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Observation One WITH COMMENTS PDF
Observation One WITH COMMENTS PDF
Observation One WITH COMMENTS PDF
Mariel Butler
Observation One Thursday, September 5th, 2013 Time: 4:50PM-5:30PM Note: This observation took place around a lull in the majority of the staffs schedules for approximately 40 minutes. A majority of my observation time was spent in the break room of the salon. Some of the staff is grabbing dinner while others are working on clients. Description: The business is located in an old house in the historic district of Matthews, NC. The house is over a hundred years old, and was renovated to be a salon in the early 2000s. This salons environment gives a certain charm that is unmistakable from the minute the clients walk in. The front room holds the waiting room and the receptionists desk. The room is an open, warmly lit room with jewelry and hair products that clients can choose to browse if waiting for the appointment to start. To the left of the receptionists (Tiffany) desk holds a large room (at one time, a bedroom) that is now home to two stylists (Jenna and Kayla) chairs with two large mirrors mounted on perpendicular walls. Directly behind the receptionists desk is a hallway that leads to the break room, rest room, and three more stations (Heather, Kristi, and Mark) for stylists. Directly to the right of the receptionists desk is another hallway that leads to four more stations, the shampoo room, and the estheticians room (Terry). This salon offers hair services (such as cutting, coloring, straightening hair along with hair extension services,) and esthetician services (such as waxing, and facials). Figured World: A figured world is a community of people who share an environment and hold similar social expectations as well as exhibiting comparable social characteristics. While rules and conventions are very prevalent in this salon, due to its staff and small business feel the atmosphere is more relaxed than some other corporate salons might be. Humor and talking is encouraged (and in some cases, necessary for success), though respectful language and behavior is of course noted and demanded as well. Due to its small business state and local ownership, there are some more lax guidelines as far as disciplinary guidelines and actions. When stylists are assisting clients they are encouraged to engage in conversation and answer any questions or concerns that the client may harbor. While standards and rules are set, many conflicts between coworkers are solved with brief meetings with the owners as opposed to cosmetology write-ups. As with most work sites, there is a slight difference in behavioral expectations between the floor and the break room. For example, profanity and gossip, while never encouraged, is accepted if (and only if) inside the break room. By separating that type of behavior from the clientele, it provides a more professional environment and an open, judgment-free zone for clients who feel the need to talk to their stylists/estheticians. The receptionists guidelines for appropriate behavior are the same as that of the stylists, though some differences are pointed out due to the difference in position. Since the receptionist is dealing head on with the client and overseeing the trade, it is important that the receptionist follow the typical
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:26 AM Comment [2]: Describe the charm Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:26 AM Comment [3]: Delete unnecessary parenthetical notation
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:27 AM Comment [4]: Mention
colors
of
salon
to
paint
a
picture.
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:27 AM
Comment [5]: Delete
parenthesis,
keep
content
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:30 AM Comment [7]: Good distinction. Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:30 AM Comment [8]: STAHPPPPIT
Mariel Butler
customer
is
always
right
mindset
to
ensure
that
the
clienteles
needs
are
well
taken
care
of.
This
creates
happy
clients,
which
promotes
the
individual
stylists
and
the
business.
Actors:
Actors
are
participants
in
each
figured
world
who,
despite
individuality,
are
all
placed
in
the
same
environment.
Heather
Zaharapolous:
Senior
stylist
at
Fusions
salon
with
5
years
prior
experience
along
with
12
years
of
receptionist
experience.
She
is
a
recently
separated
mother
of
two
with
a
positive
outlook
on
life.
Very
light
hearted
and
is
the
largest
sense
of
comic
relief
in
the
salon
environment.
Tiffany
Aycock:
The
main
part-time
receptionist.
Only
been
employed
at
Fusions
for
about
3
months,
but
a
fast
learner
and
quickly
becoming
popular
with
the
clientele.
She
is
a
freshman
in
community
college,
so
she
commutes
to
school
and
juggles
her
work
schedule
with
her
school
schedule.
Jenna
Stiles:
Senior
stylist
at
the
salon
who
has
worked
there
for
approximately
four
years.
Has
one
of
the
largest
clienteles
out
of
the
staff
and
is
normally
double-booked,
open
to
close.
Former
Homecoming
Queen,
southern
belle,
and
all
around
nice
person
who
is,
ironically
enough,
not
happy
with
working
where
she
is.
Mark
Crooke:
New
stylist
at
the
salon
who
just
finished
up
training
with
the
senior
stylists.
He
is
building
his
clientele
and
normally
helps
out
around
the
salon
when
hes
not
busy
by
cleaning
off
the
product
shelves
or
sweeping
the
floors.
Kayla
Steele:
New
stylist
at
the
salon
with
a
small
clientele
that
was
brought
over
from
her
previous
work
location.
She
is
considered
the
oddball
of
the
group,
constantly
cracking
jokes
and
acting
silly.
Terry
Leonard:
The
one
and
only
esthetician
at
the
salon.
She
has
a
fairly
busy
schedule
and
is
constantly
doing
something
productive
at
the
salon,
whether
it
be
assisting
a
client,
or
cleaning
up
around
the
salon.
Nicole
Hammond:
Senior
stylist
at
the
salon
who
has
been
with
Fusions
for
10+
years.
Her
mother
is
one
of
the
owners.
Recently
moved
to
Charleston,
SC,
but
comes
back
to
Charlotte
every
five
weeks
for
one
week
to
work
at
Fusions.
She
was
considered
the
busiest
stylist
until
she
moved.
Kristi
Lippard:
One
of
the
medium
leveled
stylists
who
have
been
with
Fusions
for
roughly
two
years.
She
is
slowly
but
surely
building
up
a
steady
and
consistent
clientele.
She
is
very
friendly
and
talkative,
allowing
for
her
to
build
a
solid
relationship
with
each
client
she
meets.
Caitlyn
McTyre:
One
of
the
medium
leveled
stylists.
She
has
been
with
Fusions
for
a
little
over
six
months.
Her
aunt
is
one
of
the
owners.
She
is
funny
and
tends
to
indulge
herself
in
pranking
the
other
stylists/receptionists.
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:34 AM
Comment [9]: If
they
dont
appear
in
observations,
they
are
irrelevant.
Dont
need
these
actors.
If
not
in
observation,
you
can
just
include
name
and
count
out
the
description
of
the
actor.
Mariel Butler 9/13/13 10:33 AM Comment [11]: Who does she prank? Distinguish relationships between coworkers.
Mariel Butler
Tricia Griffin: One of the owners of the salon. She has been a cosmetologist for 15+ years and is very proud of her salon. Tina Downing: The other owner of the salon. She is not a licensed cosmetologist, but she handles the booking/paying of the girls. She loves the salon and the girls, despite her imminent retirement. Artifacts: Artifacts are normally either physical objects or emotions/metaphors, etc that pertain to the actors, whether individually or generally. They normally describe one or more of the actors and give clues to their individual behaviors. Shears: Many of the stylists own shears that they use to cut hair. While these are physical tools that are used throughout all salons, shears are an artifact for all the girls because they are the literal tools to their living. Smocks: The girls wear smocks to prevent getting color or any other material/liquid that could damage their clothing. Another meaning for them, however, could be that once the smocks are put on, the girls become not only a stylist to their client, but also a friend and confidant. Chair: Something about the stylists chair can make any quiet, shy client turn into a loud, gossiping fiend. There is a natural ambiguity that comes along with the chair, and many clients end up revealing incredibly personal experiences and struggles that they encounter in their life. Discourse Communities: These are groups that follow similar social patterns/habits inside the larger figured world. Authoritative Figures: Tricia, Tina, Nicole, Jenna. All of these listed actors are normally the ones who enforce rules/report any wrongdoings or misbehaviors. Smokers: Caitlyn, Jenna, Kristi, Mark. All of these listed actors are a community because they spend a majority of their time outside at the smoking table. Non-smokers: Tiffany, Terry, Heather, Kayla, Tricia, Tina. These actors are a community in the fact that while the smokers are outside, they spend more time alone with each other. Observation #1: 4:53PM- The staff is sitting in break room, and it is obvious that it is a lull in their schedules. The conversation is dull and brief. Most of them are catching up on magazines and checking social media. It is common for there to be lulls in conversation in the break room due to the excessive social aspect of their professions. Jenna begins to prepare for her next client by pulling and tearing foils, used for highlighting services.
Mariel Butler
4:59PM-Kristi joined the table from her station, as her client is processing under the heat lamps. All the staff is on their phone now, texting loved ones or scrolling through Facebook. 5:02PM- Kristi starts up the conversation about her weekend plans. She is going to a club, and the girls begin to ridicule her, saying shes too old to be clubbing. The conversation shortly moves to the club scene in Charlotte and people begin telling experiences that theyve had at clubs. Most of the stories involve close encounters with perverts and their efforts to escape from the clutches of creeps. 5:10PM- Terry brings up how one of the owners, Tricia, is at the beach for the week. This creates tension in the room, the girls obviously resenting her slightly for her vacation time and their lack thereof. 5:12PM- Terry begins to prepare for a waxing service and talks about the most recent receptionist, Dawn, who left the salon to move to Georgia about a month ago. The salon, Terry especially, feels more solemn since she has left, and Dawns absence is felt heavily throughout. 5:22PM-The conversation lulls a little bit and many of the girls are waiting in the break room for their clients to show up. A few of the girls have late clients, so they are slightly irritated. The receptionist talks about the John Mayer concert that she went to the night before. 5:27PM-Nicole, a stylist who is on a five-week rotation from Charleston to Charlotte, joins the break room and sits down. This is her first break of the day, so she catches up with the girls and they all hear about her newest adventures with her budding family. 5:31PM-Heather, who was monopolizing a big part of the conversation with Nicole, is told that her client is here. She leaves the break room. 5:33PM- Observation ends with the girls talking about one of the former stylists of Fusions, who recently left to start her own business. Apparently, she has been contacting clients of Fusions to see if theyd rather visit her salon, which upsets the girls at the salon. They feel betrayed and angry. Observation #2: September 10th, 2013 5:30PM-6:00PM 5:30PM- The observation starts out with the girls talking about the recent developments in the salon. The salon was recently sold to Tricias sister. This is causing a huge shift in salon policies and is making a lot of the stylists uneasy with their future at the salon. Most of the salon talk is revolving around the recent sale. 5:42PM-Tina (one of the now former owners) walks into the break room and the conversation ceases. She is not happy with the sale of the salon but she prefers it to go into the hands of someone else than not be well taken care of due to her nearing retirement.
Mariel Butler
5:43PM-Tina and Terry begin to mess around about a problem client earlier on. Kristi and Mark are sitting at the table talking about their weekend plans, and how they are planning on getting together to go to a bar. Kristis mom is sitting in the break room as well, with her hair color processing while she talks with the other stylists. They begin to inquire about pitching in to order in some dinner. 5:47PM- Tina walks back up to assist Tiffany at the front while Terry prepares for her next waxing client. Kristi, her mother, and Mark stay in the break room folding towels while the rest of the girls assist clients. 5:52PM-Tiffany comes back into the break room asking Mark about a concerned client who is on the phone. He goes up to the desk to work this client into his schedule. 5:55PM-The girls decide on ordering Jetts Pizza, a pizza place close to the salon. They all split the tab and collect their tip money to pay for it. 5:58PM-Kristi calls in the order for the pizza. Observation #3: Note: This observation was remembered from a night in July, due to my inability to travel back to Matthews for the observation. This was the last night of my employment before I left the salon for the summer. July, 2013 5:00PM-6:30PM 5:00PM- One of my coworkers, Jenna, is having difficulty with a trouble client who is not happy with her hair color. After rinsing and blow-drying her hair, she is asking for a different tone to her hair color. This causes a slight bit of panic for Jenna, as her schedule is booked back to back. 5:12PM- Another one of the stylists helps out Jenna by assisting her instead of enjoying her break between clients. They begin to mix a new formula of color for her hair. 5:21PM- The client comes up to the desk before Jenna puts the color on and demands a refund. This puts myself, the front-desk, in a predicament as my bosses have left for today. I go back to the room to consult Jenna and see what she thinks about the discount. 5:27PM- Jenna agrees to discount the service twenty percent in order to console the upset client. She then begins to put the color on her hair. Interview: The following interview was conducted with three different employees of my location. 1) Tell me about the community of the staff here at this business. Tiffany: Theyre crazy but fun. A fun, crazy hard-working group of people that I love to work with.
Mariel Butler
Heather: I feel that we are like sister in a way where we can get along, and fight and have bitchy moments. Kristi: Psychotic. Laughs just kidding. Spontaneous. What else are we? I would say were like a family. We get along and we hate each other but we all work together. 2) What is your main motivation to better this business? Tiffany: To work hard to make the clients visit better. To be friendly and perky, and meet all of their needs and wants (unfortunately) laughs, just kidding. Heather: I want the world to be a more beautiful face, and to make this salon one of the most popular salons in the CLT area. Kristi: Money. To be successful and have pride in my work. 3) If you were a client here, what would you expect to get out of this business? Tiffany: I would expect to leave with my hair just the way I wanted it, and have a good impression of the people who work here. Heather: I would expect a highly qualified staff, friendly faces, professionalism. Kristi: Great hairstyle, fun atmosphere, and friendly hospitality. 4) If you could pick one symbol to represent your position at this business, what would it be and why? Tiffany: A smile because it makes everyones day better when you are greeted with a smile. As a receptionist, this is important. Heather: Light-heartedness. To be able to provide a comic relief for stressed out coworkers. Kristi: Glue. To hold the salon together. 5) If you could describe the atmosphere of the salon without any bias, what would you say about it? (from the perspective of a first time client) Tiffany: A homey feel, with a fun atmosphere. Heather: The atmosphere is very family oriented. Warm, family style of a business. Kristi: Homey with the homies. Laughs. Its very homey.