Setting Up the Observations

Before I can explore the status quo of food access in neighborhood grocery stores and nutrition information availability in Milwaukee, I need to develop an observation plan including where I will go and what guiding principles I will use to focus my attention. Walking into a new environment intent on seeing and soaking up details can result in sensory overload, and while the thrust of qualitative research is to examine complete pictures of culture and society—in all of its glorious complexity—a solid context is necessary before beginning.

Permit me a few more instances of "academese" here while I lay out the main principles of ethnography and textual analysis that will guide my work.

The particular type of ethnography I will employ is called participant observation. That means I conduct my observations while acting as a member of the context. Visiting a grocery store and purchasing items makes me a participant shopping in that environment and provides the means for me to also make some observations.

Absence, a textual analysis concept, allows us to account for what we do not find that we might expect to. So, at a grocery store people expect to find food, beverages, maybe some personal products. The absence of these items is worth mentioning as long as it remains "at the level of probability"—within reason, so that you do not comment on the absence of snow on a tropic beach (Cormack, 1998, p.31).

Time for a few disclaimers: it is not the intent of this qualitative observation to produce generalizable results or statistical analysis. The goal? Understanding--a greater grasp on what exists in our focused contexts (neighborhood grocery stores and food stamp distribution sites).

I am “exploring the nature of a particular social phenomena…investigating a small number of cases…[and] interpreting the meanings and functions of human actions” (Atkinson & Hammersley, 1994, p.248).

The American Journal of Public Health released a study this year examining neighborhood grocery stores and obesity in urban communities. During this research, the authors found the following:

"in small grocery stores, the average amount of shelf space devoted to fruits and vegetables was considerably smaller than the average amount of shelf space devoted to snack foods. If a higher neighborhood density of small grocery stores increases the likelihood of shopping at a small grocery store, residents of neighborhoods with a higher concentration of small grocery stores may have greater exposure to the low ratio

of healthy to unhealthy food choices and consume more calories as a result" (Gibson, 2011, p.73).  

Borrowing from this study, I will keep these general guidelines in mind: what is the ratio of healthy options (fruits, vegetables, lean meats) to less healthy options (commercial snack foods), and generally what is present and what is not.

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Picking Observation Points

Unlike a lab experiment or survey, participant observation does not seek a randomized sample, but rather what exists in a given area. I have chosen these eight locations to focus my initial observations. All of these locations accept Quest cards, have direct or indirect access by Milwaukee Public Transit, and represent central, West, and East side areas of the city. Below I list each location and briefly explain why I chose them in particular.

Here's a map of the places I will conduct my observations, too.

A) Marcia Coggs Human Services Center (1220 W. Vliet St.): To explore the availability of nutrition information for people eligible for FoodShare assistance, I will visit the Cogg's Center which seems to be Milwaukee's "hub" for government assistance applications, distribution, and management. I will look for what kind of information is provided and in what format (i.e. pamphlets, handouts, not online materials) about stretching the Quest dollar to its healthiest potential, and hopefully inquire about what resources of this type are made available to people in Milwaukee.

B) Lucky Supermarket (27th St. & Wisconsin Ave): On a busy intersection with multiple bus stops, Lucky proclaims "We accept Quest cards" on two large signs outside of the building. Its mile-or-more distance from any larger grocers like Pick 'n Save make it a good example of a neighborhood grocery store.

C) Pick 'n Save (1818 W. National Ave.): Located 1.2 miles from Lucky Supermarket, an estimated 18 minute commute by bus, this is the closest large supermarket to the central area of my sample. The purpose of visiting this location is to observe the condition of the store, surrounding neighborhood, and fresh food availability.

D) Grand Avenue Market (6th & Wisconsin Ave): Further east on Wisconsin Avenue, the Grand Avenue Market also announces they accept food stamps. Similar to Lucky in its centrality and proximity to multiple bus stops and Milwaukee's Grand Avenue Mall, the Market offers a convenient stop for those commuting by bus and living in the Avenues West/Kilbourn Town neighborhoods.

E) Pick 'n Save (East Lyon St.): Situated 1.3 miles from the small neighborhood grocer, Koppa's, and the third closest supermarket of its size from Lucky's at 2.3 miles away, the same purpose applies as visiting the National Avenue Pick 'n Save.

F) Koppa's Farwell Foods (1940 N. Farwell Ave.): I read about Koppa's in an article from OnMilwaukee magazine, which reported on the use of Quest cards and grocery stores that accept them in our city. Located on the Lower East Side on the high-traffic Farwell Avenue, and in the middle of a sea of apartment buildings, Koppa's seems like a quintessential neighborhood grocery store providing easy access in walking distance for thousands of people living in the immediate area.

G) Walmart (401 E. Capitol Dr.): Walmart's low prices, multiple departments including food, personal products, home goods, and its location on Milwaukee's east side make it a good observation point to include. Similar to Aldi, Walmart offers a look at what food is available from a low-price provider; a big-box store like Pick 'n Save, Walmart will offer another look at the chain retailers provisions and role in the Milwaukee area.

H) Aldi (6700 W. Capitol Dr.): Aldi food markets are known for being very inexpensive grocery stores ideal for people trying to save money on food (I don't know how I would have gotten through college without Aldi myself). I have heard many people assert that Aldi's do not accept Quest cards because of their already discounted prices, and I will ask at the store if this is the case. Aldi also carries several exclusive off-brand lines of products, and will be a good additional observation point for analyzing the ratio of food types available and price differences.

I plan to take two or three locations at a time over the course of several days. After visiting each place, I will make notes about my observations while they are fresh in my mind and blog about them when I return to my computer. Putting a little space between observing and actually publishing the blog posts will allow ideas to settle and key observations to rise to the surface.

Now...off to get started!

References 
Atkinson, P., & Hammersley, M. (1994). Ethnography and participant observation. In Denzin & Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook
    of qualitative research (pp. 248-261). London: Sage.
Cormack, M. (1995). Methods of analysis. Ideology, pp. 26-36. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Gibson, D. (2011). The neighborhood food environment and adult weight status: Estimates from longitudinal
    data. American Journal of Public Health, 101(1), 71-78.