Final-Final Experiment Plan, Post-Experimentation

After going to the mall to execute the first part of my experiment, I realized that I misjudged the best location in which to conduct my experiment. At first, I chose to conduct my experiment in large department stores like Nordstroms because they're notorious for having snooty airs about them, and I've personally had experiences being profiled for social class in it. However, when I went to the mall dressed in my regular clothes, representing the middle class, I was virtually invisible in the hustle and bustle of those large stores. Although that is the response expected from dressing like a regular mall patron, I realized that forcing the employees to interact with me is the only way to get a response every time I go "shopping." For that reason, I will only be going to small, upscale stores for the remainder of my experiment.

Dressed representing the middle class, I went into Aritzia and Coach. Upon entering I was spoken to immediately, greeted with slightly-forced smiles and "hi, how are you today?"s from employees within each store. after they greeted me, they didn't pay me much attention until I left, when "have a nice day!"s were exchanged. This was the response that I was expecting to get: respectful acknowledgment, but no special attention. Actually going to the mall made me realize that my experiment will yield better results in smaller stores because the employees are forced to be personable when they are at a closer range, while shoppers are more likely to be lost in the shuffle at larger stores. Though it's slightly scary to know that I will definitely be interacting with the employees of the stores I go in when I'm disguised, I know this will allow for better results in my experiment.

F.Y.I.

Since I'm not going to be able to get to the mall until this weekend and it was okay-ed in class to push off your blog if your research involves going to a specific place, I will be blogging after this weekend. Stay tuned!