Posted: March 22nd, 2023

Why is Chocolate Associated with Love?

Table of Contents

Introduction

Who does not love a chocolate bar? The product has a high level of appeal among the young and old generations. I have noticed in the local convenience store that chocolate bar is one of the most common goods in the shopping trolley for many customers. Children will always cry for a bar of chocolate when shopping with their parents. Lovers also pass by the shelves to buy a few chocolate bars. While this happens on any typical day, it is especially common during special occasions like Valentine’s Day. The chocolate bar has become a sign of love for lovers. Notably, the market for chocolate will thrive during the month of love, February. The interest in chocolate is a fascinating topic of study. Although the current interview would be significant in any day, it is more informative when conducted during the month of love because the responses from the respondents can offer more insights regarding the association between the chocolate bar and love.

Methods /Process of the Interview

The interview was conducted in a convenient store targeting people who bought different brands of chocolate. I selected the participants based on their purchase of chocolate from the convenience store. I had stood strategically close to the shelves where different brands of chocolate were arranged. I approached potential interviewees and asked for their consent to ask a few questions regarding chocolate. Some were in a hurry and did not have time for the interview, but I interacted with five customers who spared time to answer all my questions. Among the five respondents were two men, two women, and a teenage girl. They all had chocolate bars in their shopping trolleys. I recorded their responses in my notebook to analyze later. Each of the interviews took around ten minutes because I did not want to keep shoppers waiting. After all, it appeared that they had other commitments after shopping. However, within the ten minutes that I interacted with the respondents, I received comprehensive responses to my interview questions.

The interview had some obstacles, considering the setting where it was conducted. The convenience store provided a suitable place to access potential participants, but it was not the most appropriate setting for the interview. For example, I conducted all the interviews while standing, which means that I had to remain in that position for not less than one hour. Another obstacle was that most of the shoppers were in a hurry to complete their shopping and continue with other businesses. Therefore, not many customers had enough time to spare for the interview. Regardless of all the challenges, I managed to convince five respondents who responded to the interview questions. The five interviewees were willing to spare enough time to respond to my questions, which I appreciated. In the shopping place, a lot of movement was evident, which caused noise and interruptions. For example, children were playing and moving around the store. However, I managed to ask the questions and requested clarifications when necessary.

Regardless of the hindrances, the interview was smooth because it focused on a single product. Furthermore, the five interviewees were eager to talk about a product they loved and enjoyed to buy and consume. They had ready responses to all my questions. The topic guide and questions on the interview schedule were useful and provided relevant answers. During the interview, I realized that I had omitted some pertinent questions that could provide better insights into the topic. I added about three questions in the course of the interview. For example, I realize that I did not have enough questions regarding Valentine’s Day, which was an essential season around the time I conducted the interview. Therefore, I added some questions about the season and its relationship with chocolate purchases and consumption. It turned out that most of the shoppers who approached chocolate shelves associated the product with the important day for their loved ones. The interview was successful and I received relevant responses from the five interviewees, which will provide information for the content section of the assignment.

The Content of the Interview/Findings

I interviewed five individuals to receive responses for my interview schedule, which focused on the chocolate bar. The five respondents included two men, two women, and a teenage girl. One of the male interviewees was aged 25 years old, while the second one was 32 years old. Besides, one of the female informants was 23 years old, while the second one was 35 years old. The teenage girl was 19 years old. Two of the informants were white, one Latino, one African American, and a Chinese American. All the interviewees were high school graduates, although two had post-graduate education. The 19-year-old was a university student in the neighborhood. All the informants had consumed chocolate for the last five years. Three agreed that they consume a chocolate bar more than five times in a week. Thus, they could provide objective responses regarding their experience with the product.

The respondents had personal experience with chocolate. Besides buying the product for their loved ones, they also bought for personal consumption. The teenager bought a bar almost daily for personal use. One male and one female informant indicated that they purchased chocolate bars regularly for their partners. They perceive closeness when they buy and present their loved ones with chocolate bars. The 35-year-old female respondent indicated that she bought the chocolate for her children because the bars were their favorite snack: “I can’t have enough of my favorite chocolate bar.” Cultural, the respondents indicated a chocolate consumption tradition. For example, the teenage informant reported that she learned the tradition from her parents, who are ardent consumers of chocolate bars. The other respondents indicated that their parents had passed their chocolate consumption habits on to them: “my mother always has a chocolate bar in her bag.” The only respondent who had developed the practice is the Chinese American respondent. He indicated that he had learned the culture through interactions with his American friends. He had bought the chocolate for his girlfriend as an early Valentine’s Day gift. Overall, the interviewees had a personal experience with chocolate and could associate the product with their loved ones.

The Valentine’s Day season had a lot of implications on the decision to buy and consume chocolate. All the informants, except the teenager, indicated that they would purchase chocolates around Valentine’s Day. They agreed that their partners would be happy when they bought their favorite brands of chocolate. Therefore, they would come to convenience stores to buy chocolate for their partners and other loved ones, such as children and friends. Valentine’s Day is an important day for the sellers of chocolate.

The level of education did not have much impact on the decision to buy and consume chocolate. People with different educational backgrounds bought and consumed chocolate. Political affiliations also did not affect the choice and habit of chocolate consumption. Economic backgrounds informed the decision because the people who are most likely to buy the product are high- and middle-income earners. Low-income earners are more likely to perceive chocolate as a luxury. Most of the shoppers at the convenience store were middle-income earners. One of the informants agreed that he finds chocolate as a source of happiness, and it motivates him to work harder to acquire the money to continue buying: “the chocolate is one of my motivators to work hard because I have to access finances to buy a bar every day.” Overall, financial capability informs the decision to buy and consume chocolate.

Conclusion

The interview provided valuable insight regarding the decision to buy and consume chocolate bars. The interview was conducted in a convenience store, which made it easy to select relevant interviewees to respond to interview questions. The informants indicated that they were ardent lovers of chocolate and viewed it as a way of showing love. Besides, cultural and economic factors were prominent aspects of the decision to buy and consume chocolate. Although the interview was successful, I would interview more respondents in the future and create more time for the activity. I wish I had more time to learn about the motivations behind chocolate consumption because they are among the fastest-moving snacks at convenience store. Therefore, I would add more interview questions to the schedule to receive more responses.

Appendix

The respondents agreed to participate in the interview through an oral consent. I informed them about the purpose of the interview and requested their participation. They agreed to give responses, voluntarily.