The Coordinated Entry into Service Encounters in Food Shops: Managing Interactional Space, Availability, and Service During Openings

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article studies openings of service encounters in food shops. Based on video data in Catalan, Swiss German, Finland Swedish, and Finnish, it contributes to the general understanding of openings of face-to-face encounters by highlighting the systematic multimodal and sequential organization of sighting, gazing, greeting, walking, and moving into the reason for the encounter. More specifically, the article casts light on openings in institutional settings by investigating the methodic, coordinated achievement of entry into business and the contingencies involved. The article shows how the availability of the salesperson is displayed for the customer and how s/he orients to it, rendering visible how “service” is accountably offered and recognized.