I plan on doing some investigative research in and around the shopping district of center city. This will include the "performance" of myself or a group member browsing a store with the intent of iliciting a reaction from the salespeople or other customers.

I plan on dressing in a manor that is clearly not professional and may lead one to believe i am of a lower class than the one targeted by the store. I have been doing research on the boutiques in the Walnut/rittenhouse area, mostly reviews by customers.

i am hoping to study the social interaction between the (often minimum-wage earning) employees and the customer they are supposed to be helping, and sometimes end up acting discriminatory against.

http://www.bigfatblog.com/node/925

this blog is talking about discrimination among overweight shoppers. although this is not exactly what i will be researching, the feedback from the bloggers gives a good overview of how some people feel prejudiced against while shopping

This is a review of the boutique Adresse

1706 Locust St
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Snobbish service but excellent design

by ktrlealtor at Citysearch

While I applaud the exacting fashion sense and the great uber chic-ness of this store I have to condemn its customer service-if you don?t "look" like you can afford the clothes you better turn around and go home to change! The service was snobbish! Still it is one of the best places to pay full price for some excellent labels...

• Pros: excellent selection
• Cons: service borders on icy-ever seen Pretty woman???

http://www.postmedia.net/02/shopping.htm article on shopping and art history