Groundwork Activity

First Impressions: The first time I became aware of my subculture was about four years ago. At that point, I was an outsider. I was a customer. I don't really remember anything about the people in the store, just that I liked the clothes, so I shopped there. I do remember that the manager at that particular time was always super friendly and got along with my mom really well. The 'landscape' of the store was well organized and not cluttered. There was never very many people shopping there, so it was easy to move around. It was a convenient place to shop. The Fossil I know now is much different than that Fossil I experienced then. The main things I would like to ask questions about are; why has the store changed so much? and is it all the new management's doing that it has changed?

How You Feel in the New Space: Four years ago, when the store was a 'new place' to me, I felt very comfortable there. I liked that the music was soft and that not many other people where ever in the store. There were never tons of employees crowded me to 'try to make the sale' and it was all just really laid back. 

How do you Know You're an Outsider: When I was an outsider, this was marked by the places in the store I wasn't allowed to be in. As an outsider, I couldn't go behind the counter where the cash registers were. I wasn't allowed to go into the back rooms of the store either. I also had to ask an insider anytime I wanted into a dressing room or a watch case. As an outsider, most of the insiders would talk to me differently than they would talk to each other. They were much more casual in their talk with each other, and with me the conversations almost always only revolved around items in the store.