Toys R Us and my wrap up.

What better place to put myself in then in the midst of crazy shoppers and parents determined to check off their children's list. Toys R Us was where I chose to do my final research, being known as a "kid's dream land" I was interested in seeing how these costumers would deal with a teenager. As I began my project I was shocked and a little confuse at how to react to some of the reactions the employees gave me. Knowing that this was one of their busiest times of year I wasn't surprised to see double the amount of workers out on the floor. As I walked in it took awhile to actually have someone come up to me. Finally I was greeted by someone who automatically asked if I was looking for a list of toys that I guess they had popular for teens. I followed him, after he left I began walking around and again was greeted by another worker but definitely with a different reaction. Realizing after that I had been by the baby section the woman treated me as if I were a teen mom, it was possibly one of the most awkward moment of my life. I stayed a little bit later and finally left with two very different reactions that where quite surprising.

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The wrap up of this project was both surprising yet a little predictable. Putting myself into three different locations I was given various reactions. Although I have visited these three stores, I was a little taken back by the treatment I never payed attention to. Ageism was definitely present with all reactions I was given. It did upset me a little at how Neiman Marcus thought I was shopping for my mom and Toys R Us thought I was a teen mom but it was a big eye opener. I was finally given a small dose of what ageism really feels like and how present it is today even to the younger generation.Forever 21 should me how age restricted the workers where trained to be when it came to their costumers. This also was true for Neiman Marcus, I almost felt uncomfortable being their because of how much of an outsider the older workers treated me as. Finally Toys R Us definitely showed me how ageism has grown today, with so much talk about teenagers becoming mothers I think it is affecting more then ust those teens that are now called "mom". Ageism holds so much hurtful and unneeded treatment towards people, being put as the victim, I myself so only a small portion of what it feels like and it was scary.  Overall the experiment was worth doing at the end of the day for me.

Neiman Marcus!

So last wednesday I went to Neiman Marcus right after school. Although I went with my mom I didn't want to enter the store with her just in case that affected my results. So as I walked into the entrance not one worker was in sight. I became part of a group of costumers that consisted of all elderly women and a few men. Many of the workers where really on the floor interacting with shoppers but as soon as I made my way by a group of employees all I received was stares and heard one of them whisper as I walked by "Are schools already out? Or is she just buying presents?" I was a little thrown back at this side remark only because of the fact that that one person only thought that I was there for those reasons, and still being noticed by them not one came up to me. As I was about to start heading to the door a woman came up to me and asked if I was buying for my mother and if I needed help with what to get her...really? Being at this store for this long thats all I got? Ageism I think really struck me at this store because of the age grouping they tend to focus on. It was definitely surprising to realize things i have probably been facing for awhile. The outcome of this store compared to last week's definitely changed and is bringing many curious hypothesis' for my next store visit.

Step one, complete

On Friday I finally started my project at the mall. I went to a very teen oriented store, Forever 21, to see what reactions I would get from the workers. Before I went in I saw that it was pretty crowded so I kept that in consideration, but what for. As soon as I stepped in the store a worker automatically greeted me, but what was more interesting was that a younger girl and her mom walked in before me and, spotted by the worker, weren't greeted...interesting. I realized so many little things I use to categorize as normal within the behavior of worker to costumer and specifically targeted costumers. Since I got such a quick reaction I'm interested to see how the following store will compare!

So here is the plan...

I am really excited to finally start the project! This weekend I will be going to the mall and stopping at Forever 21 and that will be my first step of viewing ageism from a different perspective. I also decided to go to Neiman Marcus next week right after school when it is less crowded and mostly filled with older shoppers. Next will be the Apple Store which I plan to visit either early Friday evening or Saturday morning when the teenagers aren't primarily inside. I have saved Toys R Us for last because with the big holiday coming up I know it will be getting busier as it approaches usually with moms on a mission to check off their kids christmas list, and I think because of this it may change the reaction I will receive. I'm anxious to see what different types of attention I get in these stores and share it with you!

My Final Project Over View

For my final project on ageism I have decided to go with the project I had posted about earlier. This project will include me going to different types of stores including Toys R US, Forever 21, Neiman Marcus, and Apple. I have chosen these four stores because each target a different age group. The timing of my experiment in each will vary for Toys R Us I will be waiting till it get closer to the holidays due to the fact that their biggest product genre of toys will be the most wanted. I will be going to Forever 21 during the weekend at night when teens usually tend to go to the stores. At Neiman Marcus I will probably wait to go early during the week days when elderly shoppers go. And finally I will be going to the Apple store at any given time because it usually is crowded 24/7. The reason I have chosen to do this experiment is to witness ageism in our everyday life and to become a victim of it in a very low circumstance. I will be taking my phone to keep data so that it doesn't raise any suspicion. Hopefully all goes well!

the start of something new

For the upcoming project in Sociology I am going to see how my topic of ageism occurs in our everyday lives. Although I have mostly talked about how ageism affects the working field, now I am going to be primarily focusing on how it affects everyone throughout their daily lives. I will be putting myself as the victim to see how I am treated in various stores ranging from stores that appeal more to the older crowd to stores that appeal to children. Being that shopping is something we, especially as women, tend to do a lot I think it will be interesting to see how I will encounter ageism, and the various tales it will hold.

Yesterday I had a doctors appointment and while I was waiting a woman around her late 30's early 40's came in for an appointment as well. While we both sat in the waiting room she was called and a woman within her early 20's came out in her scrubs and clipboard. The patient hesitantly stood up and went to the office window. As the nurse stood there I heard the woman ask for another nurse because being that she is not a child she would like a more upper level nurse assisting her. Annoyed the secretary couldn't do much but just shake her head and asked her to wait. Whispering under her breath the secretary told the nurse to take me. As she called my name I could here her voice shaking and quiet. I stood up, and as I passed the woman I of course gave her one of the "looks" that women across the globe have excelled in accomplishing. Once I got into the room I couldn't help but address the situation. She began telling me that this was her first job but not her first insult, she never thought people would be so picky when it came to age in a health office. She continued talking about how her college professor warned them in a joking matter about this but I just stood there in disbelief. How can people be so rude to do something like this especially to someone that holds the future? Once she finished with her tests she walked out and thanked me for my understanding and hoped that she performed her tasks as i had hoped. Once she walked out I staid baffled at the fact that this young woman, who performed like any other nurse I have ever had, had just been belittled of her abilities. If only the woman in the waiting room did not read a book by its cover she would have had the opportunity to meet such a skilled professional.