A & P

A & P Summary | Detailed Summary

A & P, by John Updike, is written in the first person, as told from the point of view of a 19-year-old grocery clerk named Sammy. One day, while Sammy is working, three girls walk into the A & P supermarket wearing nothing but bathing suits. At first, one of the girls intrigues Sammy. She is chunky and wearing a green two-piece bathing suit. He is so lost in thought while looking at the backs of her legs that he can't remember if he has rang up the box of crackers in his hand. He punches the price of the crackers into the cash register, only to have his customer become angry because he has already charged her for them. It takes him a few minutes to calm down the woman and finish her transaction. By the time she walks away, the three girls in bathing suits have left the bread aisle and are making their way through the story. Sammy notices that they don't have shoes on. He takes another look at the girl in the green bathing suit. He scrutinizes her suit and decides that it must be new because it still has sharp seams in the bust. He then turns his attention to the girl next to her. Immediately, he is not attracted to her, but he thinks that she is the type of female other girls would call striking. His focus drifts to the third girl and she, thinking that she is the "queen" of the group, instantly intrigues him. Sammy watches dumbstruck, as she leads the other girls around the store. He studies her every move, noticing that she seems proud and walks straight and slowly. However, he is most enthralled with the condition of her bathing suit. Her shoulder straps have fallen down, leaving her upper chest exposed. Sammy stares at "this clean bare plane on the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light. I mean, it was more than pretty."

Sammy cannot take his eyes off the girl he has silently dubbed "Queenie." He thinks that she must feel him and his co-worker, Stokesie, staring at her, but she doesn't appear to notice. While she glides confidently through the grocery store, not looking at anyone, her two friends seem to huddle next to her, as if looking for protection. As Sammy gawks at the trio, he notices that other shoppers, whom he refers to as "sheep," are taken aback by the girls. He is amused to see some shoppers do a double take when they notice the fallen straps. While the girls seem entirely out of place under the harsh lights of the grocery store, Sammy ponders the fact that if they were at the beach, no one would notice them or their attire. Somehow in the store, their naked feet walking across the rubber tile floor seems titillating and scandalous.

While the girls continue circling the store, obviously looking for something, Sammy and Stokesie joke to each other, making comments about feeling faint at the sight of their bodies. Sammy wonders what the girls are doing in the A&P, because although their small town is located near the coast, it is still five miles from the beach. In addition, most women and girls put clothes on over their bathing suits before walking down the street. Sammy considers the town's location, which is north of Boston. Despite its proximity to the coast, he thinks that some people in the town haven't even seen the ocean for at least twenty years. As Sammy continues to examine the girls and their trip through the store, the trio stops at the meat counter. The man at the counter, McMahon, points at something and they walk away. McMahon pats his mouth and stares at them as turn. Sammy's feelings about the strange girls begin to change and he starts to feel sorry for them and the way they are being gawked at.

Now Sammy loses sight of them, but he continues to watch while leaning on the register, waiting for the girls to appear again down an aisle he can view from his post. He says, "The whole store was like a pinball machine and I didn't know which tunnel they'd come out of." Finally, the girls reappear and Queenie leads them toward his register, holding a gray jar in her hand. She puts down the item and Sammy picks it up, noticing that she is purchasing herring snacks in sour cream. Suddenly, he wonders where the money will come from. After all, she is not carrying a purse and has no pockets. With the demure look on her face never changing, she reaches into the top of her bathing suit and pulls out a dollar. Sammy is stunned and is suddenly acutely aware of the weight of the jar in his hand.

While Sammy prepares to ring in the sale, Lengel, the store manager, walks in and notices the girls. He quickly walks over and reminds them that the store is not a beach. Sammy thinks he sees the queen blush, but he can't tell if she might just have a bit of sunburn. She tells Lengel that her mother asked her to pick up a jar of herring snacks, but she doesn't explain why she is only wearing a bathing suit. Sammy is startled at the sound of her voice. At the mention of her family, he immediately fantasizes that her parents are in their living room, dressed up and having a party, drinking cocktails with olives and sprigs of mint, and eating herring snacks. He thinks about how his parents only serve lemonade or Schlitz in glasses with cartoon stencils.

Lengel repeats to the girls that they are not on the beach. Sammy smiles at the absurdity of the situation and Lengel notices. The queen really does start to blush now and the chunky girl in the green bathing suit tries to explain that they only wanted to buy one item. Lengel tells her that it doesn't matter how much they are buying. He says that when they come to the grocery store they must be dressed decently. The queen protests that they are decent, but Lengel refuses to argue with them. He tells them that if they ever come back to the store, they must have their shoulders covered. He turns his back on the girls.

During the confrontation, the other customers are watching the scene and Stokesie is doing his job as quietly as possible at the next register so he can hear every word. Lengel asks Sammy if he has rung up their purchase. Sammy admits that he hasn't and begins to punch in the sale. He carefully unfolds the bill, thinking about where it has come from. He gives the queen her change and puts the jar in a bag. He can tell that the girls want to get out of the store quickly. He suddenly tells Lengel, "I quit," fast and loud enough that the girls can hear him. He hopes that his quitting will catch their attention, but they walk out of the store and to their car. Lengel tells the clerk that he is making a mistake. Sammy responds, saying that Lengel embarrassed the girls. Sammy takes off his apron. He notices the other customers staring in shock, and thinks that they look like scared pigs in a chute. Lengel tries to stop Sammy from quitting by reminding the young man that his parents will be upset. However, Sammy feels that now that he has made this dramatic gesture, he has to go through with it. He takes off his bow tie, pushes the no sale button on his register, and walks through the automatic door. While walking toward the door, he decides that he is happy that this happened during the summer, when his grand exit does not have to be ruined by stopping to get his coat.

As soon as he gets outside, he searches for the girls, but they have left. Sammy looks through the window and sees Lengel take his spot at the register and begin to checkout customers. Lengel's face looks grey and he seems stiff. Sammy's stomach turns as he realizes that because he has quit his job, the world is now going to be a very hard place for him.