Social Norms

Social norms are an essential part of living in a society; they guide us towards appropriate behaviors. Norms are the social behaviors that are expected and acceptable of a group. When you think of a certain behavior, if words such as typical, usual, or standard apply to it, then it is most likely a norm. The social norm that I studied for this particular experiment is the norm of paying for something with paper money. Whenever most people pay for items, whether it is at a grocery store, shopping mall, or restaurant, they typically use paper money rather than coins. This makes sense because it takes much longer to count out all the coins, and is generally quicker and easier for both the cashier and the customer. Obviously sometimes people
use coins if that is all they have or to make exact change, but I rarely see someone pay more than a few dollars solely in coins. In fact, if you owe, for example, $5.01, many clerks will accept just $5.00 so that they do not have to make ninety-nine cents in change. To do this assignment, I went to CVS two times and each time gathered a couple items so that my total would be around $15. The first time I went, I followed the social norm and paid with paper money. The second time, however, I paid the $15 in all coins. Mostly quarters, but I also used nickels, dimes, and pennies. When I paid for my items the first time, no one thought anything of it. I handed the clerk my money and she gave me the correct change back. She smiled at me and said, “Have a good night” and then called the next patiently waiting customer up to the register. Even though this seems like such a simple encounter, there were positive sanctions. The store clerk being cheerful and polite towards me is a positive sanction, as well as the other customer waiting patiently in line. Although I did not have much interaction with the person in line behind me, the fact that he waited patiently, rather than tapping his foot or sighing heavily, is a positive sanction. Both people, the store clerk and the man in line behind me, were reinforcing my behavior. I received positive sanctions because my behavior was acceptable and normal. I behaved the way our culture expects us to behave, and therefore did not receive any negative sanctions for paying with paper money. When I went to CVS for the second time, the results were a little bit different.
First, I had to go to the bank to get enough change! The banker looked at me funny when I asked him for $15 in quarters, but said nothing about it. Then I went to CVS again. When I went to pay for my items totaling around $15, I pulled out my bag of change and started counting out the dollars. I did not say anything about it, just counted out the money to myself. At first the store clerk looked at me as if I was joking. He soon realized that I was serious as I continued to count the money. I could see the irritation in his face as he began recounting the money and putting it all in the register. After he handed me my receipt, he said simply, “Have a good day” with no hint of friendliness in it. The whole process of counting out my change took about five minutes, and by the time I left the store, I was getting glares from the three customers waiting in line behind me. They did not say anything to me, but their body language and glares let me know that they were not happy about the wait. There were a few negative sanctions that resulted from my tedious behavior. The clerk’s annoyed attitude, as well as the negative body language and glares coming from the other customers are all negative sanctions. I was violating a social norm by paying for my purchase entirely in coins and the negative sanctions I received let me know that my behavior was not acceptable to most
people.