At first, this may not say much, but it shows that the tale is set in a time of American prosperity due to the end of World War II. The store they used in the story was in a beach town, which led the three girls in bathing suits to go shopping at A&P. If the story wasn't set in a seaside town, the entire plot would have been drastically changed; Sammy would not have felt the need to show off in front of the girls because they would have worn acceptable clothing in the store, resulting in Lengel, the manager, not confronting the girls while they were checking out. Sammy wouldn't feel the need to quit his job just to defend the girls, because there would be nothing to oppose. Sammy would then keep his job and move on in life. The whole twisted scenario of A&P greatly shows the importance of the main setting and the outcome of the story. Sure, John Updike could have placed the A&P location somewhere else, but the fact that it's in a seaside town makes the entire specific scenario described in the short story seem more likely than actually