Field Blog 3

Two Percent (2%) VS Agnes b

Two Percent (2%)

When I entered Two Percent (2%), a shop attendant who stood near the entrance said “ hello” to me with a smile. It was the involvement (positive) politeness strategy that she showed concern for my visiting. She gave me a warm welcome. She satisfied my positive face need, my desire to be liked. I walked along every column in the shop to look for clothes that I liked. Another shop attendant said that she could get me the suitable size for a fitting. I replied to her that I would seek help from her when I really needed a fitting. That shop attendant adopted involvement politeness strategy to demonstrate that she was care about me. However, my reply showed my need for negative face, my desire to be given space and not to be interfered with. After that, I remained in the shop for about 15 minutes more. During that period, another shop attendant asked whether I needed help, but the previous shop attendant did not offer to help me. It meant that the previous one understood that I had the negative face need. I deliberately sought help from a shop attendant who was busy with serving a customer. In fact, what I did was a face threatening act which threatened that shop attendant's negative face. As a result, she found another shop attendant to serve me. When I left the shop, a shop attendant said “Bye bye, visit the shop again when you have time”.

Agnes b

When I entered and left Agnes b, a shop attendant greeted me as I experienced in 2. The difference was that the shop attendants either stood still or tidied up the goods. They did not approach me and ask me whether I need help. It seemed that they had a negative face. It also seemed that they ignored me. It was a face threatening act to my positive face that I desired to be paid attention. After a while, I asked a shop attendant who was not busy about the colour of the clothes. She replied me with a good attitude and with a smile. She demonstrated her involvement politeness strategy that she was cared about me as a potential customer.

Comparison in terms of P, D, W

Regarding the P, the relationship between customers and shop attendants is equal (-P) in the above 2 shops. It is because they are not in a relationship of supervisors and subordinates. There is no vertical hierarchical relationship. The distance (D) between customers and shop attendants in the 2 shops is distant (+D), since customers treat shop attendants as strangers and vice versa. Regarding the W, I deliberately seek help from a shop attendant who is busy with serving a customer in 2%. It implies that I cause much trouble to that shop attendant, so this situation should be (+W). In Agnes b, I ask a shop attendant who is not busy about the colour of the clothes. It implies that I cause little trouble to that shop attendant, so this situation should be (-W).