For my mini research study, I want to understand how people think about social responsibility when purchasing their fruits and vegetables. My research question aims to discover how important the concept of having and buying ethically sourced produce is to the end consumer. I’m seeking to find out if the idea of being socially responsible really resonates with the public and if it affects the consumer’s shopping behaviors. Through analyzing shared experiences amongst grocery shoppers, I hope to know how much social responsibility is (or isn’t) a factor in their produce shopping.

I am conducting this study using the phenomenological, hermeneutical approach, since I am looking to understand a shared experience amongst a group of people; this shared experience will be grocery shopping for produce. I will be conducting this study using the social constructivism framework, which is designed for analyzing emerging ideas through interviewing and observation. Social constructivism was the appropriate framework because of its emphasis on the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society. In this scenario, I’m deducing how the culture and environment contribute to the context in which I understand the shoppers’ behavior and their sentiments towards responsible shopping. Hopefully, analyzing experiences amongst shoppers will indicate that some people think about social responsibility when making their purchases.

Interestingly enough, some of the results found from my one-on-one interviews have actually got me thinking about a different idea when it comes to ethical shopping, and that regards ethical concerns when purchasing meat, poultry and fish. But, that is something I may consider for my bigger project – the thesis. I still have one more interview to conduct, but I’m really looking forward to finally just digging in and analyzing the data. I noticed that one of the issues I had when coming up with questions was really trying to develop questions that elicit emotion, since I am conducting a phenomenological study. But I still am getting information worth noting. I am hoping that the information I find at the end of my research will be useful for everyday consumers in understanding their own behaviors, and possibly so they can understand how socially responsible shopping has a positive effect for the community, and even possibly local economy. I am hoping to find data that will also be of use to farmers, produce companies and vendors – so that they can see trends and have a better understanding for what public demands/needs and concerns are.