It’s 12:00 p.m. and I’m sitting outside at a local HAND CAR WASH in North Hollywood, California. It’s a hot summer day and I have a bottle of water, a laptop open in front of me and a purse beside me. The lot is full. I visit this place often and have met many people, including the owner. He’s a tall, middle-age man, of Armenian decent with a taste for comfort and luxury, making this car wash one of the most comfortable and inviting facilities in North Hollywood. His efforts have turned the waiting area into a relaxing division, together with delightful tabletops, comfortable wood seating, (decorative, unusual for a car wash), bench, a huge flat screen TV displaying some unknown reality show, a built-in fountain (with no running water), and green plants situated in every corner. He also has a waiting room inside the facility, with more inviting amenities such as air conditioning, a little café shot with baked goods and Armenian coffee, flat screen TVs, snacks, car supplies, perfume, dazzling jewelry for women, and a surveillance room packed with the latest high-tech cameras. However, his customers and I prefer to sit outside despite these additional indoor luxuries.
With exception of a few Latino employees, the majority of customers, employees and including the owner are of Armenian decent. It’s a nice place however, the people are friendly and they always provide good service, and prices are reasonable. Usually I’m greeted nicely and approached with a kind “how are you?” leading to small and quick conversation, and today is no exception, despite the busy string of cars pulling, customer service is important to this business.
Rows and rows of cars fill the lot. In fact, this car wash looks more like a “luxury car show”. The lot is packed with expensive brands like BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus, and a Bentley. Cars arrive through the back. Customers step out of the vehicle greeted by the manager with a yellow receipt, which the customer pays inside the facility. Two men wait intently with vacuums at hand for the customer and manager to step away from the vehicle. Once the vehicle has been successfully cleaned, the vehicle is driven into the back for a machine soap and wash. There after the vehicle is taken into the front lot for hand drying. The men look tired but enthusiastic as always.
White is a popular color in the rows of vehicles today, and so are the men; I'm the only female. The men have gather around the tables, with their top-notch cell phones, their thick gold watches and chains, their leather dress shoes, their collar tight t-shirts, and their short glossy hair, while they fill-up the ash trays and sip Armenian coffee from these small tea-cups, despite the hot weather, and speak blatantly in their native tongue. One man joins the group, they rise to greet him with a hand shake, a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The waitress steps with another set of tea-cups wearing a very tight and yet casual blouse and black slacks, heavy makeup and flip-flops. She serves the two groups of men sitting opposite of each other, and one single man on the bench with his leg crossed, engaged on his cell phone. She ignores me.
The employees are working diligently drying each vehicle, a fuse between Armenians and Latinos. The Latinos keep to themselves, hardly uttering a word, working exclusively in their space, while the Armenian workers interact with each other, usually with whistles and shouts. The string of luxury cars is on the rise as the hour moves further, with a head-count of fifteen male workers approximately, of all ages including a few senior citizens who perform light work. No one works directly in the sun, as the owner provides shade and room to work on each vehicle (not common for most car wash facilities).
A white mercedes pulls in and into the back. A woman wearing brown over-sized glasses, opulent jewelry, a tight blouse with the word GUESS, pumps and white jeans steps comes out of the vehicle, receives her yellow slip, and makes her way to the indoor waiting waiting room. A few men at the tables and on the take a glance as she moves in closer. She is greeted by the cashier and takes a chair, and immediately pulls out her cell. This environment is beneath her so it seems.
The man on the bench has left the waiting area, still on his cell phone, walks to his lexus, gives the worker a bill, a small glance, and drives off. The men in groups continue to talk and drink coffee, with an exception of two who have stepped inside the waiting area to converse with the cashier and waitress. It seems they know each other, with one entering the surveillance room. Many of these people are relatives and friends, with very few strangers.
The analysis withdrawn from this observance is from a Marxist point of view " A mode of production is constituted by the organization of the means of production )(factories, machinery, etc.) together with the specific social relations of reproduction (e.g class) which arise from the organization of those productive forces." (Barker, 56). There is an apparent separation of class and the system of capitalism, to which class is determined by material articles and profit-motive. This car wash is flooded with articles that imply class division such as luxury vehicles, gold chains, technological devices, name brand items, and the facility overall which is centered around a structure for profit. The system of capitalism and the hierarchy within this system is an important aspect in this culture and exhibited.
Patterns of consumption is widely practiced in this culture "..It is argued, workers' identifications and identities shift from location in the sphere of production to that of consumption. While the service class continues to enjoy more consumer items and services that the working class, their experiences are that of shared qualitative character...the become detached, through their incomes and consumption, form the underclass." (Barker, 152). This pattern is evident within the customers' appearance and the presentation of the facility, suggesting that consumption is a necessary principle in determining one's value and separation of class.
This car wash has adopted a capitalist system in a classic Fordism breakdown " Efficiency was sought through the techniques of 'scientific management' which stressed the organization of the division of labour to allow the separation of tasks; and the use of time and motion studies to measure and describes work task." (Barker, 142). In order for an efficient practice of service, are separated within four divisions starting with the two men who vacuum the vehicle, the machine washing at the back end of the facility, the hand drying in the front area of the facility and the cashier inside the facility where the customer pays for the service. With this division of labor, the owner is able to provide his service in the most efficient way possible to the maximum amount of cars possible, thus increasing his profit and provide work for his employees. However, this division of labor extended throughout the facility requires the practice of surveillance to ensure order and safety, " The emergence of an industrial labour process included an increase in the size and division of labour, mechanization and the intensification of work. The workshop and factory were utilized as a means of exerting discipline and the creation of new work habits. That is, they marked new forms of surveillance." (Barker, 179). This car wash has an entire room devoted to surveillance, equipped with the latest cameras and viewing systems that monitor every aspect of the facility. As a customer and perhaps as a worker, every move is being watched to ensure that the customer, as much as the worker, follows an orderly conduct.
Hand Car Wash has strong ties to Armenian traditions and relations derived from a culture of below. Marx's social class system and capitalism is practiced and valued, which may lead to a pattern of consumption. The structure imposed by Fordism is apparent and effective, while Surveillance is used to promote order. Overall this facility is not different then many business practiced throughout the U.S.
Cited Works
Barker, Chris, and Paul Willis. Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles [u.a.: SAGE, 2008. Print.
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