Dicks Sporting Goods, mounted at the very top of the store’s entrance. It has a basketball ,soccer ball and a baseball in between its name. Inside the store, you will see different types of athletic wears, gears, sneakers etc. Pictures of top athletes wearing different kinds of sports brands such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Reebok, Polo, Jordan etc. Each brand has it’s own space organized from the rest. In addition, sports products brands neatly arranged separately from each other, sneakers separated from clothes. Sales associates and other Dicks workers walk all around inside the store. Customer go around looking for their desired sports gears. They try some of the gears and gadgets on. The check out station is located close to the exit door. Security guards walk in the store in and out of the store.

             The name of the store is mounted at the very top of the building to make it visible for people far from the store. Basketballs, baseball and soccer ball between the store’s name advertises what’s being sold in there. Moreover it gets the attention of people who engaged in sports. Pictures of athletes wearing different kinds of brands appeals to their fans, making customers want to buy and wear sports gears like their sports idols. People have different kinds of brands in which they are interested in buying their products, separating the brands from each other makes it faster and easier for customer to find what they desire. furthermore, Sneakers and clothes arranged separately at different corners makes looking for sneakers go straight to the sneakers section and those looking for gear clothing to also go straight to that section.

Dicks Sporting Goods is mostly occupied by customers and its workers. Workers often welcomes customers as soon as they enter the store. People try on some the sports gears with smiles on their faces. They look in the mirror whiles trying it on. A boy between age 3 and 5 picked up one of the football boots with “Seattle Seahawks” mascot on it. He kept his mother to buy it for him even though the size of the boot was way bigger than his leg. His mother told him,” i can’t buy this for you, it’s for adults”. His mother picked him up and placed him in the shopping cart, he kept insisting and crying over the boot. His mother paid for what she bought and exited the store but still this was still crying for the boots.

                                    People involved in sports such as school, professional athletes and sports fans often occupy this space  Customers from different kinds of ethnicity, short, tall, black, white etc. Shoppers in groups speaking different kinds of languages, different sexual orientations or genders, parents, children, ages between 2-50 years can be seen in the store most of the time. Sometime people occupy this space just to window shop without making any purchases.. Dicks employees walks around in the store in blue colored shirts and help customer find what they are looking for as well as answering customers questions. Security officers walks in and out most off of the time to make sure customers shop in a peaceful and secured surroundings.

I approached a 5’9, dark African-American man with Afro hair, wearing a blue shirt with the Nike logo on his left chest, blue jeans with headphones on in a Dicks sporting and goods store. He spent 5 minutes of his time to answer my interview questions.

Me: Hi, what’s your name?

Michael: “Michael” he answered.

Me: Am Prince, can i ask you few questions about Dicks Sporting Goods?

Michael: Yeah, sure!

Me: What is your affiliation with Dicks?

Michael: Am here trying to buy a soccer shin guard.

Me: why do you choose to come to Dicks?

Michael: I mostly find what i am looking for over here, and its 2 miles from his house.

Me: Ok! what do like about this place?

Michael: It has a peaceful and calm environment, it’s also easy to find what i want without wasting much time.

Me: What would you like to change about this place?

Michael: The location of the fitting room and also place more mirrors besides clothing shelves.

Me: What influenced you to visit Dicks versus other similar stores?

Michael: It has different athletic brands and sport gears, the items are neatly organized as well.

Me: Would you recommend Dicks to others?

Michael: Definitely, they sell quality and long lasting products?

Me: How long have you been shopping at dicks and have you ever come across a mean customer service?

Michael: I have been shopping over here for almost 4 years. I came across one mean worker who was refusing to answer my questions.

Me: Thanks for letting me interview you.

Michael: You are welcome.

I exited the store and he continued shopping.

~pdarko1

At the bottom of the stairs there are four rooms with open walkways. Directly to the right is where the sports bar and entertainment room are. The entertainment room is in front of the sports bar. In the entertainment room the overstuffed reclining chairs are separated from the other rooms by an elegant Persian rug. The chairs are a dark brown leather set up in two rows of three. Then sits a plush leather couch. There are blankets placed on a few chairs and on the couch to encourage a comfortable experience. The couch has three small pillows. Two of which are a suede that matches the color of the couch and the other is a stitched Masters throw. To the right of the chairs, on the beige wall hangs framed memorabilia signed by their designated sports star. To the left is a row of five glass cases that reach in an arch from floor to ceiling. Inside are signed jerseys, baseballs, footballs, basketballs, photographs, and a World Series players ring. The memorabilia add significantly to the sports bar aesthetic and gets people excited about the space they are in. In front of the chairs hangs three TV’s in an upside-down pyramid formation. The two 32” TVs occupy the top tier and bellow sits the wide 75” screen. Multiple TVs allows the occupants to watch multiple sporting events at a time in the room. This wall is covered with mahogany wooden paneling. Each TV is accented with 2” framework. In the extra space there are black speakers to create a surround sound effect. The speakers are also framed.

They memorabilia behind the glass are illuminated with a bright, warm light from the top of each cases. The rest of the room is slightly more dim. All of the lights are adjustable so the room can adjust according to the events taking place. Whether it be a movie screening, news broadcast, or an aired sporting event.

Today, there are multiple football and baseball games, and a golf tournament to watch. Ralph and his adult son are in the entertainment center with the lights at their brightest setting. Though it is still a warm and cozy environment. They both sit in front row of seats with a spare in between them. They are reclined and relaxed but alert. The remote control is firmly held in Ralph’s hands, ready to flip between events during commercial breaks. The two men talk excitedly back and forth about every play. After some time, Ralph’s son migrates to the couch in the front of the room and wraps himself in a blanket. The two of them continue to fill the room with conversation and laughter. After the afternoon games and tournament are over they each fall asleep and recharge for the evening games. The room was used to full effect in its sports mode today. The occupants seemed to enjoy themselves immensely and have plans to do it all again next Sunday.

There are two entrances to the Walmart in Canton, one on the right side of the store, and one on the left. When you walk in the automatic doors you are greeted by a burst of air and usually a not so cheery worker. The whole department store is the size of a warehouse and lit up like a hospital (but nowhere near as clean). On the left hand side of the store is all the produce, in the front are the fresh goods. Next, are the frozen goods, followed by the canned and boxed foods. On the side to the right of the store is, well, everything else. In this particular Walmart the clothing was in the middle section of the store. Further right is where you would find the cosmetics and a wide spectrum of soaps. Directly behind that is the toy section and sports section. When walking through the sports section you may be surprised, and worried, that Walmart sells firearms. Finally, behind the sports section is the electronics.

The customers at Walmart are…. interesting.  Sometimes you have your average shopper who is there usually because it is the best option. He usually has a sense of shame for being in a store that is associated with such riff raff, or he is passing judgment onto the people causing the riff raff. Then you have your red necks, the ones who used to hang out in the parking lots of Walmart during their teenage years comparing their jacked up trucks, these are usually the ones causing a ruckus. Finally, you have your second form of the average shopper who just genuinely enjoys going to Walmart. One thing is certain, there is a massive amount of diversity within what can be considered a Walmart customer.

I spoke with a man named John on my trip to Walmart. John was one of your average shoppers. He visits Walmart once a week or biweekly. He enjoys Walmart because of the low prices, and says that the people watching is usually incredible. John is not wrong in the least bit.

All of the objects within Walmart, with the exception of the customers, are there for the same reason to make money. The employees want a paycheck. The produce is there for the purpose of being sold. The store itself just serves as a means for Sam Walton to add onto his already massive family fortune. The customers are just there to help the Walton family advance their financial status by buying groceries and anything else they may need.

White as far as the eye can see, the library is lit by fluorescent light bulbs that are aimed towards the ceiling, creating a contrasting white to its surroundings. Basking under these fluorescent lights are Georgia State students huddled at different centers of amenities, leaving other areas almost completely vacant. Almost as if purposely done the areas of most concentration lean towards the center of the room while the opposite ends of the library are completely vacant leaving a void where only chairs idly wait as if wondering when the next butt would be placed upon them.

While other areas of the library are left somewhat empty, an area of active traffic and activity are the computers and the seating booths found on the far left of the library located next to the library classroom 1. The U shaped seating booths adjacent to the library classroom have groups of students sitting together. The students sitting at one of the group of booths are somewhat loud and rowdy paying no mind to the traditional library rule of thumb and continue to enjoy one another’s company. Fashioned in only muted colors of grays and blues, the small band of merry students do a good job of compensating by being nothing short of loud. Despite the fact the group remains unmoving from their seat they also simultaneously create a mess that is composed of open book bags and food sprawled all over the table.

Parallel to the seating booths and the library classroom are the array of blue screens monitors positioned on tables like small islands. The islands have students sitting in hunched back postures with eyes nailed to the monitor reviewing subjects and reading their online course materials. One male student with a dark skin complexion wearing a yellow jacket is knee deep in his work as he furiously types away even though he’s not looking at a monitor and glances away every now and then from his text book to check his work. With book bag agape and hands busy he has been working diligently and doesn’t intend to stop till he’s finished.

The other side of the library is comprised of the technical help desk where student hired clerks are sitting on high stools hidden behind a desk assisting anyone inside that may need it. The clerk deskbound, waits patiently with eyes forward and hands on desk. His hair is long and brown and is out of his face but somehow manages to fall back and place and has to be repeatedly brushed aside revealing excess skin on his neck folding over itself. Even if not unmoving the assistant has heavy breathing patterns and the slightest effort of key stroke is followed up by a heavy gasp. As students or persons in need approach, his sloth like manner is covered up and he’s suddenly invigorated and composed. Once done the sloth like manner returns and he sits idly waiting again.

Next to the counter where the help desk was are mini stations for students to approach and make reservations in advance. The number of people that approach are few due to the nature of how quickly reservations get fill up for the novelty of the study rooms and competition for them highly sought out for. An Asian girl, wearing a gray plain sweatshirt and navy blue jeans with brown hair cascading as she walks, stops at the station. Typing and only clicking a bit she finishes and walks off into the distance.

As you approach the enormous brick building you are greeted by security. To go inside the library you have to show your student ID to them. Once you’re through security you are immediately greeted with a wide staircase being used by students. The floor is covered in white tiles that soon transitions into a brownish carpet when you make a left. To the right, there are restrooms and elevators. As the elevator begins to close, a girl with a blue Georgia state shirt and black Nike shorts rushes to catch the elevator. Her black backpack, which is the size of her entire upper body, gets caught between the double doors. To the left side of the first floor of the library, there is a lounge area with abstract chairs that people can sit on. Once you pass those chairs you find a small coffee shop called Saxby’s in which students come in and out, some with coffee or pastries. Towards the back are u shaped booths occupied by groups of students. These booths are lined up in rows. Behind the booths are various tables available for anyone to sit. Further to the left of the booths are rows of shelves being occupied by books. To the right side of the library, there are more computers and an info desk that takes up most of the area.

The various tables and computers are there to help students throughout their college years. The tables and booths are there for students who travel in packs. These booths allow students to sit together and study or to work on projects. Sometimes these booths are occupied by one single person as said by a GSU student who goes by the name Malik. Malik said ” I don’t really like when one single person occupies an entire booth. It becomes an issue when there’s no more booths left and my study group doesn’t know where to sit”. The coffee shop inside the library fuels the student’s energy; it’s there to provide them with drinks and food. Inside the coffee shop are tables that students can sit and enjoy their food while they look over any of their schoolwork. A girl with droopy green eyes sits at one of the tables. She’s sipping at her hot drink that has steam coming out of it. The girl’s chocolate colored hair is up in a messy bun, some loose hairs seem to escape as they fall to the side of her head near her ear. She exhales and slumps down in her chair as she looks over all the notes she has sprawled out on the table. Also inside Saxby’s there is a couch with a TV set up in front of it. Here students can relax and enjoy their refreshments. The computers and printers located beside the staircase are there for quick and fast access for students. Students who are in a rush to get to class and need something to be printed go straight towards these computers and printers. A tall dark skinned girl runs straight to the computer quickly printing a paper. As soon as her hand makes contact with the freshly printed paper, she bolts for the doors. Around twelve the line to get to the printers grows really
close to the doors.

The people who occupy these objects are mostly students who come in to get things done. A short boy with caramel skin goes straight to one of the printing sections. He rushes towards the only empty computer left before another student occupies it. His long fingers type away as he tries to print what he needs. Near the coffee shop, a short girl with long brown hair leaves Saxby’s with a cup in her hand. As she walks out she brings the cup to her plump lips, before she drinks it she closes her eyes and inhales the scent. In one of the booths a group of various people occupy the space. Two of them are boys while the other three are girls. One of the boys is dark skinned with brown long hair. The other is a pale short boy with blonde hair. Two of the girls are both brunettes with pale skin. The other is a tan girl with dirty blonde hair. All their eyes crinkle as their laughs fill the quiet library. A girl who sits at a computer across them narrows her eyes at them giving them a mean look. All these students who occupy the library move around like ants. Near the printers, the line seems to get longer over time. One girl, in particular, starts tapping her foot she constantly checking her watch on her left wrist. She groans as she runs her fingers through her long brown hair. Her face soon becomes red as a young boy tries to cut in line.

The library is filled with many unique people; it’s like a melting pot. It ranges from light skinned people to dark skinned. Some might also be professors, student workers, or just students. All these people who come to the library are there for various reasons. Some students come to refuel their body with caffeine to try to keep awake during their classes. Others come to get away from the chaos that waits outside the library.

Tharun Vikash Babu Chitra

Professor Tiffany Mayet Smith

English 1101

October 1, 2016

Piedmont Avenue

On Piedmont avenue, there are many cars going in one direction, because this is a one-way street. The one-way street  is specifically designed to keep the students safe. Many cars are passing continuously and there is heavy traffic  since the road is located on the Georgia State University (GSU) campus. The road is divided into 3 lanes for the vehicles and there is a sidewalk on both the sides of the road for the people to walk safely. There are many people moving continuously on this road. The roads are maintained properly. There is no trash on the road and it was newly painted. The potholes were fixed well. There is a traffic signal near every corner of the road and the symbol of GSU is painted in the road on all the crosswalks to show the people that this is a school zone. Most of them are wearing bags. It was very cold that time so, some were wearing jackets and sweatshirts.

There are huge buildings on the both side of the road. These buildings include the Citizens Trust Bank building, GSU student alumni center and GSU dorms such as Piedmont central, University Commons, Piedmont North, and Patton hall. These are the main buildings on this road. There is also a small park next to the Citizen trust bank’s parking deck. There are also other resident buildings which were left for commercial purpose on the first two floors. Almost all these buildings have a parking lot and there are some buildings which were left for parking alone. This road is a perfect place which has both commercial and residential buildings. You can see the Capital of Georgia and the famous Grady hospital from this road. There is also one parking deck for the Grady hospital. Next to that is the Piedmont entrance for the hospital. Atlanta Children’s Health Care is located in this road opposite of Patton hall.

There is a tree after every 10 feet and street lights are fixed every 20 feet on both the sides of the road. There is also the electrical post after every 30 feet.  The trees are watered every day by the sprinklers which are placed near the bottom of every tree. The trash cans were also kept near all the buildings painted with the GSU symbol again showing that this is a School zone. This road is always busy. There are many people crossing this road every day. Most of them are students because some were wearing Panther card around their neck and some had it in their hands. There are many dorms located on this street. So many people take this way to their classes. A group of people was sitting near the Citizens Trust Bank and chatting amongst themselves. They were so loud that I could hear them even when I was 100m away. There was another group near the park. They weren’t making much noise. They were silently smoking. Opposite to them, a couple was romancing. This is a place which is always occupied.

The guard and turnstile entrance position in front of the library preface the library. An array of students stand in close proximity to each other as they anticipate the downward direction elevator. GSU Staff members at the main desk patiently await to assist any student in need. The ceiling lined with beams of artificial light in combination with the windows bringing natural light create a scene that is pleasing to the eyes. The unblinking stares of many students while looking back and forth from the sheet of notes or a class textbook that they are referencing. They sit down in there chairs in a lounged position until their task is finished.

The second floor holds many tables for students to use their own laptops and phones for use. It also includes the group study rooms that are able to be reserved for groups that need an isolated room to study for their various classes. A dark complexion female student with jet black long hair sits lazed in a chair facing the window in between library north and south. She wears a parallel line design pattern on her sundress with her hair straight. Laptop in her lap, she sits up slowly and begins typing as she is constantly references a textbook.

The third, fourth, and fifth floors of the library are all quite similar to each other. Holding very large and extensive source material collections, as well as multiple lounge areas scattered around the floors. On the fifth floor however, there was something very specific. As you enter floor five from the elevator you can almost instantly notice the mood of the area. It’s as if everyone in the room was taking a test. The dead silence on floor five is what it is known for as only those who truly want to study or do their class assignments in absolute peace come to this floor. These floors also hold private group study rooms as there are always more needed because of how populous the place is. Each of these floors also include the bridging lounge area with the view of the outside which also adds that natural light element.

The occupants of this library come the many elements that makes it feel very comfortable. This space has minimal noise which helps the students focus on their work, Internet connection which allows them to be completely connected, and the many minute details that they love, whether it be the charger ports, the natural light of the windows, or even the option to check out many different devices from the service desks. In an interview with a student practically lives in the library, Nermina, she talks about the library. She constantly chills on the fifth floor and says, ” The library to me is a place where I can 100% focus on anything I’m doing whether it be assignments, studying, or I just want some relaxation time. It has it all, and on this fifth floor silence truly is golden.”

There are many objects seen and hidden throughout the GSU Library. All of them come as a benefit to the students that find this place their sanctuary. That subtle combination of ceiling light and natural light, in addition to the crisp decor and cleanliness makes it very pleasing to the eyes. The amount of electronic accessibility makes it a hub for all students as modern day information gathering is tailored to online research. The GSU Library is the ultimate medium for the students at GSU that includes accessibility, comfort, and silence.

Footlocker once again ascended to a new level of retail shopping once viewing it a second time. The shoes catch your eye as they glisten through the clear glass windows. The vivid lights of the store compliment the overall scheme as to intrigue you even more. The black and white tiles on the ground match the shirts of the workers as if to make them seem like they are apart of the store. Samples of shirts, and athletic wear are shown off by the human like mannequins to illustrate a good outfit. The mixture of urban style and athletic wear further compliment the store overall. This mixture can be seen through all the customers that shopped there. Since they too wanted athletic wear or a type of fashion that is popular at the time.

Those that occupy the space haven’t changed as much due to the type of people the store is trying to please. The customers that shop at Footlocker are given a plethora of options, and are in awe of the outstanding style choices. The store does a good job of having deals for those savvy shoppers that truly know what a good deal is. Footlocker implements multiple staff workers that are there in case you need help. The customers that come in the store and buy nothing still seem to interact with each item as if they were willing to buy. The store has multiple isles that the customers can navigate, since the store was busy. This allows a steady flow of customers that can leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

Nate, which I interviewed for about 10 minutes gave very detailed reasoning’s of why he liked Footlocker.  He said the only thing that they would change about the space is the fact that the store is kind of small compared to other shoe stores. He wanted to have a bigger option, but it doesn’t stop him from coming to footlocker since they have the “best options”. Footlocker brings a mixture of urban culture, and athleticism which Nate likes very much. The other stores he says have too similar looks or seem to have a boring layout. The approach I took in order to find a suitable person to interview was if they bought something and if they were alone. The reasons behind that is that if they bought something they were willing to make an investment on something that came from Footlocker which means they liked it. Secondly, if they were alone it meant that they came on their own accord and not because of another person.

There are two entrances to this a Walmart, one in on the right side of the store, and one is on the left. When you walk in the automatic doors you are greeted by a burst of air and usually a not so cheery worker. The whole department store is the size of a warehouse and lit up like a hospital (but nowhere near as clean). On the left hand side of the store is all the produce, in the front are the fresh goods. Next, are the frozen goods, followed by the canned and boxed foods. On the right hand of the store is, well, everything else. This side ranges from clothes, to hunting equipment, diapers for babies.

The customers at Walmart are…. interesting.  Sometimes you have your average shopper who is there only because it is the best option. He usually has a sense of shame for being in a store that is associated with such riff raff, or he is passing judgment onto the people causing the riff raff. Then you have your red necks, the ones who used to hang out in the parking lots of Walmart during their teenage years comparing their jacked up trucks, these are usually the ones causing a ruckus. I spoke with a man named John on my trip to Walmart. John was one of your average shoppers. He enjoys Walmart because of the low prices, and says that the people watching is usually incredible. John is not wrong in the least bit.

All of the objects within Walmart, with the exception of the customers, are there for the same reason to make money. The employees want a paycheck. The produce is there for the purpose of being sold. The store itself just serves as a means for Sam Walton to add onto his already massive family fortune. The customers are just there to help the Walton family advance their financial status by buying groceries and anything else they may need.

The courtyard is an open space full of small daily objects used by those who occupy it. The fountain spews water up high above causing it to fall down in a beautiful formation. The crystal blue water falls from one fountain into another to create a water fall entrapped in stone that leaves a beautiful feeling within those who pass it. Many people stop in mid walk to take a shot of it. The benches and tables is where the occupant goes to do work and or socialize with their friends and classmates. However, when these are occupied are left to sit on the side of the garden that hangs out under it. Sitting down on the cold and grainy concrete edge surrounded by bushes and trash causes some discomfort which is seen by how some girls sway from side to side pulling their shorts down to cover their flesh. My interviewee James mentioned that after some time his back will begin to hurt due to there not being a back for him to straighten up in. The benches and tables are there to encourage community and unity within the students. These objects control the way the students act in the way that it pushes them into a single space without suffocating each other to socialize. The bushes liven up the area and keeps it from looking dull and depressed. I watched as a girl pulled out her charcoal block and began to draw the scene before her eyes. With every motion and flick of her wrist the image in front of her began to appear.

The Courtyard is like a bag of Chex Mix, full of a variety of people with different interest. This space is good for everyone at GSU looking for some alone time or for some socialization. Just as James said there are many different cliques one can join if they wish to do so. Those who wish to be alone sat alone they all sat together. Lined up on a single edge of concrete slab sat 4 girls and two boys all with cords dangling from their ears, fingers typing away on their new age technology, and none of them speaking. They all sat with at least 2 feet of space between them but not a single word was spoken to one another. This human interaction is the various groups we see that have formed on common interest. A girl with neon green hair and eyes to match, that could be seen from a mile away, sat on the edge of the fountain with her sketch pad in her lap and oil pastels laid out beside her. Soon her fingers became stained with the medium and she needed to wipe her fingers to blend. A boy with hair as dark as night held out a tissue to her. She thanked him for it and smiled.

There is a variety of students whom occupy the courtyard space. Looking out into the space we see the heads of those alike huddled into corners, seats, trees, and steps. All these people come from many backgrounds, are from different majors, and like different things all of which are factors of how they are separated. The people you commonly find at the courtyard are all parts of the cliques.  The person I interviewed, James, belonged to the smokers located just to the side of the big fountain. The smokers are often always together and can be distinguished by their smell and the obvious smoke flying above their fingertips as they hold their vice between their fingertips.