Let's go shopping!

Ranchero's Market of El Paso Texas

For this first week of field work, I chose to observe customers at the Ranchero's Market in El Paso, Texas. This is a Mexican cultured market located in the lower valley part of town.  The demographics of this market were quite interesting. There were mostly middle to elderly women shopping. Most of these women appeared to be from some type of Mexican/ Hispanic decent. Many of them had children with them. It appeared that most of them were shopping for either a feast or dinner due to the size of their purchases.

When I pulled up to the market, there were people in the parking lot selling all types of Mexican food: Tamales, Tacos, Enchiladas, Burritos, Flautas, Chimichangas and so much more. The prices of the food being sold were very reasonable between $1 and $6.  There was a man who was roasting Jalapenos on the side of the store. There was a small local band called the Los Amigos playing instruments outside. As soon as I entered the market I heard Mexican music such as: Ranchera, Mariachi, Bolero, Banda, Cumbia, Sones and classical traditional Mexican music.

There were all types of vendors within this market. I found that to be quite interesting due to the fact I am use to the “American” style stores. There were booths that sold clothing, electronics, Mexican candy and deserts, beverages like Horchata and Jamaica juice, and so much more. The atmosphere was very relaxing and intriguing due to the fact it was all so very new to me. I smelt scents I have never smelt before, I tried foods I never eaten before and heard things I never heard. The main language that was being spoken was Spanish. I have taken Spanish before but this was on a whole different level! These people were speaking so fast it was remarkable I couldn’t even begin to grasp it.

I continued to walk through the market and explore. Most people were dressed in modern day clothes except this one elderly woman I came across who was dressed in a traditional house dress and sandals. To some this might have seemed normal but to me it caught my eye. I felt like I was literally in another country! I really enjoyed observing and exploring. This experience has helped me to remain being open minded and accepting. I will always remember this opportunity and share it with others. I am looking forward to more discoveries such as this. It was truly a culture shock that occurred right in my own city of 20 years. What an excellent experience!

The Boot Store

As I walk into the boot store I can see all the different types of hats and country wear they have here. I am greeted by a man name Billy he is the manager of the store he is wearing a country still cap, button up shirt, cinch jeans and chukka shoes. His shirt was blue as well as his jeans his chukka shoes look wore out and old. He is a white man about 40 years old and has a goatee and a mustache. Both are clean and trimmed. Billy is the man to go to if you want a hat shaped whether it’s a felt hat or a straw hat. He will do about any style you want for a hat and does not charge to much.

As I start to look around the store another man comes out of the office in the store. His name was Jake. He is a younger Mexican man about 25 to 30 years old. Jake is wearing a button down shirt and blue jeans I think they are cinch but can’t tell. Jake is a nice guy always has a smile on his face and wants to help the customers find anything they need.

A little while after I enter the store I notice that Becky isn’t at work. Becky usually works week days but IS have noticed the last couple times I have come in she hasn’t been working. Becky is about 5’10 and white with blonde hair. Becky is usually wearing a country style T-shirt, cinch jeans and these high heel flip flop shoes. Becky is the girl that takes orders for clothes that have ran out or clothes that you would like them to start selling. You can always ask if a hat or shirt or jeans look good on you and she will give you her honest opinion.

As I walk around I notice that they have many different hats to choose from. They have felt hats that range from black, brown, and white. They also have straw hats. The straw hats are nice but some are a little too expensive for my taste. I notice that they even carry some Mexican style hats. I personally think these hats are ugly and ridiculous to wear. They look like a taco shell.

When I’m checking out at the store a Mexican man comes in he is wearing a black shirt and black pants. He had on a black hat that was shaped pretty nice. As I look at him I see the boots he is wearing they are Mexican boot they are black with lime green on the tops. The boots curve towards the end and come to a point. Back where I’m from we call these boot cockroach killers. We call them these because of the point they come to which is nice for when you are trying to kill a cockroach in a corner of a room.

I stayed at the store a little bit after I check out and a man and his boy walk in. The man didn’t really catch my eye but his son did. The son was wearing a black shirt, black pants, a black hat and black boots. His boots we nice but you could tell they have been worn a lot. His pants are what caught my eye they were pulled all the way up to at least his belly button from the look of them. I haven’t really seen anyone wear their pants that high in a long time and I kind of felt bad for the kid cause it didn’t really look to comfortable.

After I saw the kid I knew it was time to leave so I told Billy and Jake bye and walked out of the store. As I was leaving I was thinking of all the different ways certain people wear country clothes whether it be hats, boots, jeans or shirts. Not really anyone wears the same outfit the same way which is pretty interest.

The Old Sun Shop

Fieldwork Week One: The Old Sun Shop

It’s around noon, partly cloudy and a bit humid since it just rained about an hour ago.  Over all its cooler than most days this week. A few Hispanic families come in and out of the shop within the first 30 minutes. Most are from El Paso and are just looking around before they go grab a bite to eat.

An older white woman (around 60) walks in with her husband right behind another Hispanic family that just came in as well. The Hispanic family is very loud and chat about their day plans and discuss where they would like to go eat. They are in the shop to just pass time and enjoy the day and not really shop as they only glance at the products and admire a few pieces of metal art, which includes some 3 foot suns.

The White woman sees only half the shop when she reaches the jewelry section in the back. She stands there for a while looking and examining different pieces of jewelry. She sees some fashion earrings near the bottom. They are silver (almost in a Zia shape) and have designs on them that really shout out New Mexico. They also have a small and dark coral bead at the bottom of them and are worth 16 dollars. She picks them up and doesn't seem to think twice about them as she takes them up to the register to pay for them.  After the purchase, the white woman walks very happily to her husband who seems a little bored standing by the door but gives her a warm smile and they leave holding hands.

Later on the shop is once again empty and an older woman, also white with salt and pepper hair comes in all wired up. She walks fast, talks fast and seems to be on a mission. She starts trying on some Native American ointments and gossips to the owner about another store who is also selling the same product. It turns out that salt and pepper is also an employee for another store. She and the owner converse about a variety of things. It seems as though all the stores on the block need to be a little competitive to make good business.

A middle aged Hispanic women from El Paso comes in with a huge brown hat that covers most of her face. She is followed in by an older woman with white hair who is the hat lady’s mother. She seems to only speak in Spanish. A young tall man comes in with them who is the hat Lady’s son. He speaks in fluent English. The hat lady walks up to the register and starts to ask if we sell a very specific cream. Her Spanish accent is very thick that it is very difficult to understand her. I tell her that I have never heard of it but show her the Native American ointments that could help with what she wants. She is very open and starts to share with me that she works very hard in her garden and in her house and has very bad conditioned hands. She shares lots of stories as she samples the ointments. She seems to like them but she feels they are too little and expensive for their size. Finally she decides that she did not come all the way from El Paso for nothing so she decides to take a few ointments for her and her mother. She takes a few brochures that give a little more information on the product and plans to show them to her neighbor. She leaves very happily, full of energy and content with her purchase.

In between 1:30 P.M. and 3:00 P.M. the shop was very slow, almost dead with the exception of one big crowd around 2:20 P.M. It seems as though tourist and visitors are off having a late lunch since the parking lots are full but the flow in the shop is very slow. However, for being a cloudy and bit stormy day it’s quite a moving Saturday.

When the flow of customers picks up again I realize that the majority of people make a remark about how good it smells in the shop as they walk in the door. I let them know it is our candle burning and most of them went to take a look at the candles for sale with the same scent. I also realize that a lot of people notice the ceramic happy pigs at the entrance of the store. They all exclaim how cute and adorable they are either when they first come in or as they leave the shop.

A group of five older women (around their 60’s) come in chatting and looking quite colorful. They all have hairstyles that seem to be from the 80’s or early 90’s. The 80’s girls take their time and look at almost everything in the shop. They look very relaxed enjoying each other’s company, laughing, and conversing about a verity of things. They all seem to take a longer time looking at jewelry more than anything else in the store. They converse about the jewelry but did not seem to converse about any other product (besides the occasional hey look at this) that I could hear. The 80’s girls left happily continuing their relaxing day.

Another group of people walk in. Two of them are married (around 40’s) and serve in the Military. The Husband collects Kokopellis and the couple decide to buy a light copper metal Kokopelli with blue beads worth 25 dollars. A friend of theirs whom is from Ireland asks to see some jewelry. I politely ask him to repeat that because his accent is very heavy and extremely difficult to understand. His friend then tells me what he said and tells me that most people have a hard time understanding him. Ireland guy looks at a Native American piece made of white thin rocks with turquoise beads in them. It has the Hawaiian look to it. He looks at it and sees how it would look on him. I am a little surprised since I see no sign of jewelry on him and he doesn't seem as though he was shopping for someone else. He puts the necklace back and the group leaves continuing their conversation.

Around 3:40 P.M. I can see through the window that it becomes quite windy, it feels cooler, and dark clouds come by looking as if it will rain. Yet people still remain looking and shopping around till closing time. I wonder if the cooler weather (even if a little stormy) causes people to be out more. I wonder if the heat here is too much for some tourist and even some locals.

Toy Store!

Heat runs throughout the toy store. The door is slightly open in hopes of letting some cool air come in. However, the only thing that does come in are the conversations of people heading to the bar next door.  There are five people in the toy store. Star Lord, Mr. Piccolo, Rocket, Lunch box, and myself. The store lacks other customers due to the store being past closing time. Star Lord, Mr. Piccolo, Rocket, and I sit on one side of the store while Lunch Box sits on the opposite side, having no desire to be a part of the group. The dress of the people is very casual. Star Lord has on a Blazblue shirt with black slacks. Mr. Piccolo wears a Legend of Zelda shirt with jeans. Rocket has a plain shirt with cargo shorts. Lunch Box has a blue collared shirt with jean shorts.

The activities of the group mainly consist of talking. They jump from subject to subject as one member is reminded of something else. The topics include how their week has been, the incompetent store owners, different toy stores in the city, different people who have been a part of this group but are not currently here, and of course comic books and games. Mr. Piccolo, who works at the store, mentions the store is having a sale for Labor Day weekend and shows Star Lord and Rocket the things that are on sale. Star Lord asks if the Vanguard cards are on sale. Mr. Piccolo does not care and sells them anyways, figuring it is better to sell them and make some money for the store rather than have them sit on the shelf.

Star Lord buys most of the Vanguard cards while Rocket buys the rest. They open up their packs and sort through the cards, giving each person the cards they desire. Star Lord wants the Angel Feather cards, Mr. Piccolo wants the Nova Grappler cards, and Rocket wants the cyborg demon cards. Angel Feather are cards that have angels that are nurses on them. Nova Grappler are cards that have giant robot fighters. Perhaps the cards they want are a reflection of their personality and the other things they like besides the cards.

After sorting through the cards, Star Lord builds a deck for Rocket and teaches him how to play. This is done by actually playing a game with each other. Star Lord seems to know the most about the card game since he was the one who knew all of the rules and knows most of the cards. Mr. Piccolo stays off to the side, mentioning that he is not feeling well.  Lunch Box continues to sit on the opposite side of the store. While playing Vanguard, Star Lord starts to tell stories about the weird eating habits of Lunch Box to Rocket.

Mr. Piccolo says that he is going to leave due to him not feeling well. The group says their good byes by everyone hugging one another. Mr. Piccolo and Lunch Box leave in the same car, while Star Lord and Rocket leave in separate cars. The group says they will see each other next week at around the same time.

What To Buy?

The options are endless here. People are pacing back and forth to each vendor of goods. The environment smells of a cornucopia of food, cologne, perfume, and that new clothes scent. Families, single individuals, and couples scan the complex with a keen eye for anything that attracts them. I find this place overwhelming with a buzz of propaganda.

A family approaches the candy store line, parents and two children, a boy and a girl. The Shorts Wearing Family is in awe of the selection available. The children are so ecstatic of such variety that they become indecisive. First choosing an item and then replacing it. The parents try to speed up the process, with reluctance the children pick what they want and go to the register. The Short Wearing Family pays and exists, children by the hand.

My eyes catch a middle aged man, dressed in a suit, talking on his cell phone. Mr. Business walks into the shoe department and strolls the isles, head on a swivel, taking it all in. He hangs up the phone and examines a pair of formal loafers. Uninterested or not to his liking he puts them immediately down. Mr. Business walks to the counter and converses with the employee, using hands gestures in his discussion. The interaction takes only seconds and Mr. Business exits swiftly returning back to his phone.

I walk down the main hall to the book store area and notice an elderly woman walking alone. Moving slowly with a cane, Sweater enters the book store and into the non-fiction isle. She looks book to book meticulously, almost with a face of disappointment. Sweater comes to a book and pulls it off the shelf. She puts on her glasses, and reads the front and back text then proceeds with the book to the check out. Sweater leaves out to the parking lot exit.

A couple walks past the book store to the clothing shop. The Hand Holders survey the room and move to the t-shirt section. They point out several garments and then move to the pants section. The Hand Holders observe the pants but seem to be more concerned what the other thought of them. They walk out without a purchase.

Blue Shirt, a middle school aged looking boy comes into site. He is glancing from side to side down the building as if he was looking for someone in a hurry. Blue shirt continues down his path and disappears into the crowd of people at the food court.

I see a group of women transition towards a sun glasses stand. The Sandals Group women start trying on different sun glasses and looking at them in the mirror. Two out of the four girls buy a pair. The Sandals Group women walk over to a nearby bench to sit and talk.

Another family maneuvers through the area with a baby in a stroller. They make their way towards the book store. The Newborn Family goes to the children book section and strolls slowly. They pick out what looks to be a pop-up book, then purchase it. The Newborn Family baby begins to cry while they head out.