Upon learning we could do a breaching experiment for this blog, I got very excited because I thought it would be interesting and fun to see how people would react to someone doing something that isn’t considered “normal”. Prior to the execution of my experiment, I searched online to get some ideas and one stuck out to me. It had a person going to McDonalds and ordering something from its rival, Burger King, to see the reaction of the cashier. Since the closest fast food burger place to campus is the Wendy’s in the inner circle, I decided to test out this breaking of a norm there.
When I first set foot in line, my heart immediately began to pound; my stomach twisted into a thousand knots. The closer I got to ordering, the more intense my nervousness became. I tried to get my laughter out before I reached the counter, in order to have the experiment work. Then I heard those dreadful words: “can I help the next customer?” My nerves kicked into overdrive; I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I walked up to the cashier, and with my best face asked if I could have a Big Mac and an Oreo McFlurry.
When the cashier first heard my request, I could see her eyes immediately open wide, nearly popping out of her head in confusion. She asked me again what I wanted, and I restated my order, this time with a slight unwanted smirk of awkwardness. She looked at me in a confused fashion for a second time, then looked behind her and proceeded to inform me that they weren’t McDonalds. At that point, I lost all composure; I could feel my face begin to turn red as I laughed uncontrollably. At that moment, I let it slip that I was doing it for a class and she immediately began to laugh, giving a sigh of relief. After learning that I wasn’t being serious about my order, I proceeded to order a legitimate meal, after which she informed me that she had thought to herself “wait, when did we get that?!” We both had a good laugh, and I moved on from the situation.
Performing this breaching experiment was rather interesting, because despite my minor slip up of informing my subject on what I was doing, she still managed to give me a genuine, amusing response. After the fact, she had specified that she questioned the franchise getting the items in which I was requesting because I was being so serious in my asking. Before even going up to the register and placing my order, I was extremely nervous for what her reaction would be, fearing that she would become angry with me and think I was just playing a joke on them, while also holding up the line. Luckily, that wasn’t the case and the experience made for great experimental results.
Attached is a video showcasing my experience with the Wendy’s cashier. It’s fairly difficult to hear, but between the 2 and 3 second mark, you can faintly hear me asking for a Big Mac and Oreo McFlurry, and around 10 seconds you can hear her say “I’m sorry, we’re not McDonald’s.” It was rather amusing to see what a person’s reaction would be upon asking for an item that wasn’t on their menu, but rather from the menu of a competitor. The fact that she was caught off guard made things even more interesting and genuine, because she clearly wasn’t expecting me to ask for something that was clearly not part of their franchise. I was glad to know that this type of breaching experiment could be done in a way where no one was offended and everyone involved just got a good laugh.
When I first set foot in line, my heart immediately began to pound; my stomach twisted into a thousand knots. The closer I got to ordering, the more intense my nervousness became. I tried to get my laughter out before I reached the counter, in order to have the experiment work. Then I heard those dreadful words: “can I help the next customer?” My nerves kicked into overdrive; I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I walked up to the cashier, and with my best face asked if I could have a Big Mac and an Oreo McFlurry.
When the cashier first heard my request, I could see her eyes immediately open wide, nearly popping out of her head in confusion. She asked me again what I wanted, and I restated my order, this time with a slight unwanted smirk of awkwardness. She looked at me in a confused fashion for a second time, then looked behind her and proceeded to inform me that they weren’t McDonalds. At that point, I lost all composure; I could feel my face begin to turn red as I laughed uncontrollably. At that moment, I let it slip that I was doing it for a class and she immediately began to laugh, giving a sigh of relief. After learning that I wasn’t being serious about my order, I proceeded to order a legitimate meal, after which she informed me that she had thought to herself “wait, when did we get that?!” We both had a good laugh, and I moved on from the situation.
Performing this breaching experiment was rather interesting, because despite my minor slip up of informing my subject on what I was doing, she still managed to give me a genuine, amusing response. After the fact, she had specified that she questioned the franchise getting the items in which I was requesting because I was being so serious in my asking. Before even going up to the register and placing my order, I was extremely nervous for what her reaction would be, fearing that she would become angry with me and think I was just playing a joke on them, while also holding up the line. Luckily, that wasn’t the case and the experience made for great experimental results.
Attached is a video showcasing my experience with the Wendy’s cashier. It’s fairly difficult to hear, but between the 2 and 3 second mark, you can faintly hear me asking for a Big Mac and Oreo McFlurry, and around 10 seconds you can hear her say “I’m sorry, we’re not McDonald’s.” It was rather amusing to see what a person’s reaction would be upon asking for an item that wasn’t on their menu, but rather from the menu of a competitor. The fact that she was caught off guard made things even more interesting and genuine, because she clearly wasn’t expecting me to ask for something that was clearly not part of their franchise. I was glad to know that this type of breaching experiment could be done in a way where no one was offended and everyone involved just got a good laugh.
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What Alex Sarich did for a breaching experiment was clever, but also shows insight into how even after learning about micro-sociology and the norms that are around us, we (society) are still very stuck to the norms that have been created over time. We, as a society get so comfortable in the routines of our daily lives and what we were taught or have seen as right or wrong that even when we see things that are wrong or do not understand, going along with the norm is easier than trying to change it. For my breaching experiment, I stood facing people in the elevator, with my back to the door. This was not something monumental, but it still made people uncomfortable. Now, after the breaching experiment I stand with my face towards the door and my back to people behind me. I gave back in to the norm, because it was easier than dealing with awkwardness in an elevator.
Cynthia Aynilian
Cynthia Aynilian