STARBUCKS

A Field Observation Of My Local

Starbucks

November 2, 2015
3:30 p.m. -- 4:30 p.m.

by Cristina Fernandez

A Field Observation: Starbucks

Field Notes Taken On Location:
Behaviours of Different Sexes and Their Respective Age Groups:
Approximate
Ages

Females
(Customer)

0-13

Males
(Customer)

Females
(Barista)

Males
(Barista)

-The kid begs for his mothers

attention, even when he has it.

XXXXXXX

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14-20

-Two white females walk in,

about the same age as the two
males previous, and they are
also talking to each other. Once
in line, one is showing the other
something on her phone.
-Group of three white girls,
college age, walk in. They go
straight to the stands where
they display the starbucks cups
and mugs which you can buy.
They admire them.

-Two males walk in, they seem

college-aged, they seem of asian
background and are talking to each
other about their problems.

XXXXXXX

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21-65

-Warmly clothed
-A lot of diversity
-Orders, goes to the bathroom,
and comes back to pick up
order
-Groups
-Woman complains about the
parking to the baristas in a very
arrogant and demanding way
-Romantic with boyfriend (.5 of
couple)
-In groups, walk in talking to
each other
-A mother walks in with her
son. She shows him the
pastries, food, beverages that
starbucks has out for easy
access
-Woman walks in, gets in line
and begins looking around. She
makes eye-contact with me and
immediately looks away, as if
she were doing something
despicable or wrong by looking
at what was around her.
-Mother sits down child on a
chair, sits down to have her
own drink and food, talks to
her child (kids voice), takes off
his jacket for him.
-Man walks in--drops all his
valuables at a desk (computer,
backpack, jacket).

-Warmly clothed
-A lot of diversity
-Looking at phones
-Make conversation with the staff
-Romantic with girlfriend (.5 of
couple)
-Male (.5 of couple) orders while his
(assumed) girlfriend goes to the
bathroom. He taps his fingers on the
counter as he waits.
-Pacing around while on his phone
-Talks on his cell phone as he waits in
line.
-Bathroom/Order pattern

XXXXXXX

-Wear typical uniforms and friendly

faces
-Singing
-Talk to the customers with a lot of
ease and kindness, not any
condescending or rude tones
-Talking amongst each other about
Adele, whom they all seemed to
love
-When the coffee shop is crowded,
conversations between barista and
customer mostly consist of
problems or simple questions about
the drinks.
-Barista takes his break be back at
4:17 -- two left to work the counter
while the other sits down at a table
to take his food break.
-Conversations between barista and
customer are very casual, facial
expressions very kind and
welcoming.

65+

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XXXXX*

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*XXXX-not applicable
Others: My Notebook Notes

3:37 p.m.
: I have just walked in and gotten set up. The atmosphere is completely festive and
relaxing. The brown and reds make the whole place feel homey and Christmas-y. There is holiday
music playing in the background. There are two employees (baristas), behind the bar. One is
shorter and appears hispanic, the other taller and african american. Both men look to be in their
late twenties or early thirties. There is only one other customer. He is a white male that looks to be
in his thirties.
3:40 p.m.
: A white female that looks to be in her thirties walks in, orders, and after ordering goes
straight to the bathroom. When she comes back out, she takes her drink from the counter, leaves,
and altogether minimally socializes with anyone else in the starbucks.
3:41 p.m
: The white male, sitting across from me, faces out of his chair with his legs stretched out,
and his back against the windowsill, hes staring at his phone.
3:42 p.m.
: The employees are singing.
The male who was previously looking at his phone, sits back, looks up and smiles at the barista. Its
some sort of unspoken communication solely with a look and a smile.
A white male walks in in a trench coat--quickly engages in conversation with the baristas. Not just
one, but all of them. They begin talking and joking around about football. They are all laughing.
Trench coat man talks about his jets and his daughter. Its so strange to notice this kind of
interaction nowadays.
3:44 p.m.
: White middle-aged woman walks in. She wears sunglasses, doesnt take them off and
the Man who was previously on his iPhone packs up and leaves.
Two white middle-school aged girls walk in.
Whilst ordering, middle-aged white woman complains to the baristas about parking. She seems to
speak in an arrogant, demanding tone. She seems stressed out. After getting her drink, she leaves.
Another white, middle-aged woman walks in.
A couple follows after her. They get in line and are all over each other: kissing, hugging, smiling.
They are speaking spanish and seem to be of hispanic origins.
Tall white male walks in.
The employees begin talking about Adele whom they seem to love.
Male (.5 of couple) orders while his (assumed) girlfriend goes to the bathroom. He taps his fingers
on the counter as he waits.
Behind the Male (.5 of couple), is the tall white male, who is pacing around while on his phone.
Two white females walk in talking to each other, looking around.
Couple reunites and sits down at a table (the first people to sit down and stay to enjoy their drink
since the male who was on his cell phone at the beginning).
White male in flannel walks in, gets in line, smells the surrounding coffee packages and then leaves
the line to go to the bathroom.
Male (.5 of couple) gets the drink while the female (.5 of couple) waits.
A mother walks in with her son. She shows him the pastries, food, beverages that starbucks has out
for easy access. The kid begs for his mothers attention, even when he has it.
White male in flannel comes back to the line.
People tend to fidget as they wait--they look for something to do, something to touch, no talking
though.
Woman walks in, gets in line and begins looking around. She makes eye-contact with me and
immediately looks away, as if she were doing something despicable or wrong by looking at what was
around her.
Bald, middle-aged white male walks in, talks on his cell phone as he waits in line.
3:58 p.m.
: There is a lot of noise in the Starbucks, despite the fact that nobody is really saying
anything. The only people carrying on a conversation are the male and female couple.
Two males walk in, they seem college-aged, they seem of asian background and are talking to each
other about their problems.
Two white females walk in, about the same age as the two males previous, and they are also talking
to each other. Once in line, one is showing the other something on her phone.
White middle-aged female wearing scrubs walks in. She seems rushed.
When the coffee shop is crowded, conversations between barista and customer mostly consist of
problems or simple questions about the drinks.

Mother sits down child on a chair, sits down to have her own drink and food, talks to her child
(kids voice), takes off his jacket for him.
Couple, still sitting, makes a lot of eye-contact when they speak--they never lose the other persons
gaze.

____

Scrubs woman getting impatient

Woman who met my eyes before
Scrubs woman socializing with workers as she waits
crowd disperses, more talkative, more communication between baristas and between baristas and
customers
When there was a crowd it felt very systematic
Go to the bathroom before ordering or getting on line (many)
4:08 p.m.
: Barista takes his break be back at 4:17 -- two left to work the counter while the other
sits down at a table to take his food break.
Another person goes straight to the bathroom before ordering, and right after walking in through
the door.
4:10 p.m.
: Self-note : I, myself, am becoming distracted by my own beeping phone.
Many people go to the condiment table right after getting their order, even if they dont necessarily
need use any spice or fix their drink in any way. Its almost like a settling place before deciding to
head out.
Middle-aged woman walks in talking / making conversation with the barista already.
I see my former teacher and she introduces her son, Oliver to me.
When people are waiting for their drinks to be made, they seem to be standing as far as possible
from each other as they can, more specifically those that they dont know.
4:22 p.m.
: The local empties out a little bit and the now three baristas talk about bacalao, a type
of fish.
A middle-aged male who was ordered sits down and takes out his cell phone.
A woman in a bright red coat, with matching red and black glasses walks in very happy and starts
talking to the baristas right away--very sociable.
Barista hand-hold/ high five joke hand shake when one asks the other if he understands what
hes doing.
-Teamwork
-Friendliness//Friendship
As they wait, people do everything BUT look at each other.
Another mother walks in with her child and they sit at the exact same table that the previous were
sitting at.
The couple is still sitting and talking, they havent really stopped.
When going to order, kid taps and lays head on counter as he waits.
Some people order online, walk up to the barista and ask about it
-I didnt know this existed
Phones are an effective excuse to not socialize, they allow you to stay in your own little world
without owing anyone anything.
Men are more likely to invade personal space than women when waiting.
Man walks in--drops all his valuables at a desk (computer, backpack, jacket).
-He shows trust in the way that hes able to just leave everything there. I, on the other
hand, would be too scared.
Group of three white girls, college age, walk in. They go straight to the stands where they display the
starbucks cups and mugs which you can buy. They admire them.
-They remind them of gossip girl
-love them
-have one but I never use it
New couple (young, both male and female white) walks in wrapped around each other. Her arm is
around his waist. They kiss, they are looking at one another smiling, they lean onto each other as
they stand and wait in line.
Conversations between barista and customer are very casual, facial expressions very kind and
welcoming.
Everyone seems to be standing off in their own personal universes. Sometimes, though its beautiful
to just stand there and watch love and family and happiness.

The Aftermath:
After completing my field-observation, I obtained an entirely new perspective on reality.
Often, we walk around and we only think about our own world, our own perspectives. We, w
e
are so overwhelmed by everything occurring in our lives that we rarely stop to think, to be in the
moment,
to look
.
When I began my observation, I didnt know what to expect. There was plenty of
anticipation anxiety, though. When I walked into my local Starbucks, I was instantly struck by
the feelings that it tends to incite in the winter time: festiveness and cozyness. The air is warm
and holiday music is playing in the background. The store has transformed itself, taking its
signature, slick and modern, green-and-brown color scheme, and adding one of bold red and
brown hues. Starbucks has marketed and atmosphere that makes the temporary passengers
taking temporary residence in their coffee shops, feel like they are at home.
I chose the back corner of the shop for my observing, considering it the most incognito
location. From there, I watched people come and go for one hour, and their way of interacting
with everything around them.
At the beginning, there were very few customers inside, maybe one or two, excluding me,
so I began by placing my focus on the baristas. At the time, there were three males, they looked
to be in their twenties, and I recognized them, from having personally come in countless times
previous. At the beginning, theyre not talking, and they seem to be really immersed in their
jobs, which I found odd, since there were no people coming in. This, I later found out, was due to
a phenomenon called online-ordering, which I had no ideas existed, until a few girls came in and
mentioned it. As time went on though, and the early winter night dawned on all of us, their
attitudes completely changed, and everything was more casual and fun. Soon, they all begin to
sing for no apparent reason, but just because they want to, just because they can. For some
reason, this really struck me. Perception is a funny thing and usually, society has a view of work
that is very negative, depicting any sort of labor for corporations as difficult or strenuous, but
this proved the opposite to me -- these three men were actually having f
un
. As well, they seemed
to carry themselves without anxiety or worry. Although their overall loose body language, turned
into a systematic one once the store began to get crowded, they remained very eased, and at all
times, respected the customer -- even in times of extreme frustration.
I liked it best when the locale was nearly empty, though, and one could just listen to
them talking as friends. They would have a personal handshake, which to me just signified
teamwork and friendship. Sometimes, when making relationships commercially, there is a
disconnect, but that wasnt the case with these men, as both the relationships between them,
and between them and the customers, felt real.
When speaking of the customers, and in regard to gender and age differences, there
werent many notable ones. In comparing gender, there were a lot more similarities than
differences, at which I was surprised. The only patterns I truly noticed were that for both
genders, behaviors tended to be similar, except women were more likely to come in with other
women, while this wasnt the case for men (they didnt come in groups of men), and men were
more likely to take their phones out and rely on technology some sort of way or be less conscious
of personal space. However, there were many more tangible differences when comparing age

ranges. For example, the young child acted different from the 20-somethings, which acted
differently from the middle aged male. In the young child, brought in by his mother, an
innocence, and a thirst for knowledge were observed. While in the elder categories, there seem
to be completely different motives: for the 20-somethings, going for coffee seemed to be mostly
social, and for the middle aged, the event was much more of a step in the daily routine,
something mundane, that could be easily done. In the case of females, there was a similar
pattern. As the age increased, it became less about the social aspects, and more about the
availability and coffee. But, why? In the world we live in, we are constantly rushing for time. As
we grow older, we may feel overwhelmed by all the responsibilities placed on us. I cant really
say for certain, but it seems that a lot is expected of the typical adult. What does that even
mean? What constitutes someone as an adult? Will I magically know everything and be a
different person at the age of 18? Is that what being an adult is? I feel like a lot of pressure is on
the shoulders of what we call adults, as they are human, and their older age doesnt make them
less so. I think this is a societal aspect that is important to point out, as usually, it is looked over
without question.
From my experience, I also gathered another very 21st-century truth: we use our phones
as escape mechanisms. To be honest, it seems that people will do anything but look at each other
as they wait. Thats why I believe so many just pull out their phone and use it as a crutch. I have
also been guilty of this in many awkward situations, and at times I was tempted to during the
process, so I understood. People would either come in, wait in line, and pull out their phone. Or,
perhaps, they would simply walk in already on their phones. Its incredible how technology has
affected our socializing. Where in the past, a silent coffee shop would feel awkward, it is now the
norm. People dont truly talk, despite all the on-going noise. In this observation, I also took
detail of what kind of people were taking out their cell phones most often. And, surprisingly, it
seemed to be men, which I didnt expect. I wonder if my studied sample was too small, or there
is actually some backup to my claim. Despite this, I was also surprised at how many people
rejected this now standard societal behavior, and were amicable whilst conversing with the staff.
A few women and men, usually older, came in already making conversation, which was
out-of-the-norm, but not in a bad way. The opposite of that, in fact, it was reassuring.
Finally, a certain group, who despite small, certainly stood out to me, managed to create
the most beautiful interaction I saw the whole day: couples. Now, yes, couples are cute or
adorable or any other word along those lines could be used to describe them. But, when put in
a room full of people, who just seem to be going along for the most part, seeing two people feel,
and talk, and just sit there is beautiful. Im at a loss for words to describe it. The first couple
walked in, and from the moment I saw them I just feel an energy about them. They spoke to each
other in spanish and their body language was soft and kind. They would wait for each other, and
he ordered and picked up their drinks. For most of my stay in the shop, they stay there, sat
down, drinking, and talking. I dont think I can remember a time where Ive just sat sitting there
for hours talking to someone. Then, a few other couples walked in. On line, they wrapped
themselves around each other, and its like they were by themselves. They seemed to be in a
world entirely of their own. I think its beautiful to observe such kind of love and happiness.
Overall, I discovered a Starbucks to be a very vibrant place, full of different kinds of
people. Some were angry, some were happy, some in love, some had problems, some were by

themselves, some with friends They were all different, and my outside view of them in now
way depicted each of their individual stories. Yet, every single one of the people I saw in the
coffee shop on November 2nd made an impact on me, and I didnt even know them. I truly never
thought that a Starbucks could be such a colorful place -- I had never pictured it that way, but
perhaps I just wasnt paying attention.