MHC150: BENEDIKTSSON
INTERVIEWS WITH MERCHANTS
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION
“Hi, my name is _________________ and I’m a student at Hunter College. We’re working on a class project where we’re interviewing local merchants about their businesses. At the end of the class, we’ll feature some of the businesses we interview on a website. There has been a lot in the media about how hard it is to operate a small business in the city, and we are especially interested in hearing about how they manage to be successful. We would love to interview you for the project if you have the time. The interview should take less than a half-hour. We would ask questions about the history of your business, the products you sell or services you offer, your background, and how you see the business changing and the neighborhood changing. Would you mind being interviewed by us?
If they say, “Yes”:
- “Great, is there a specific place where you’d like to do the interview?” (If the business is loud, look for a quiet place to sit down.)
If they say, “No”:
- “Of course, we totally understand, thank you for your time.”
If they say, “Yes but not now”:
- “Okay, would you like us to wait, or is there a time when we can come back?”
- If they can’t do it at a time when you can return:
- “Can we give you a call later and either figure out a time when we can come back to do the interview or just do the interview over the phone?”)
Before the interview:
- Would you mind if my friend records the interview with her phone?
- (This just makes it easier for us because we don’t have to take notes.)
After the interview:
- Is it okay with you if we mention your name and the name of your business?
- If not, we can leave the interview anonymous.
- Is it okay with you if we take pictures of you and / or your shop / restaurant?
- If you have any questions or concerns, you can call our Professor, Mike Benediktsson at 212-772-5583, or email him at mbenedik@hunter.cuny.edu. (Write this info down on a piece of paper and give it to the person you have interviewed.)
