Importance Of Social And Cultural Observation On Starbucks

The observation that I conducted for this assignment was taken place at the Starbucks on the corner of Laurier and O’Conner street in the financial district of Ottawa. The location contributes largely to the social and cultural setting and the changes that occur within the environment throughout the day. The first observation was taken place in the morning, roughly around 8 am, while the second observation was held in the evening, approximately 5:30 pm. Through these observations, it was evident that the social and cultural meanings within this Starbucks location changed over the course of the day.

The location of the Starbucks can be considered an important determining factor when considering the volume of people coming in during the morning and evening. When considering the setting in terms of seating, there is a notably limited amount of tables and chairs within this location. This Starbucks is tactfully placed in a general business area, so the assumption can be drawn that the lack of seating is indicative that most people use the location to simply get a coffee to go. The setting is enhanced in a relaxing way by the type of music that is played. Straying from the conventional instrumental music playing at most coffee shops, Starbucks plays calm

Many individuals came to order but did not stay, as most carried on in what was an evident rush. There was a high volume of people in the morning, consisting of a line up containing roughly around 12 people. Most of these customers are business professionals which can be noted by their attire. The people in line were often unaccompanied and were constantly on their phones. The people who did stay, however, conversed strictly of work. The number of staff was heavily increased than in the evening and they were working at a fast pace by comparison. It was notable that more men were sitting down than women. However, the men to women ratio were fairly