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Personal Action Plan Nancy Edwards COMM/315 October 29, 2011 Chrita Paulin Personal Action Plan For my Personal Action Plan Observation, I decided to go to Nordstrom’s one of the major stores in the South Park Mall, which most people in Charlotte N. C. referred to as the wealthy peoples mall. I chose this mall because I wanted to observe the various types of people, and identify the social differences of the individuals coming into the store to shop The Observation Upon entry the store I decided to talk to one of the store managers and notified him of my class project.
I told him I would need to observe individuals in a public environment and needed his permission to spend time in his establishment. He let know me he it would be fine, and he would also alert the staff. I told him I would be in the store for a while observing the customers for approximately two to three hours. My first observation revealed the majority of the patron was females of many different ethnical backgrounds and of various ages ranges. These women are dressed casually in jeans, t-shirts, sandals or sundresses and well groomed.
Most of the women had several shopping bags full of items from several other high-end stores in the mall. Stepping Out of Comfort Zone At first, I felt very uncomfortable because I thought there would be a more upper class Caucasian females in the stores. Upon further examination I found a very diverse population of individuals in the store of all ages and nationalities. Everyone was going on about his or her day or carrying on conversations with family members and friends. My focus was turn to a group of individuals who appeared very happy to see one another and was in the mall shopping for souvenirs What is Learned.
A young woman named Jodi and several other of her family members were in Nordstrom’s at the time looking at clothing on the sales rack. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. I learned she was in town for the funeral of her grandfather, one of the co-founders of Belk’s department stores. She also disclosed her great uncle was John Belk, he was the mayor of Charlotte and has a freeway named after him (John Belk Freeway). She stated in the days when her father was a child he was raised like the children in “The Help” a movie about Caucasian children in the south cared for and raised by Black women.
She said when her mother married her father she wanted her children to grow up in a more normal household and with values. She wanted them to appreciate the simple things in life. All I could think was what an amazing story. I realized everyone has a story to tell, and you can never tell a person’s background until it is told by him or her. How My Perceptions Changed. Observing the customers in the department store have changed some of my perceptions; I use to believe people with money were mostly Caucasian, disrespectful, self-centered, entitled, and had no sympathy for those less fortunate.
Since the observation I believe this is not the case for many of the individuals. I believe most individual can be empathetic to others need, but it depends on the environment and with what morals an individual was raised. I still believe there are those individuals who have no respect for others, and do not understand the value of a dollar. Noticeable Things. The majority of the individuals came into the store, browsed the racks of clothing, pulling out clothing, trying them on, and making purchases. I notice many of the women would look at the price tags of the garments before they made the purchase.
I browsed some of the racks as well and noticed some of the items I would be able to afford as well. I also notice many of the women were using charge cards to pay for his or her purchases. Not many of the women used cash. Several of the women were socially conscious and were conscientious of other needs. They waited patiently until the sales representative finished with the customer ahead of him or her. I also encountered the arrogant, entitled, obnoxious, attention-seeking individual who is very impatient and wants she needs met immediately.
Type of Social Inequality Observe. As I browsed, though the racks of clothing, I can honestly say I did not observe any inequality. I was in the store for approximately three hours and even the change of shift was a smooth transition. I did notice that after the change of shift the new sales representatives would approach its customers to see if they could be of any assistance they never approached me. Maybe they were aware I was not a buying customer and was just observing. Changes in Ones Comfort Level. When I first arrived at Nordstrom’s I did not know what to expect.
I was my anxiety level was very high. I was not used to hanging around individual who were considered wealthy. My hands were sweating and I was nervous. After about an hour of observing the diverse population of customers my anxiety level decreased, and I became more relaxed and comfortable. Becoming More Socially Conscious. I entered this assignment believing I would be among many snobby Caucasian females, who felt everyone else is beneath them. This experience has helped me realized that wealth people come in all shapes sizes and colors.
I became educated that even Nordstrom’s has prices that are affordable. I have realized even people who have grown up in a wealth household, and have money to spend still loves a bargain. I also understand Nordstrom’s policy is to treat its customer equally and with respect. Traits to Exhibit. I will need to be more open minded and tolerant of others. I need to increase my standard and broaden my range of thinking. South Park Mall is not just a mall for the wealth, it is a mall for any individual how want to shop there. Areas in Need of Improvement.
Several areas, which could use improvement, are several of the employee’s attitudes. They were very impatient at times and their facial expressions showed this. He or she will need to be more friendly and cheerful, smile more. Another area of improvement was his or her dress attire. The company should give the employees tips dressing and how to apply makeup. Working in Nordstrom’s should require an employee to dress as if he or she is going on a job interview, not to a club. Some of the females will need to tone down the make-up. Personal Action Plan.
My personal plan of action is to continue to be the person I am. I plan to live my life by the standards instilled in me by my parents. I will continue to carry myself in a respectful and professional manner. I will be caring and empathetic toward others. I will learn to be more flexible and never judge a person for what he or she may or may not have. I will graduate with my BSN in nursing after this class and continue my education after a short break. I will try to live my life to the fullest while education other in the process.