Observation Research:
Spend at least an hour at a grocery store orbook store as if you were another shopper. Casually look at, or add items to your basket but spend most of your time in one area. In the grocery store it will be in the breakfast cereals; in the book store you will go to the self-help section; and at the toy store you will spend your time in the action toys.
Make notes about who you see there. Be specific as to race, age, gender, and general appearance. Observe how they make their selections. (MAKE NOTES DISCREETLY.) Is the selection quick? Do the people know what they are seeking and go right to it? What customers make their selection by comparing two or more items? Can you tell what some of them are thinking about as they decide? Do other people help make the selections or choices? Who is/are they? Can you tell if price is a factor? (Yes your guesses and instincts are usable here.)
This is fun. You should also make guesses based on your observations, such as married, divorced, working class, rich, poor, etc. (Tell me why you made those deductions.) Remember, if it can be observed or guessed at it is legitimate content for observation.
You should make sure your report is well written, grammatically correct, organized and detailed – very detailed.
HINTS:
Choose a time when there will be people around. Usually 11 pm to 6 am are not good periods for this assignment.
Be discreet. You do not need to be hauled out by the local police for stalking.
Keep your distance. Observation research requires that you not interact with the subjects you are observing.
Be nosy. Listen to what a person is saying, the books looked at, the cereals considered, and the toys discarded.
Do this alone. This is not a group assignment. The observations need to be yours and only yours.
One hour should give you material enough to fill 4 or more pages – yes, 4 or more.
Do not add up your observations. Each observation must stand alone. You cannot categorize groups of 2 or 3 and make global summaries on such isolated occurrences. It is only when multiple observations from numerous observers are pooled that trends become clear.