The following is an ethnography and analysis of a local Starbucks. It was done in response to a homework assignment. The location of the Starbucks was omitted for my own reasons.
We Are Watching You, Signed Starbucks
The following observations were made at the Starbucks on [redacted] and
[redacted]. With regard to the clerks: their uniforms were nearly identical in color and
style. Each clerk wore a black hat with a Starbucks logo, a black, collared shirt, and a
green apron. Females usually wore their hair in pony-tales while the males had short,
shaved hair. Above and behind the cash registers were black security globes which have
hide in themselves security cameras. The cash registers themselves record each
transaction. Customers line up single file in front of the register to purchase their choice
item of consumption then proceed to an area to pick up various condiments. The clerks
appear to make several errors in making the drinks, making the drink "on the house."
They charge the customer and make the drinks in a robotic fashion, delivering standard
lines to customers such as, "Hi, what can we get you today?"
In Starbucks, the clerks represent the lower (but not lowest) class in a
dystopian society. First, they are under constant observation by the black security globes
(not just for the customers, one can assume that the globes also watch the clerks to
make sure that nothing is stolen). Second, as previously stated, each transaction is
recorded on the register, making sure that it balances out at the end of the day. These
two surveillance measures are similar to the Bentham's Panopticon, that because they
are under constant surveillance, the clerks will (presumably) both perform within
expectations (maybe even exceed them to gain a reward) and act honestly (for fear of
the possibility of being caught in an illicit or illegal act). Foucault would love this as it is a
fulfillment of his writing, that the Panopticon has expanded its aims beyond the
punishment of prisons into daily life. Third, the clerks conform in their appearance both in
the clothing and the hairstyles that they wear. This trait is common in dystopic novels,
certainly 1984, where the outer-party members must wear blue jump suits. Fourth, they
perform their tasks with robotic (though imperfect) efficiency: Take the order, blend the
drink, and call out the name of the customer. The same is with the labor section in
dystopic literature where efficiency for the party/government (in this case the Starbucks
corporation) is key. Lastly, they make the drinks for the customers and give the drink
away for free if an error is made. The customers that come into Starbucks represent the
typical dystopic superior (the Inner party in 1984, the gorillas in Planet of the Apes, and
the high government officials in movies like Equilibrium). They get to wear different
clothing, act in an independent manner, and are served by the lower, inferior class (the
Starbucks' employees).