1. This week I went to Chick-fil-A to see what trends I could observe. I was not disappointed. I sat near the counter so I could observe the way people ordered. I saw about 20 people order and what I saw was that about 15 of the 20 hung back and looked at the overhead menu before going up to the cashier to order. The reason for this is presumably because people are unsure of what they want to order or are checking for other options in case they forgot about something on the menu. The other five people I witnessed who are the anomaly in this case walked directly to the counter to order. I believe these people to have their order fixed in their minds or are craving what they order and don't want to piddle with other menu items. Perhaps these people have their go-to meals and don't want to deviate from what they like. A random observation was that there was no rhyme or reason to who asked for sauces. Both those who hung back to peruse the menu and those who didn't asked for sauces in the majority. About 9 of the 15 who did hang back, and 3 of the 5 who didn't.
2. On Monday I went to a roadside vegetable seller on Roswell Road to see how people chose their produce. I saw 11 people brave the late afternoon summer heat of a Georgia day, but 9 of them picked up several different vegetables of the same type of vegetable before making their selection. For instance, the first tomato picked up was not the one eventually selected. Presumably these people were comparing the different vegetables and going for the best looking or biggest looking one before making their purchase. The anomaly in this group were the two who did not compare vegetables and simply put the first vegetable they touched into their basket. I think this could be apathy or perhaps a fear of being perceived as touching and contaminating more vegetables than necessary. A random observation from this experience was the trend noticed here was not particular to any particular kind of vegetable. Corn, tomatoes, lettuce, squash - those that compared did so with all of them. It wasn't as if people were comparing tomatoes but were content with whatever ear of corn they picked up.
3. A little short on ideas of where I could go to observe some trends, I had a hunch that people at Publix might behave similarly to those at the vegetable tent when selecting something. But rather than vegetables, I stood and observed from the cheese section where patrons can get nice bleu, parmesan, goat, or other types of gourmet cheese. Rather than picking up feeling for size and color as seemed to be the case at the vegetable stand, the factor here that kept people picking up different cheeses was presumably the price on the bottom of the cheeses. As with the vegetables, however, only one of the five people I observed selected a cheese without looking at the price tag on the bottom. All the others at least looked, and three of them put back the first cheese they picked up in search of another cheese. It makes sense that someone would search for a cheaper cheese when the size and color are marginally different or noticeable. Like the tomatoes, there was no cheese in particular that people behaved differently towards - no matter what type, the people checked for lesser priced alternatives. However, in the case of cheese, when people seemed to be put off by the price of one cheese, the next item they picked up wasn't always a cheese of the same type which indicates that they were content to select another type of cheese if it were cheaper. I found this interesting as it wasn't the case in the vegetable stand - it's not as if people were selecting tomatoes and then just picked up a radish instead because it was cheaper. I think this behavior is due to the fact that cheese as a product is more easily interchangeable with regards to needs, cravings, or recipes perhaps than are vegetables.
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