Qualitative Methods in Social Science Summative Assignment, 2015
7 May 2015
Lifeworld Goes “Glocal”
—An Ethnographic Snapshot in a Global Coffee Chain in UK
Introduction
It is estimated that British people consume approximately 70 million cups of coffee per day (Mintel Coffee UK Report, 2014). Coffeeshop society, however, is something that many of us as customers and/or social theorists take for granted (Laurier, 2001). As coffee chains become prosperous all over the world, they are places where we are not simply served beverages but are also in some way “partaking of a specific form of public life (Laurier, 2001)”, especially in a context of a globalised world. For this essay, I spent some time inside a global-chain coffeeshop (which was originally based in USA) covertly observing the whole setting of the venue and the behaviours of consumers. By going a “glocal” perspective, I will try to analysis how British consumers react to this american-culture based public place and try to discover the reasons behind those behaviours.
Method
Observation is a fundamental part of social life and is critical to many forms of social interaction and work. This essay uses covert observation as a main
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There were three costumers in line in front of me. Behind the counter a male barista was to serve customers, and two female baristas were busy making beverages. When finally it was my turn, I ordered a “venti” (which the coffeeshop called as “large” size) iced caramel macchiato. The friendly barista swiftly grabbed a transparent plastic cup and wrote “icm” on it, which I assumed was an abbreviated term of my order. He kept smiling and asked “Can I have your names, please, sir?”. I told him my name and I was surprised to see he politely asked me whether my name started with “C” or “K”. While I was waiting for my order, I looked around and checked the all settings and surroundings of the coffee