Social Interaction

4.1 Remain in sight

The analysis presents a typical case where a salesperson remains in the area where she addressed customers. Sales talk by salespeople often fails. In Excerpt 1, the salesperson—initially behind the counter (Fig.1.1)—invites customers to try the mattress in line 02 (Fig.1.2). This offer elicits a non-granting response in line 05; the customer responds with hai arigatougozaimasu ("Yes, thank you") but does not attempt to try the product. The second attempt in line 06 indicates the salesperson's recognition that her initial offer did not produce an immediate granting response.

Extract 1.

It is crucial to note that, when experiencing a failed attempt, the salesperson neither withdraws from initiating talk nor merely passes by the customers. Instead, she maintains her position and bodily orientation toward them (Figs. 1.3–1.4). Customer 2 occupies the interactional space the salesperson aimed to establish in line 08 by asking a question about the product he is examining. Notably, Customer 2 does not use attention-getting or attention-monitoring techniques—such as summonses (Balantani & González-Martínez, 2025), pointing gestures, or addressee-gaze monitoring (Stukenbrock, 2020)—to re-engage the salesperson. He relies solely on the proximal deictic expression kocchi ("this"), presupposing the salesperson's perceptual access to the referent and indicating no need to secure or confirm her attention for the (re-)initiation of talk.

Remaining at the location is not merely staying put; it represents a finely coordinated embodied achievement by the salespeople. To establish an embodied participation framework, salespeople must continuously display their availability (Heath, 1982) to customers. In Excerpt 1, after offering the opportunity to try the product in line 02, the salesperson steps slightly to her right (line 04), positioning herself as a bystander (Goffman, 1981) who, while not participating as a ratified participant, remains available for assistance. Her availability is also expressed through her embodied posture of simply waiting (cf. Svinhufvud, 2018) —doing nothing more than standing, relaxing her arms, and refraining from engaging in other tasks.

Maintaining this position may require the salesperson to rearrange her standing. In Excerpt 1, as Customer 2 moves forward to examine another similar product, the distance created by the salesperson decreases (Fig. 1.5). This prompts the salesperson to step back, thereby sustaining the embodied participation framework that enables her to continue in a bystander role (Fig. 1.6).

In service-encounter settings in retail stores, defining the term "bystander" is complex. The two customers in this excerpt do not directly interact; instead, they focus on the product they are examining, creating a triangular embodied participation framework involving both customers and the product. To be a bystander, the salesperson must also look at the product while orienting her body toward the customer(s) rather than directly at them (Fig. 1.3). This requires a redirection of the salesperson's gaze trajectory (line 06); she initially directs her gaze toward the customer when addressing him in line 02. Customer 2's use of the proximal deictic expression kocchi ("this") without attention-getting practices in line 08 further illustrates this point: he assumes the salesperson is already attending to the same object.

A modified version of McNeill's (2006) "instrumental F-formation" enables object-focused interaction among participants (Hindmarsh et al., 2000). The salesperson positions herself at a distance from customers, examining the product. As De Stefani (2014) argues, object-focused interactional space allows for varying distances between human actors and objects. Customers are inclined to examine products directly—especially those with notable material properties (McCabe & Nowlis, 2003), such as bedding goods. In contrast, salespersons, who do not engage in immediate direct exchange but seek to demonstrate their availability, tend to maintain a relatively greater distance from customers.

Remaining in sight of customers is, then, what salespeople orient to achieve in order to configure a common interactional space for (re-)initiating talk. As shown in Excerpt 1, to remain, salespeople tend to position themselves one step outside the immediate focused interaction and redirect their gaze toward the products, thereby taking on a bystander role.

Excerpt 2 provides another example. Before Excerpt 2 begins, the customer approaches a shelf to examine the product(s). This creates an opportunity for the salesperson to initiate a sales talk with her. The salesperson slowly approaches the shelf and utters irasshaimase ("welcome"), as if semi-broadcasting it to the shop floor rather than directly targeting the particular customer (line 01).

Extract 2.

The salesperson moves forward and stops at a position where she can address the customer while monitoring the customer examining the product. Notably, she stands slightly apart, with a shelf partially obstructing their visibility (Fig. 2.1). After determining the appropriate moment to speak, she begins her sales offer in line 04, leaning forward and pointing to the product with her left hand (Fig. 2.2). This posture enhances mutual visibility, creating a shared interactional space. However, her attempt proves ineffective as the customer ignores the offer (line 05). Facing the challenge of encouraging the customer to try the product, the salesperson remains in the area and retracts her forward posture (Figs. 2.3–2.4). She indicates her availability by standing just outside the customer's immediate interaction while remaining a potential speaker—acting as a bystander. Unlike the previous excerpt, where the customer initiated talk, in Excerpt 2, the salesperson utilizes the interactional space: she steps forward again, leaning in (Fig. 2.5) to (re-) initiate a sales dialogue about the product's features (line 06). Similar to the earlier fragment, she references the product without specifying it, indicating her assumption that both she and Customer 1 know which product being discussed.

Before analyzing another aspect of remaining-in-place, it is necessary to explain how salespeople initiate contact with customers. As noted in Excerpt 2, salespeople typically approach customers who are examining products. Excerpt 3 illustrates this timing.

Extract 3.

The customer in line 01 refers to the product Bunanotte both vocally and through embodied conduct: while pointing to the shelf with his index finger, he tells his partner, "This is Bunanotte" (Fig. 3.1). Joint attention to the product is achieved through his combined vocal and non-vocal reference, as shown in Fig. 3.2.

At this moment, it becomes publicly observable that their bodily orientation toward the product, along with the interactional space configured through the embodied organization of their participation framework, has stabilized. Meanwhile, the salesperson, near the counter, monitored the situation and, upon recognizing the appropriate moment, approached them to initiate talk (Fig. 3.3). The content of the talk initiated by the salesperson directly relates to the product the customers examined: in line 05, she offers them the opportunity to try it on while simultaneously pointing to it with her left hand.

During product examinations, customers' bodily orientation stabilizes, serving as a resource for configuring an interactional space to initiate talk. The products being examined provide topical resources that salespeople can utilize. Consequently, salespeople often seize this opportunity to engage customers.

When the salesperson (re-) initiates talk, the topic remains the Bunanotte product previously discussed. After an unsuccessful attempt to offer a try-on (line 08), she steps back slightly, redirects her gaze toward the shelf, and orients her body toward the customer(s), signalling her availability as a bystander salesperson (line 09; Figs. 3.3–3.4). Following a short interval, she re-initiates talk about the product by describing one of its properties (line 10). Thus, the opportunity for salespersons to re-initiate sales pitches while remaining in the area where they initially addressed customers depends on customer engagement in examining products.

The tendency of salespeople to initiate talk while customers examine products is further demonstrated when they withhold or adjust their attempts once customers cease product examination (these instances are not related to the remaining-in-place practices discussed here). In Excerpt 4, the salesperson monitors the customer to determine the appropriate timing for initiating talk (Fig. 4.1).

Extract 4.

When the customer touches the product, the salesperson approaches her; however, the customer withdraws her hand and reorients her upper body (Fig. 4.2). Recognizing the lost opportunity to initiate talk, the salesperson instead says irasshaimase ("We::lcome") rather than delivering a sales pitch (Fig. 4.3) and alters her walking trajectory to pass by the customer (Fig. 4.4).

We examined cases where salespeople exhibit their availability as bystander salespersons by positioning themselves at a greater distance from products than customers and redirecting their gaze from customers to products. The availability of salespeople as interlocutors can be secured more flexibly than in the three previously examined fragments. In Excerpt 5, the salesperson approaches customers from behind (Fig. 5.1), offering the opportunity to try on the product without revealing her appearance (line 02; Fig. 5.2). Recognizing that the customers are unlikely to try the product at this time (lines 03–04), the salesperson remains behind them, looking at the product while positioning herself so that Customer 2 can perceive her presence in his peripheral vision (Fig. 5.3). Similar to previous fragments, the salesperson initially looks at Customer 1 when addressing her (line 02) and then redirects her gaze toward the product (line 03).

Extract 5.

Customer 1 recognizes the salesperson's availability as a service provider and poses an inquiry without confirming her presence (line 06). She refers to the product without explicitly naming it, expecting the salesperson to understand their shared context. By torquing her upper body to pose the inquiry, Customer 1 indicates that this is a temporary exchange (Schegloff, 1998) (Fig. 5.4). This aligns with Goffman's (1981, p.134) concept of crossplay, where a ratified speaker (Customer 1) temporarily engages with a bystander (the salesperson). In response, the salesperson approaches the shelf to stand alongside the customers and answer the question (line 09; Fig. 5.5), thus transforming the crossplay into an exchange between ratified participants by rearranging their embodied participation framework and foregrounding their presence as ratified participant. Foregrounding their presence as ratified participants is frequently observed, especially when customers initiate the use of an interactional space to (re-) initiate a talk. This point will be revisited later.

Similar to the preceding fragment, in Excerpt 6 the salesperson approaches the customer from behind (Fig. 6.1) and produces an initiating utterance (line 02).

Extract 6.

The salesperson moves to the right side of the customers while finishing line 02 (fig. 6.2) and steps back slightly to assume the role of a bystander as the sequence is brought to completion (lines 04–05). This position enables the salesperson to observe both customers and products (Figs. 6.3–6.4). After waiting about 30 seconds to gauge the timing for engagement, the salesperson decides to (re-) initiate a sales talk about the measurement system (lines 07–09).

The five fragments examined share a common feature regarding the interactional space established by remaining visible to customers: re-initiated talk focuses on the products the customers are examining. However, this space can also be used to initiate talk that is not directly related to the products. In Excerpt 7, the salesperson approaches the customer and, in line 02, offers her the opportunity to try on the product while remaining in the same spot where she engaged with the customer (Figs. 7.1–7.2).

Extract 7.

After the salesperson's second attempt (line 04), the customer inquires about the advertisement she received (line 06). In this fragment, the customer utilizes the interactional space to (re-) initiate talk about a topic other than the products themselves.

In response, the salesperson quickly approaches the customer to address the question (line 08). This exemplifies foregrounding, as discussed in Excerpt 5, where salespersons transition from bystanders to ratified participants by rearranging their bodily configurations.

4.2 Being avoided

Customers may, at times, avoid interaction with salespeople to engage in individual or group decision-making. In such instances, they may dissolve the interactional space by leaving the setting.

Excerpt 8 illustrates customers avoiding (Mondada, 2022) the salesperson. In this fragment, the customer stands near the boundary between the inside and outside of the store, observing the product. This prompts the salesperson to guide him into the store and encourage him to try on the product (line 02).

Extract 8.

As in the preceding fragments, the salesperson approaches the customer, leaning forward to produce line 02 (Fig. 8.1). She then reorients her gaze toward the products (Fig. 8.2). In contrast, the customer ignores the salesperson's utterance (line 03) and leaves to avoid interaction (line 04) (Fig. 8.3). The salesperson subsequently leaves, giving up on the interaction (Fig. 8.4). Salespersons' remaining is an attempt to establish an interactional space with customers. In response, customers may decline the attempt by leaving.

Still, even in cases of customer avoidance, remaining in sight can be effective as it signals the salesperson's availability. Customers who initially leave may return and use the salesperson's presence to ask questions, as illustrated in Excerpt 9.

Extract 9.

In this fragment, the salesperson leans forward to make an offer in line 02 (Fig. 9.1), which fails as the customer quickly turns to her companion and leaves (Fig. 9.2–9.3). In contrast to the previous case, where the salesperson became unavailable, the salesperson here steps back slightly and remains present. This effort to stay available pays off when Customer 1 returns to the spot where she previously stood (line 04; Fig. 9.4) and poses an inquiry (line 05).

Remaining available sometimes requires bodily rearrangement, as customers who left to avoid the encounter are now in motion. In Excerpt 10, two customers, accompanied by their young child, examine pillows on the shelf.

Extract 10.

((Minagawa, in line 06, refers to the name of the shop's brand, whereas Hoomudoo, in line 08, designates another retail store.))

The salesperson approaches the customers to make an offer (line 02) and stabilizes her body to display availability (Fig. 10.1–10.2). Contrary to her expectation, the customers stop examining the product and leave, avoiding the encounter and moving on (line 05; Fig. 10.3). As the customers move forward, displaying availability requires bodily rearrangement. The salesperson follows their trajectory, adjusting her posture in accordance with their movement (Fig. 10.4–10.5), which enables her to receive the customer's inquiry in line 06.