Friday March 25, 2011
8:30-10:30pm
Quantitative
Totals for the evening:
Order drink to go: ? (I wasn’t in a good place to view this)
On Computer: 27
Reading book/ doing homework: 15 (defined as having book and/or spiral and pencil)
Working with computer and book: 4
Visiting: 9 (some of these appeared to have the intention of studying)
Main goal to eat: 9 (these people read a book or used their computer until food arrived. Then they ate and left)
Eating and visiting: 2 (they were eating but that did not appear to be the main goal based on how long they stuck around afterwards)
Playing cards: 4
The front part of the place seemed to be more popular than the back. I sat in the back, so I didn’t have the best view of the front.
Qualitative
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| Image taken from their Facebook Page |
I started out in the middle area where I sat for the first few weeks, but then I moved to an available outlet when I spotted one. Then I was in the spot at the very back of the coffee shop next to the back exit where I’ve been sitting the last few weeks. I couldn’t see the front very easily. I also wasn’t in the best spot to watch a great number of people without looking obvious.
The Employees
I didn’t recognize the employees (one guy and one girl) this time. One guy kept getting the girl to do all the work while he worked the register. The girl complained openly about how she shouldn’t be doing it because she was sick. I gave her a concerned look because she was saying this as she made my java shake. Then she quickly said, “I’m not sick. I’m just sick of him.” Hmm…
The customers
With this being the seventh week, I’d say most of the patterns in the space have been documented. While I did see four people playing cards again, which I have only seen twice, the typical reasons for coming to Sweet Eugene’s seem to be for studying and working in groups. A few come to visit and even a few for the soul purpose of eating, but the great majority that I see – at least in the evenings – are doing some type of school work.
The general patterns for people coming in fall into two main categories. They come in, head for the front to order and then seek out a seat or they come in, stake out their seat by putting their bags down and then go order. Typically people with computers first seek out tables along the walls where the outlets are and a lot of people check out the back room with all the Mona Lisa paintings first.
It’s not unusual for people to clean off a table so they can sit there, and once a dirty dish appears on a table, the table tends to become the designated dirty dishes table until an employee comes around to clean. I’d estimate that about half of the customers take their dishes to the front while the others either leave them on their table or move them to the “designated dirty dishes table.” My estimation is just that: an estimation. I haven’t been collecting quantitative data on that though it would be worthwhile in future studies.
Typically the place is quiet enough that no one seems bothered. That’s not to say that there isn’t noise. People visiting and working in groups talk a lot, but it’s not very often that the noise gets so loud as to distract/bother people.
In general most people respect the rule of not bringing in outside food though I have noticed a few groups over the weeks that have brought in a drink or Chick-fil-A. And typically every person that comes in buys something – usually it’s a drink.
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