This is the storefront of a designer's boutique on Prince Street. I have seen store-owners keep their cats and dogs in their stores before as well, but the relationship with the customer is different. In this context, the rabbit -his name is Jack- is more of an accessory than a buddy. The dog usually stays in the back and cats are allowed to wander around and sleep where they please. Jack is confined for practical/sanitary reasons, but someone had to make the conscious choice to build his playpen right in the front of the store instead of the back, which would probably have meant less stress for the animal.
The woman working at the store was very nice- she answered my questions and allowed me to take pictures. The grass you see is fake grass, which she says he does not try to nibble on. He has a waterbowl and a pile of real alfalfa to eat. I asked if he lived in the store- he commutes daily. The woman made it seem as if it were a matter of companionship and convenience to have him there, but he has his own well-outfitted space in the showcase, which he shares with two manequins. It would be hard to believe that they're are not aware of the influence live cute animals have over a potential customer. Having animals around (even pictures of animals) is an extremely reliable sales tactic. In this circumstance, it may also be something for kids and boyfriends to play with so a woman can spend a longer time shopping.
Jack's presence is not unlike the pet adoption campaign tables seen outside of parks and pet stores, that feature live and eligible dogs and cats. However, the connection between the animal and the product is less direct in the case of Jack. He is "styled" just like everything else in the store. Because it is a high-end boutique, it would be too tacky if he were to wear a little vest that said "This week 20% off everything," but maybe not so much if it were a neighborhood vintage store in Brooklyn.
When I began this post, I searched for images of GrubHub ads and almost immediately I found the collaborative blog Big Other's post "The Semiotics of GrubHub" by A D Jameson. I had never seen this site before but it seems like it would've been a great source for people in the Visual Culture class to refer to during the semester. The writing is solid and the topic are interesting. At first, I wanted to discard my idea for this post because Jameson had already done it so well. Then again, he and all of the other contributors to Big Other are real writers, with multiple Masters degrees and published books.
Jameson focuses on decoding the (hidden and not so hidden) sexual messages in the ads. Something else that I can't escape is the way that the ads use language and images to make the service seem absolutely effortless. What I mean is, having a service online does not change the fact that your order is still being faxed to a real restaurant with real kitchen staff and real delivery people. The language of ease is all over- in phrases like "summon food" and "eating made easy." As well as GrubHub's repeated theme of ordering and eating food naked.
Seamless web is a similar service that emphasizes the ease of the experience. Their tag line is "Your food is here," and nearby they claim to be "The easiest way to order. Maybe even easier than eating." However, their website and ads are far less humorous than GrubHub's. They don't have cute paper-collage characters and inside jokes. Seamless is straightforward and no-nonsense, while GrubHub celebrates entertainment and nonsense.
If you have never worked in a kitchen, especially in New York City, it is no exaggeration that a huge percentage of the staff are Hispanic males, many of them illegal or with questionable immigration status. Even in nice restaurants and those owned by non-Hispanic minorities. In addition, it is common practice to pay them poorly, often in cash, because they have no better alternative. This may seem like a stretch to associate this sad state of affairs with the politics of GrubHub's ads, but I'm not the only one. On the opposite side of the "ease" coin, I see a lot of racist comments online about a) why Grubhub is great because you don't have to talk to someone who "doesn't speak English" and b) commenting on the "inaccurate" graphics of the ads, for example, a white delivery guy. See howzyafatha.com for an example. It's true that no matter what language is spoken, GrubHub is convenient because it is in writing, but is eliminating verbal communication going to make any of us better at it?
