase something. I’m now also starting to wonder of coming in the evening to my field site is the cause of activity that is present in the store. When I observe in the mornings it seems like there are more customers trying to purchase an item than there is customers sitting down enjoying their meals. I have been observing at my field site for literally thirty minutes and not one single event has happened other than the occasional shopper passing by. I am now starting to notice that there are quite a bit of individuals that are just browsing by items in the materials department instead of actually purchasing anything. It’s like their just walking around waiting for something to happen or just too simply pass time. As I reflect on my past observations it seems as if the mornings is when the business gets the most customers probably because coffee is their number one selling item. In the evening it’s like this is where all the college students go to do homework or any individual trying to get some quite time out of their day. Even though there is music present, the volume is low which allows people to get in tune to the tasks they have at hand. If I had to guess I would say that at least ninety percent of the population is younger or middle aged individuals. There is a mix between genders and races to where not just one type is obvious. Actually as I look around I see nothing but Hispanic or Caucasian type of individuals and literally not one African American. The lack of diversity I think is due to the area we live in the U.S. Mostly everyone that is present at my field site has headphones in besides two individuals that I can see. The two individuals who don’t have headphones on seem like they are more in tune to what they are doing on the computers that the other individuals. This brings the question of I wonder if listening to music while at work increases or decreases productivity. Although it might be soothing I can see music as being a distraction simply because when I listen to music I listen for entertainment not to focus or zone me out. In other words this is how I can relate to those individuals if that was the case. The individuals who are sitting down seem to be more relaxed and set on “auto pilot”. It is like they are just coasting through their tasks with no real worries of progress or lack of time efficiency.

As a result is was a very slow evening at my field site. I’m guessing this is due to the fact that I came to observe in the evening instead of the morning when this organization is obviously more popular in the mornings through my observations. There wasn’t much activity besides the occasional shopper so I found an interest in why certain individuals have headphones in while others don’t. By focusing on this task I have found that from this week of field notes that individuals who are listening to music while performing some tasks seem to be more relaxed and not worried about what task they have at hand. On the other side individuals who weren’t wearing headphones seem to be more in tune to their assignment.

Stormy Days

Today walking to my field site it was storming outside and I was thinking ahead and asked myself if the weather would have an effect on the population at my field site. As I’m sitting down at my field site I automatically notice how it is cold in the building like how it always is. As I look around there is hardly any customers but the people who were sitting down enjoying a cup of coffee all had jackets on. Since the weather is bad, like last week’s observation, there weren’t as many people buying food or drinks. The time difference in which I came today might have been a factor to. For the most part is seems like there is only white people present at the field site. I have also been noticing that if someone is purchasing something in the food section, for the majority of the population they are purchasing coffee. This brought the question of, “I wonder if the company keeps their building temperature cold in order to influence caffeine purchases”. As I browse towards the store section of the building for a few minutes it seems like everyone is just browsing the items instead of actually purchasing the items. As I view the customers that are purchasing items it seems like the customers are just purchasing small necessary items like gum, a book, a snack, or office supplies instead of other major items like shirts, electronics, or items higher in price. Focusing on the environment there is music playing in the background but the overall environment is quiet and peaceful. I haven’t seen any children in the area nut for the most part there is just middle aged individuals present. There isn’t that much activity going on other than the occasional shopper shopping around. Every now and then I see someone listening to music and those individuals seem more antisocial than those other individuals. The individuals who aren’t listening to music seem more accepting or wanting to converse with others around them than the individuals who are listening to music. As a result it is just a normal day at my field site with the same occasional things going on.

Rain Rain

Today was an odd day for me to do my field observations. It is storming off and on outside but this weather seems to be bringing I quit a bit more customers. Inside the building it is very cold. You would think that they would turn the heaters on since it is also cold outside but knowing this New Mexico weather I guess it could be warm by the evening. I decided to come earlier in the day again just because my work schedule didn’t allow me to come at my normal time.

 As I look around there are many customers who seem to be ordering coffee and conversing with a friend or whoever there with. Out of every one who is present in my location the groups of people consist of individuals either on their computer, individuals who are sitting alone and just about ninety percent of the individuals that are alone are on their phones, and groups of individuals who seem to be partaking in different conversations. I can’t hear all of the conversations but there is a couple behind me who seem to be enjoying each other’s company over a cup of coffee and the female is discussing how she loves this cold rainy weather and the male is explaining how he enjoys the hot or warm weather better. Again like any other day there is music playing in the background that sounds like one of Las Cruces local radio hip hop stations. I’m personally really enjoying the music. The population inside of the building is a mix between all races. For some reason it seems like the white population has greater numbers as customers here at this building. Every week as I come to my field site I notice that most of the time the population consists of the majority of white people. I have also noticed that more that eighty percent of the population is mid aged. This is probably due to the fact that this environment has a lot of modern supplies which allows individuals like college students to have a comfortable place to study, relax, and also re-up on much needed supplies. For the long amount of time that I have been here there has been very little activity. What I notice the most out of almost every individual is that they will pick their phones up and scroll through it for a little while and then set it back down. After a maximum of at least forty five seconds they would pick up their phones again to check if they have any notifications. I have also noticed that my field site is a primary spot for individuals to gather their information and also refuel on food or drinks in between events of their busy day.

As a result I don’t see that much activity that is out of the ordinary here at my field sight. As I make my final observations around the building there is still the occasional shopper who is looking for supplies, groups of people gathering just to spend quality time or study time, and also individuals who need to just be alone. My field site is a place of all ages where you see interactions from kids running around in the toys area, middle aged individuals trying to have a progressive day, and elderly citizens trying to get their fresh cup of coffee.

Early Mornings

As I was walking up to my field site I had noticed that today was like an ordinary day except I had to visit my site in the morning instead of in the evening due to schedule arrangements. A major factor that I noticed as I was sitting down was that the population of the elderly seem to outnumber the rest of the population. Although the population is elderly their ages look like they vary from the high forties to the mid-sixties. Other than the elderly population it’s as if everyone else who is attending my field sight looks like their of mid age or college students.

Since I came at a different time of day I don’t notice any familiar faces like I usually would. Usually there’s like a hand full of individuals who are working together or their simply focusing on their computer screens but today is seems as if everyone is just attending this place for either coffee or breakfast. There’s a couple that decided to sit down and converse over their coffee a few tables away from me. I have no idea what they are talking about but they both seem very interested in each other and what the other has to say. The female looks as if she’s even flirting with the gentleman the way she keeps on touching him or invading his personal space. It’s obvious that he doesn’t mind the attention at all but seem to be encouraging it instead. 

Usually the environment of the building is very cold but this morning it feels about room temperature. There’s still music playing in the background like there always is except for instead of R & B or Hip-Hop music the genre that seems to be playing is country or some type of alternative rock music. There really isn’t anything extraordinary that’s happening I’m guessing because it’s so early in the morning. It’s as if every customer that walks through the doors is barely starting their day and is using this company to start off their days with some fresh coffee. One thing that I have noticed though since I have been here this morning is the number of customers that seem to be showing up went from the elderly to middle aged or college kids. Most of them tend to be female, as for a matter of fact the only males that I have seen come into the store were accompanied by females. When there was an individual who came in alone they were more than likely female with an exception of one or two but they stayed in the store area where I am seated in the waiting or eating area. Usually there is a group of people who are jamming out with their headphones in but today I’m guessing everyone is liking this genre of music because there is not one person who has headphones in. 

The longer I observe the more I notice how much of a slow morning it is here at this store. More than likely the activity level of this store is so slow because it is so early and people are just getting their day started. This explains why basically every customer is purchasing coffee. As a result it is a slow but peaceful morning observing here at my field site.

Rainy Days

Today seems to be a lot different than the other days at my field sight. For one it’s raining outside which makes it feel even colder inside since they have the air conditioning on. There’s music in the background just like any other day here. The type of genre that’s playing sounds like its county music. The music is very soft and isn’t turned up loud at all. The fragrance in the air is that coffee smell again and the smell of cinnamon rolls is making me hungry. There seems to be a lot more people here than usual. I’m guessing since the weather is now rainy and kind of cold instead of hot and sunny it is causing people to want to go out and buy nice and hot coffee. The people that are present consist of people on their computers, family’s eating, and even people eating alone. Every single person who is eating alone is on their phone. There is even two people eating alone right next to each other but they are still remaining to stare at their phones instead of trying to converse with each other. I guess if I was in their shoes then I would be doing the same but I never noticed how unusual it is for two people to be next to each other for a good period of time and not even say one word to each other. Everyone in the store section is in mix ethnicity and everyone seems to be just browsing around instead of actually purchasing anything. I wonder if their just killing time or if there at this store with a purpose. There’s this one particular family across the building who have been sitting down and conversing together since before I even arrived and they are still engaging in conversations. It’s like they all met up here for socialization time because none of them show any signs of eating or if they all ate a meal together. There is also another group of individuals who look like college students with their computers out in front of them who seem like they are working on a project together. They all are looking back and forth at each other’s screens like they are comparing something. Another thing that I noticed is there’s an individual sitting behind me who seems to be working on their computer but he is blasting music from his headphones. He’s a good 15 feet away from me and I can still hear his music over the music played in the building. As I was leaving I noticed that still more and more people are showing up and buying coffee so the change in weather definitely has an effect on the amount of customers this building gets.

Slow Day

As I was walking up to the building at my field site location it seemed like there was a lot less cars parked out in the parking lot. It felt like it was 100 degrees outside but as soon as I walked into the building a rush of cold air hit me and it felt so refreshing. Just like in last week’s observation I’m guessing the cooler temperature allows for a more comfortable and productive environment. There’s not that many people eating meals here like there was last week. The time difference from when I came last week really made a difference on how many customers are present. There’s still a few people studying with their lap tops laid out in front of them. For the most part it seems like of the majority of the population are college kids which very in all races. There seems to be more females here and I look around there’s only one male out of all the people who have their computers out. There’s music playing in the background and it sounds like the R & B genre but I’m guessing the people who look like their studying don’t like that genre because most of them have headphones on.

When it comes to the environment of my field site, the fragrance in the air smells like a mix between coffee and cinnamon rolls. A couple sat right next to me and it looks as of their sharing a cup of coffee together. They both seem to be paying attention more to their phones than they are to each other. The only time they seem to communicate is when they want to share with the other person it is that they are looking at on their phones. On the other side of the building a Hispanic couple walked in and got a couple drinks. They don’t seem to be paying any attention to their phones but they also aren’t even communication to each other either. It’s like they are awkwardly eating a meal together. As a result my location didn’t have as much action as it did last week and it wasn’t as populated either. As I was leaving I noticed the parking lot had more cars than when I had showed up so I’m guessing the company gets most of their customers later in the day.

Peaceful Environment

The environment is chilly. I’m guessing because a colder setting helps individuals focus on the topic at hand better. There is music playing in the background, it sounds like the genre of R&B or Alternative rock but it’s hard to hear because the volumes low. There is a mix population of race and gender but most of the population looks Hispanic. There is a long waiting line at the register and it seems to stay consistent from the time I arrived. Mostly everyone is getting coffee with a pastry on the side but I’ve seen a couple of other individuals with a juice instead. It seems like everyone who is present at this location is either enjoying a meal with their family, studying in a study group, or studying by themselves. There is a family right next to me who seem like they are having a really interesting conversation by the way every member at the table is interacting in the conversation but I don’t know what they are talking about because their speaking the Spanish language. Back to the location the odor that is present smells like a mix of coffee, sweat bread, and pastries.

The lighting in the room is dim and everyone is using a quiet tone in their conversations. Across the room the lighting is more vibrant where the accessories are. I’m actually surprised that the majority of the population is actually engaging in a conversation instead of staring at their telephones. The waiting line has finally died down some but there is still that occasional who’s wanting to purchase a snack. The individuals who are enjoying a meal are staying for a reasonable amount of time that it would take to converse and enjoy a meal. The others who seem to be studying have all been in the same position and don’t show any actions like they’ll be leaving any time soon. As for the individuals who are in the building now the population still varies from kids to the elderly and races of all color. As a result it’s a peaceful environment that allows individuals a place to get alone time or share time with others.