Ethnographic Profile 1

Big 5 Sporting Goods Vs. Youfit

Eliu Figueroa

Arizona State University

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In life there are many communities we are apart of that we fail to realize, these

communities can be similar to the communities of other or completely different. An alien

community I chose to observe was my friends, Francisco Garay’s, workplace which is a Youfit

on 16th street and Bethany Home. The familiar community I chose was my workplace, Big 5

Sporting Goods, the reason why I chose these communities are because despite them being

completely different places they share some similar things.

When you first walk in to YouFit you feel the cold rush of the A/C hit you and you are

greeted by the workers. When you initially look around the first thing that stands out to you is

the lime green and purple walls, the workout equipment around the room is also lime green and

purple. On the left side of the gym a mirror spans across the entire left wall, this area is where

most of the free weights are. On the ride side of the gym there is a platform that is 3ft higher than

the grounds, here is where you find the treadmills. At the back of the gym there are more

platforms that sit around 5ft, there is a small staircase that leads you to ellipticals and ropes. At

the far top right corner the restrooms and locker rooms are located alongside water fountains. In

the center of the gym you will find a variety of weighted machines to workout different parts of

the body. Lighting wise, it is very good, the entire gym is well lit despite it having no source of

outside light. The time of day does not affect how the gym looks because it has its own indoor

lights that are very bright. The types of objects you’ll see are treadmills, ellipticals, squatting

racks, benching racks, dumbbells, ropes, mats, trash cans, mirrors and so much more.

When you enter the gym at first you feel awkward because there are a lot of people that

can potentially watch you workout, after you’re doing your own thing that feeling goes away.

People come in and do their workouts that involve lifting weights, running, stretching and much
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more. People don’t typically interact with each other too often because they mainly focus on

their workout and what they’re doing. When people do interact is when they are partners for

workouts. The mood of the gym in the early mornings are more slow and kind of boring since

there is not too many people there that early, once its around 7 or 8 in the morning things pick up

and the mood of the gym gets more excited and furious. In the evening/night time it picks up

again cause the mood of the gym to get exciting again. There is a sense of community only

amongst the employees because most people come by themselves to do their workout on their

own.

When interviewing Francisco Garay he revealed how he felt about working in the YouFit

community. He believes he belongs in this community because it is related to his dream career of

becoming a fitness coach. He describes his community as a fun, professional, and hardworking

environment. As an insider he experiences the difficulties of people not understanding contracts

that they have signed. More often than not, Francisco feels like when he is in his community his

day is barely starting despite having already gone to school, he also feels stressed being there

because he knows he has homework waiting for him after he’s done working. Some things he

dislikes about his community are when there is something to be done none of his coworkers

volunteer to do it and he dislikes rude customers. Compared from the start to now Francisco

thought it would be easy but in reality it is more difficult than he expected, he says there’s a lot

of things that have to be done that doesn’t get gone over.

When you first enter Big 5 you are greeted with a smile by usually the cashier or the

manager. When you initially look around the thing the stands out the most is the shoe wall. On

the left side of the store you will find ASU and NFL merchandise alongside a wall full of games
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and toys for kids. Still on the left side there are glass cases full of airsoft handguns, binoculars,

and various types of hunting knives. Above these glass cases on the wall you can find hunting

rifles and shotguns alongside crossbowsing. Under these guns you can find the various amounts

of ammo needed for these guns. After passing that hunting section you will find aisles of fishing

equipment that contain fishing boots, fishing rods, different types of bait, and many types of

fishing reels. Along the left wall there is the section for camping equipment, here you will find

sleeping bags, tents, cooler, chairs, canopies, and gas stoves. At the very back left corner of the

store all the fitness equipment is located there along with bags, golf and tennis equipment. On the

right side of the store there are racks of clothing for winter times like snow pants, flannel pajama

pants, and various types of jackets. Passing these racks there are aisles that go down the entire

right side that contain, snow and winter boots, soccer equipment and clothing, baseball

equipment and clothing, football pants, various types of outdoor games like cornhole, or

volleyball. In one of the aisles there is a giant display of different sized basketball rims. There is

an aisle dedicated completely to roller skates and their accessories. Alongside the right wall there

is the “ball wall” which contains different types of soccer balls, footballs, volleyballs, and

baseballs. Next to the “ball wall” there is a section of the wall that has at least 100 baseball

gloves alongside a glass cabinet full of batting gloves. At the back of the store you will find the

“shoe wall” that displays all the shoes we sell, in front of the wall we have various shoe aisles

called “coffins” where customers can pick out their own size for a shoe that may be out. Lastly,

in center of the store all the clothing is located there, it contains athletic clothing for men,

women, and youth with many different brands.

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When you first enter Big 5 you get a sense of warmth especially when you are greeted by

the cashier. That feeling stays the same throughout your time at the store because workers will

always ask if you need help with anything. People in the store don’t really interact with each

other because they’re usually looking for different items. The mood of the store is usually

relaxed and easygoing especially when there is very little or no customers in the store, but when

there is a lot of customers the mood turns hectic because the employees are working fast to get

you what you need. From around 9am to 3pm on weekdays the store is slow because most people

are working at this time, but from 3pm to sometimes 8pm lots of customers come in especially

parents with their kids to buy them equipment for baseball and soccer practice. There is

definitely a sense of community in at Big 5 because there are customers that return because of

the service they received, even workers recognize these customers.

There are tons of differences between Big 5 and YouFit, these are the biggest and most

noticeable differences. First, Big 5 is a lot more professional than YouFit because of the way

employees dress, at Big 5 formal clothing is mandatory while at YouFit any sportswear is

allowed. Next, people spend more time at YouFit than Big 5 because on average people spend

1-2 hours at a gym working out, while someone at Big 5 spends at most 30 minutes looking

around. Lastly, the atmosphere of YouFit has a lot more of a open and intense atmosphere

because if its large size and the hard working people in it. Big 5 on the other hand has a more

cozy and relax atmosphere because the space is smaller and usually has a slow pace.

Now, you may be thinking how are these two different communities similar to each other.

First, both communities have the same goal, to make as much money as possible because they

are businesses. At YouFit workers are encouraged to try and sell memberships to people who do
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free trials and try to get already members to renew their membership. At Big 5 you are

encouraged to try and get a customer to buy as many things as possible, usually when someone is

for example buying a fishing rod a Big 5 worker will try and get the customer to buy add ons to

the fishing rod like fishing line or bait. Another similarity between the two communities is both

places are sectioned off for the ease of customers. YouFit has sections at their gym for cardio

machines, free weights, and lifting weights, and Big 5 has sections for camping, hunting,

baseball, soccer, clothing, shoes, and much more. A small but important similarity is the way

customers are greeted, both YouFit and Big 5 greet customers with smiles and many phrases to

let them know their presence is important to them. Lastly, the biggest similarity they have is both

stores play either a small or big role in the health of their customers. YouFit allows customers to

exercise so they can increase their health and Big 5 sells products that allows customers to

increase their health like weights, treadmills, proper exercise clothing, proper footwear and

accessories for safety light helmets and padded pants. Despite Big 5 and YouFit being different

places they have many things in common that people fail to realize.