Farmers Market Visit
I visited a farmers market in the evening. It was during rush-hour, and therefore, expectedly, it was a busy time. People mostly visit farmers markets to buy fresh produce, especially vegetables and fruits. While it is widely known that Americans have a busy lifestyle and rarely have enough time to purchase fresh foods, it actually was evident that many people are becoming conscious of what they eat and there seems to be an urgency to consume fresh foods. The population at the farmers market was diverse, just like the overall American population composition. Visible groups were the majority white Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and people of Asian origin. The market was a huge grand structure with various entrances and exits; while some traders had stalls, others sold their produce on simple make-shift structures or simply placed them on the ground.
Some important institutions at the farmers market were the local city council sanitation department, most likely charged with the responsibility of ensuring high hygiene standards at the market. There was also a healthcare department nearby, mostly to attend to healthcare issues that may arise at the market especially considering the market experiences an influx of people. The healthcare center is also crucial particularly currently when the coronavirus pandemic is still much present. As I observed, people would get free masks from the center, and were always encouraged to pick them to help curb the coronavirus pandemic. Another important institution at the market was the police department to provide security. Police officers were much visible all the time and with such a busy place, it is reasonable to have heightened security since anything that threatens people’s security may happen at any moment. The presence of police officers may help deter crimes or should the crimes occur, the response may be quick.
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At the farmers market, homeless people are also visible, with most of them resorting to begging some money and food from the shoppers. Some of them try to help shoppers carry their luggage to their vehicles for some payment. There is also a lot of shoving and pushing at the market, especially at the rush hour as people hurry to buy and try to leave for their homes in time. Some cautious shoppers stand aside in the hustle to let those who seem to be in a very urgent hurry to pass and some remembering to say “sorry” or “excuse me”.
The most significant interaction at the farmers market is between the shoppers and the traders (sellers). Most of the sellers place a price tag on the items on sale, while others decide to enhance their businesses with voice recordings, announcing their products and trying so hard as well to convince shoppers that their products are the best. Some traders also decide to call out and woo shoppers to purchase at their stalls. Although the language of use at the market was mostly English, there were different groups with different proficiencies in communication. Some buyers and sellers of Asian or Hispanic origin, for instance had accents and limited proficiency skills in English. In this case, they tried to enhance their speech with non-verbal cues such as using hands and facial expressions. For example, most would use fingers to make each other understand the price of goods or the amount of money they would offer to purchase various products. There was a lot of bargaining at the market and from afar, one would mistake the buzz for a beehive.
During bargaining, people would either accept the offers and prices or reject them. The most significant non-verbal cue for agreement was simply nodding the head while a rejection was represented by shaking of the head. Most traders would smile to show attention and appreciation to shoppers. At this same market, there was also chaos and noise. Firstly, it is not uncommon to hear the cries of children, either those accompanying the shoppers or traders. Another form of chaos and noise was from the traders calling out to shoppers and trying to persuade them to purchase their products. Unpleasant situations also are likely to occur at such a busy place. The first one is a fire incidence. Conventionally, when a fire breaks out, there is likely to be a scamper as people try to rescue their merchandise and run to safety. Most of the time, the commotion will alert the local city council to check the situation and respond appropriately. The city council will respond by dispatching a fire engine and firefighters to try and salvage the situation.
Secondly, theft and other petty crimes are likely to occur. In such a hustle and bustle, pick-pockets are very much likely to be part of the crowd. For example, a woman whose handbag is snatched will immediately scream and alert the police officers on guard. The response will be to launch a hot pursuit of the pickpockets. The screams will also alert other people at the market who will definitely act in a mob, try to intervene, and if police officers do not arrive on time, the pickpockets could be lynched. The general procedure for handling criminals at the market is to arrest them, take them to the police station, and later on take them to court to face charges. Another unpleasant situation that may arise relates to a healthcare emergency. A pregnant woman may need emergency delivery services for instance, or someone may fall sick suddenly. The existence of the healthcare department may come in handy in such situations. The first response would be from the traders and shoppers at the market who will either take the victim to the healthcare center or alert the healthcare staff of the emergency.
Overall, as I observed, there seemed to be some form of solidarity among the traders, especially those selling products close to each other, probably because they had known each other for a long time. However, there was still competition among them especially those who sold similar products. The age composition of the sellers was diverse; ranging from traders above fifty years to teenagers (probably helping their parents and guardians). Regarding gender composition, both male and female traders were present although females seemed to be more. Traders seemed to have the same power, but the institutions which wielded more power were the police, health, and sanitary departments.
Analysis Using Sociological Perspectives
Structural Functionalism
This theory sees society as a dynamic system whose components work together to foster solidarity and stability. In this theory, each part that makes up the society is indispensable for the continued existence of others and the society. From the farmers’ market scenario, traders and shoppers depend on each other for existence. In this case, the traders depend on the buyers for revenue while the buyers depend on the sellers for fresh produce. If traders do not exist, people will not get fresh food while if buyers do not turn up to purchase the farmers’ products, probably the items would go stale, and the traders will not meet their financial obligations such as paying rent, schools fees, and generally sustaining their lives.
The institutions such as the police, health, and sanitary departments also interact with the farmers’ market to make some sort of a whole. If the farmers market did not exist, definitely these departments would not be needed. Probably, less people would be hired in the police service same as with the other departments. Consequently, joblessness would perhaps be higher if the farmers market did not exist. On the other hand, without the aforementioned departments, the market would possibly be in disarray; crimes would happen unhindered, fires would break out without quick response or with no response at all, and in case of health emergencies, people would not receive help in time. Therefore, the traders, shoppers, and the institutions form some form of an ecosystem where various components effectively function as a whole. The absence of any of the parts jeopardizes the existence of other components and disrupts the whole system.
Symbolic Interactionism
This theory relates to language and communication, and posits that the exchange of meaning through language and symbols is the way through people make meaning of their social worlds. In respect to the farmers market, people communicated in various ways, and consequently made meaning of their social world in unique ways. The objective at the market is to buy and to sell, and the survival as well as meeting one’s needs at such a place needs effort and creativity. Traders at the market used price tags to show the cost of their products while the more creative ones used voice recordings to announce both the price and value of their items. With the voice recordings, they would be replayed over and over and that saved traders the time and effort of calling out to buyers.
Use of non-verbal cues such as hand gestures and facial expressions seem to be universal. People from different cultures seem to understand basic cues such as nodding and shaking of the head. Therefore, traders at the market as well as shoppers who were not proficient in English but enhanced their communication with non-verbal cues made more meaning. Smiling portrayed friendliness or approval, and at such a place, traders who smiled to their customers were thought to be more satisfied with their work or proud of what they were doing and occasionally received more customers. Gloomy faces at such a place tend to have a negative impact on sales as customers think they are unwanted, unwelcome or can even be scared to make a purchase. The tone used at the market is low and persuasive, as the aim is to ensure that one sells.
Social Conflict
Social conflict is the struggle for power or agency in society. It happens when two or more parties oppose one another in social interaction, each trying to achieve incompatible goals while preventing the other from achieving their own. Social conflict was very evident at the farmers market. Firstly, it was evident with the stiff competition among the traders. Every trader wanted to have as many customers as possible purchasing their items, and in this case, they tried to outdo one another. The stiff competition was the greatest reason many traders became more innovative in an attempt to appeal more to the shoppers. Competition was also evident among the shoppers. The shoving and pushing by some shoppers were done to prevent other shoppers from making early purchases. Since social conflict also focuses on the struggle for resources, shoppers also had conflict on an important resource; time. Everyone wanted to beat the rush and arrive home as early as possible, but definitely with the high number of people at the market there would inevitably be shoppers who would arrive home late. With such a struggle, serious conflict can arise if great caution is not exercised.
Conclusion
Overall, I think the perspective best suited to analyze my observation is structural functionalism. Various groups at the market depend on each other, and without the relationship, the farmers market would probably not exist. For traders to come to the market each day, they will have to be assured of customers, security, and even health and sanitary services. Likewise, for shoppers to go to the market, they will need to be assured of fresh products, security, and high hygiene standards. The absence of the market would mean that there will be no need of having police officers, health officials and officials from the sanitary department around for there would be no people to receive their services. Therefore, the market forms a complex structure of various components, each of which is indispensable.
