Starbucks Observation Paper

Plan of Study
The plan for this study was to observe the patrons of Starbucks of Ocean Township. I have a history as a customer of Starbucks but had only patronized this particular Starbucks twice within the last 9 months. I had assumptions of who might be patronizing the store, how the baristas might behave, and that these considerations were factors that might affect the trustworthiness of my data analysis. I planned to situate myself in an unobtrusive location where I would be able to blend into the environment and observe individuals and groups while listening to their discourse. I planned to observe and collect empirical data including sights (images), sounds, and narrative, documenting my data in field notes at the time of observation.

The interior of the business is styled with dark woods, and autumn hues, with forest green as the dominant color, similar to the Starbucks logo. Pictures in frames decorate open wall space, and a large chalkboard advertising today’s specials occupies the wall to the left of the pick-up counter. The store is well lit. Three sides of the building have undressed glass windows that do not open, span three quarters of the wall and show views of Route 35 and WPA. The interior wall facing parallel to WPA is adorned with large books shelves filled with both edible and non-edible products. The cold case situated to the right of the check out counter is stocked with fresh comfort food, cakes, and beverages. There are two small areas, one in the northwest corner of the building, and the other in the southwest corner, both with low lights, and close, comfortable pub chair seating, that give a feeling of an intimate space. When entering the store from the WPA entrance, the condiment station is located to the left, the pick-up counter is situated approximately 10 feet away in front of you, the waiting line is to the right, and the ordering area is set back to the right, in the center of the