Starbucks Tea Time

After purchasing a drink I settled down to the left of the shop just by the window from this location, I observed several rituals through watching interactions and general behavior. My vantage point of view proved useful in the first trip so it was used for observation in subsequent visits as well. I also obtained information by interviewing an informant. The informant is an employee at the coffee shop: a barista who works mainly in the morning shift. The barista has been an employee at this particular Starbucks for three months. According to the informant, having been on duty during the early morning rush has provided sufficient material, which they have used to observe customer behavior, maybe for business strategy.

For this assignment, I decided to observe people’s interaction in Starbucks at level one of the Indiana Memorial Union (IMU), Indiana University. Starbucks is one of America’s coffee companies and coffee shop chains. Starbucks sells handcrafted coffee, tea, snacks and many more beverages. I decided to go to do my observation at Starbucks instead of other coffee shops because in my opinion, Starbucks is one of the famous coffee shops among Americans—so more people will come there to buy coffee, to hang out with their friends or even just to warm themselves up from the cold weather. Because of that, I went to observe students and other people who are in Starbucks at IMU. At this Starbucks, there is a stage at the back of the coffee shop for people to make performance and in between of the stage and the counter, there are lots of tables and chairs for customers to sit down.

Coffee brews under a drip of scalding water, beans grind in the gears of a metal mechanism set atop the bar, and the chatter of patrons syncs with the sound of steaming milk in each Starbucks cafe chain. Like most cafes, the aroma of Arabica overwhelms all others, natural light shines in through the windows to touch the wooden tables, and the murmurs of conversations can be heard throughout the edifice. However, whereas the plebeian palate that feigns good taste finds pleasure in drinking coffee in its most basic form so that the true flavors of the drink might be relished, the rising youth of our post-modern society realize that coffee is best prepared when the taste of the bean is overwhelmed by various artificial flavors and sugars—undoubtedly cancerous but utterly unimportant. These developing connoisseurs of high society, with all their charm and intelligence, make it clear that Starbucks is the only cafe from which anyone who is anyone must buy one’s coffee. Starbucks, truly a place for the cultural and coffee elite, consistently attracts three intriguingly eccentric and completely loyal customers of both sharp wit and fine intellect: the female Women’s Studies major, the flagrant homosexual male, and the out-of-place conservative.

I decided to use Starbucks as the site for my naturalistic observation assignment. Starbucks is an American coffee house chain that is well known for its relaxing atmosphere and delicious coffee drinks. Today is Labor day and because it is a holiday, I expect to see several people commuting back home from their vacations. As I entered the Starbucks in Palm Springs, just as I expected, it was full of people getting their coffees for the long drive ahead of them. The people are mostly young men and women in tank tops and shorts due to the hot weather. Since it is 11:30 in the morning, everyone appears to be in a rush to get on the road. As I sat longer, a couple sitting in the corner caught my attention. They seem to be in no rush and look like

Seeing all the taxis bustling by becomes overwhelming in a place unknown to me. Experiencing California first hand in Starbucks made me realize my dreams were possible. One day, my sister and I stopped by the Starbucks right across from our hotel. When I entered, I felt right at home. I ordered a sandwich and salt and vinegar potato chips along with a drink. When I picked up my strawberry drink, it’s cold to the touch. I can feel the evaporation from the cold drink seeping through the clear plastic cup. I take a sip and the creamy liquid soothes my throat on this very hot day. While I’m eating, I hear the baristas taking orders from customers. All around me there are people sitting on chairs reading the newspaper, hanging around with friends and family or just chilling doing work on their computers. The atmosphere of Starbucks is so light and fun to be in. As I’m sitting, the breeze blows by calming my soul. It’s days like these that I cherish the small things in life like visiting California. The culture in California is different than any state I’ve visited before.

Raine writes about her time as a barista for Starbucks, and how it was the most demanding jobs Raine ever worked. Raine describes how Starbucks uses an assembly line style to move customers down the

It was a cold morning in January, but the sun was shining bright as Grace walked up to her favorite bakery. She had just come from church and was looking forward to sitting and relaxing over a cup of coffee and a warm muffin before she met with her lawyer this afternoon. The bell above the door jingled and the heat of the bakery warmed her face, welcoming her into the cozy atmosphere it provided.

Entering my local Tim Horton’s coffee shop on a chilly November morning my attention made eye contact with the smiling, friendly server who greeted me, "Good Morning Sir, what can I get you today?" Basking in the fresh aromatic bouquet floral, fruit-like roast coffee, my selection became so obvious to me, “ a large, double-double of your dark roast coffee please.” My senses of inner warmth and comfort were triggered by the anticipation of sipping that very brew.

“This has been a coffee shop since the 80’s,” Laura, the owner for the past six years said. At 12:30 on a Thursday afternoon there is a short line when walking into the restaurant through the tall propped open doors. There is an overwhelming feeling of family from standing in the line until you leave. Standing in the line there is a large chalkboard menu overhead categorized into numerous sections of drinks and light meals. The categories are written neatly in white chalk, and the items in each category in a smaller

The parking lot, store entrance and the store interior were all clean and orderly. There were not any loose carts in the parking lot. I like starting to shop with things clean and orderly. The men’s restroom was also was great looking. It was clean with plenty of supplies for customers and there was that clean fresh sent in the air. I met Marco in the bread aisle and asked him where I could find a product. He was friendly and took me over to another aisle where he pointed out the item on a shelf. The produce department was well stocked and tended. Bakery department merchandise look as it all had just been made for me. Meat department meats were red and fresh in appearance. The Deli department was a vast array of products with that tasty fresh

A gust of cool air refreshed my face as my nostrils embraced the friendly, mellow aroma of roasted coffee beans. I stopped, hoping to find solace in the comforting fragrance, but my mind remained tense, even though Frappucinos were half-off. Part of the reason was that it was AP Week. Instead of reciting the factors that influence supply and demand or pondering what to order, I spent the three-minute walk from my house to Starbucks deliberating whether I should go as Sarah, Serena, or something else.

I decided to do my off-campus observation at Starbucks in Schiller Park. I sat at Starbucks for about thirty-five minutes and I observed the actions of the people around me. The relationships that I saw were friends, collogues, families, couples. Overall, I saw a fairly young crowd at this Starbucks location, people from ages 16-50. As I entered the coffee shop there were plants that were set up by the entrances. There was a huge food and drink counter at the right side of the shop. Behind the counter, there is a long table full of different electronic devices along the wall. The colors and shapes of the food, donuts, bread, and muffin. Beside the food and drink area, there is an area filled with tables, chairs, high

Starbucks: clean, quick, brewed now to your customer order specifications, facility has comfortable sitting area

As a distractible person, I find myself doing my work in the small cubbyholes of Starbucks stores. Amongst, the unlimited supply of caffeinated drinks, and the white-noise generated by the mélange of indistinguishable conversation, sounds of espresso machines, and crappy jazz, I find it easier to focus in a Starbucks lobby. When you spend inordinate amounts of time in Starbucks you pickup on the unique social dynamics of a place which attracts salesmen, snobs, and students alike.

We live in a fast paced, to-go world. We go to coffee shops and order a tall, grande, small, large, jumbo; we order blended, skinny, with or without tapioca. There are coffee shops at every street corner it seems, and which one to choose can be a daunting task. Here in Houston I have found three favorites, one of which is a chain, the other two which are smaller and more local: Starbucks, Dirks (formally Dietrich 's,) and Fioza. Starbucks, a nationwide chain with hours varying, offers a semi-quaint setting, a plethora of coffees, teas, and snacks, and usually pretty fast service for their customers. Unfortunately, Starbucks also offers high prices and long lines (if you happen to be the poor soul who arrives at just the right time.) The choices are many, and the ambiance affords space for Wi-Fi hot spot and comfy chairs for chit-chat with friends. Dirks, formally known as Dietrich 's, is an alternative to Starbucks with comparable prices. Dirks has two locations in midtown. While Dirks has a smaller menu and less seating, their boheme flair makes up for what they lack. Their staff is fun; the environment is more than appropriate for meeting up with friends, enjoying the weather on the patio and outside seating, or relaxing inside with a copy of any of their free publications (The Houston Press, Leisure Learning, Indigo Sun, Natural Awakenings, and more!) Lastly is a small, less well known coffee/tea shop in the Meyerland area called "Fioza." Fioza is centrally located on