Short Essay #3 Shiffrin

Taylor Shiffrin

WRIT 1133

Short Essay #3

 I am fond of cooking my own meals and therefore I often shop for my ingredients at the conveniently located Safeway on Evans which just down the street from DU. Naturally I shop at this Safeway for its convince however I elected to pick up my groceries at two different grocery retailers in order to take note and compare my observations between the two for this Short Essay. The first store that I observed was the Whole Foods market next to the Cherry Creek mall near downtown Denver. The second store I spent time in was a Wal-Mart located in the upper Vail Valley. I chose to gather observational research on these two different supermarkets for multiple reasons one of which being that it would provide me more material to analyze and compare and the second of which being that I actually had to shop for groceries myself. Thus I was able to kill two birds with one stone and further more I was able to relate and compare my observations to my own personal buying habits. This comparison allowed me to consider certain aspects of persons shopping habits that I would have otherwise overlooked.

            While visiting the Whole Foods market in Cheery Creek I did not make many observations at first due to the fact that I myself was shopping and therein more focused on the products I needed to restock for my kitchen. However after a little while I stopped watching the racks of food and started watching the people in the store. I took out my phone and quickly jotted down as I began to observe patterns arise. For instance I noted that for the most part the demographics of those who were shopping consisted of middle-aged, Caucasian women who appeared to be between the ages of 25 years old to 50 years old, airing on the younger side. In addition it became apparent that nearly everyone in the store was in relatively fit condition and were wearing very athletic attire or higher-end outfits that accentuated one’s physical features. More often than not the clientele were alone though there were a few who brought an infant along. The behavior of those shopping could most readily be described as determined, purposeful, and attentive. Most individuals had a certain intangible air about the way they were walking suggesting this was a task that needed to be completed but in a timely, yet high quality manner. In line with this behavior the amount and quality of the food purchased were high in quality and low in quantity. Hand baskets were often filled with fresh fruits, organic dairies, and whole-wheat carbohydrates.  The setting of the store implied that no expense was spared in creating an exceptionally appealing atmosphere for the shopper considering it was in fact just a grocery store. The shelves on which the products sat were constructed of high quality wood and stainless steel racks. The music playing softly in the background was of the type you might hear in an elevator on the way to a business meeting or in a hotel lobby. Lastly while I was checking out I noticed that those who were checking out would glance at a fitness magazine briefly while the cashier was scanning their items and perhaps pick up a packet of gum. As well as that the only payment method I saw was a credit card swiped rapidly through the electronic scanner in a rush to leave the store and attend the next item on their daily checklist. It may also be important to mention that I was in the store from around 5:00 to 6:30 and there was a wave of shoppers that arrived at approximately 5:45. From this researched observation I have gathered I can make an assumed conclusion that the culture surrounding Whole Foods market is dominated by middle to upper class families who are able to afford the costs of more delectable foods. This conclusion is quite different than the one I have arrived at for my second field observation in food culture.

            As I mentioned earlier the other store is gathered information on was a    Wal-Mart in the upper Vail Valley and is located next to a Home Depot. The notable demographics of this Wal-Mart were stereotypically Latino. The most common patrons that I found were Hispanic women between the ages of 35 years old and 55 years old. It was very common to see these women accompanied by multiple children whom ranged from the ages of 3 through 18 to the best of my estimating abilities. The physical makeup of these women generally was shorter in height, slightly over weight to morbidly obese, and attire that was likely bought in that very same Wal-Mart. These are not meant to be judgmental nor insulting in any manner, they are simply the observations that I noted during that specific period of on the specific day.  As for the behavior, I recognized that many of the shoppers appeared as if they felt overburdened by the task of picking up the groceries. Slow meandering movements that gave off the feeling that they were in no hurry. Frequently comparing the prices of two different brands of the same product. Another significant difference was that large shopping carts were overflowing with what would be considered less healthy food. For instance excessive amounts of cheap white starches and processed carbohydrates along with a verity of beans and rice filled the cart to the brim. Likewise the setting of the food produce in Wal-Mart was comprised of cheap plastic and metal sheathings and racks that blatantly scream the intention of cutting costs. In comparison to the checkout line in Whole Foods I perceived that while the cashier was scanning the mountain of products, the shoppers would casually read a popular paparazzi magazine such as People or US. Also I paid attention to the method of payments used which often incorporated many forms of payment from cash, to check, to gift card, to credit card and almost always including some type of coupon or discount code. Finally I took note that it was later in the evening with the clock approaching 8:00 pm.  

            Having made all these observations on my own I was inclined to interpret them in a manner that is biased towards my predisposed opinions and views on each culture. For instance I would make the analysis that since Whole Foods boasts their high quality organic foods and that automatically places an assumption in my mind that they are targeting those who are more well of financially because such high quality food is more expensive. Also I would note that Wal-Mart has a well known slogan of “lowest price guaranteed.” Simply based on that knowledge I am inclined to believe that the foods and produce offered in a Wal-Mart are of a lesser quality. Now, this is true to an extent because in order to offer such a low price the food by nature will not be able to be as high a quality as Whole Foods. To try to analyze the observations I made I used several outside sources to further sculpt my description of these two food cultures. This was an article on shopping habits published by Cengage Learning. http://0-go.galegroup.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CA307920527&v=2.1&u=udenver&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1

 After gathering all of the above mentioned information I am able to conclude that Whole Foods indeed markets to a higher status clientele than those shopping at Wal-Mart. However most women shop at Wal-Mart for the low prices and sales offered. These article did bring to my attention that I noticed more people shopping in Wal-Mart than in Whole Foods. I presume that the reason this was not obvious to me at first is due to the fact that Whole Foods deals exclusively in food produce and is a smaller store in terms of physical square footage. Contrasting these factors with the fact that Wal-Mart both offers a wide selection of products in addition to Wal-Mart having store with all around more square footage makes me think that the proportion of the size of each store deceived me into thinking that an equal number of people shop at each of them.