Write a short story about someone based on their shopping list.

Posted in Character on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 49 stories

“Things that are hard.” by Cam Croz

Submitted to Contest #19

EggsMilkFlourSugarButterBaking powderVanillaSalt entry 1: eggs The sky is a hazy blue. The air is chilly with the snow that was yet to fall. And I am in desperate need of eggs. I usually didn't run out of them, (I’d have chickens) and was surprised to find one day that my chickens had just decided to stop laying them. One sec… I’ll be back. Okay then, they aren't really. a problem anymore. The problem now is, how to get eggs. How. To. Get. Eggs. I’ll have to think on it, it’s not like I can just drive off the sixty minutes to to...

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“Man-Eater” by Kelsey Marlett

🏆 Winner of Contest #19

It’s Man-Eater today — slick, metallic, with a scent like wet paint — and it’s twenty-five dollars and my brain is still trying to kill me. The clerk looks at me like I’m a stray dog. A mixture of pity and disgust. She isn’t wearing a nametag, but she looks like she could be an Ashley or Rebecca. My brain says, You’re useless. The clerk says, “Do you need any help?” I turn the lipstick over in my hands. The door bangs, making us both jump, and cold air blasts into the store. Ashley or Rebecca turns around and the new customer meets her at th...

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“Tools of the trade” by Miles Gatling

Submitted to Contest #19

"Why did you kill him, Stan?""I said I want my lawyer.""Come on now. You're making this way too difficult. Just admit it, it'll be easier on your sentence.""Hey don't blame me for something I didn't do. Give me a lawyer, then I'll talk.""Forget your lawyer, Stan. He won't help you, not after I show him incriminating video footage."The detective leaned back in his chair and straightened his tie. "What are you talking about? What video?" Stan’s eyes narrowed. "You, buying a screwdriver at Hardware-4-Life; hours before you m...

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“The worst customer” by Alex Sandoval

Submitted to Contest #19

I have two jobs during the holidays because I hate myself and I don't get invited to many parties anyway; at least not the ones that are held at a time that clashes with my schedule. In the morning I work as a cashier for a department store. The children's section is probably the worst place to be in. I lied in my resume about working better under pressure but so far so good. No one has tried to call the manager on me; the parents are simply too tired to do the effort and I'm blessed. My evening job has nothing to do with children but it's g...

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“행복한 꿀벌 (Happy Bee)” by Natasha Arnold

Submitted to Contest #19

Dribbled with milk and cookie crumbles was a list. This list was crumbled deeply into Rea’s pocket, stuffed between a used tissue and keychain. On her list was scribbled: 아빠를 위해 (for Dad),행복 (happiness)진정한 사랑 (true love)직업 (job)...cheerios ( ˙꒳˙ ) Burrowed deep in Daehakno Seoul, Korea was eight-year-old Rea. It was noon time when Rea gained the courage to adventure across the streets. Crowding the street was a herd of business folk, taxi-cabs, busses, tourists and construction workers. Each had their own journey to adventure, whether...

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“Aki's List” by Whitney Trang

Submitted to Contest #19

Turkey Gum Lottery ticket They were the only items on the list written on a pink sticky note with red ink. None of them were crossed off. “What do you have there, Aki?” My grandmother asked. I found the list on our way out of the hair salon where Grandma got her hair done every Sunday afternoon. “Someone’s shopping list,” I answered. “It’s trash,” Grandma said. “Why did you pick it up?” S...

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“Next stop, normal” by Bree Kokiri

Submitted to Contest #19

*Warning, this story contains strong subject matter that some readers may find upsetting. Reader's discretion is advised. I pulled my jacket closed as the cold autumn wind whipped through the parking lot of Chick-A-Dee store. I put on my tacky, neon orange, employee vest. It reads “How can I help you?” across the back. Right, as if I can help people while I’m chasing run away carts. Not that it stops them from asking. I pull my sandy brown hair into a pony tail, and sigh. I close my eyes for a moment, wondering how I can make this more fun....

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“Sarah's List” by Heidi Slowinski

Submitted to Contest #19

‘ISO the owner of this list.’ I typed into my post before adding the photo. ‘To whom it may concern,’ I went on, musing at the formality of the post. ‘I am seeking the owner of this list, found at the local discount store on 2nd Street.’ I tagged the location, just in case.It was a piece of notebook paper I found in the aisle at the discounter where I was picking up paper plates and a few other supplies for a co-worker’s birthday at my office. I had been in a hurry and, frankly, in a bad mood. The holidays, year-end, deadlines, no time, no s...

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“Axiom the Second” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #19

The most important part of watching someone was to make sure you weren't being watched in turn. Keeping this in mind, Romley walked silently through the outer promenades of the bazaar, taking care to stay only in the shadows. The sun was very hot, despite this being only the barest edge of the desert, so the loose turban which covered his eyes received no special attention. He passed quickly through the domain of the fruit vendors and fishmongers, and wormed his way into the crowded stalls of men who sold far more exotic items. Amulets of ca...

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“That one dress” by Tiana Gabel

Submitted to Contest #19

I push aside the curtain, the steam from the shower instantly sinking in the cold bathroom like some sci-fi cryogenic pod had opened in the tub. Get some green lights in here, and maybe some holographic nylon clothes for me and this would be a perfect set for a supernatural skincare commercial. I scribble the additions on a 4 by 6 card crammed with ink. Two more items Christmas-listed. I grab a towel, the artificial orange ruining the sharp feel I wanted, but it will have to do. My hair wrapped and twisted up to dry, I turn gracefully my fin...

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“Beyond the Bucket List” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #19

BEYOND THE BUCKET LISTThere was something about the interlinked lines of shopping trolleys that always reminded Lydia Lewis of the snake game on the old Nokia phones. She entertained bizarre notions of them weaving around the car park in some clanging conga dance after the supermarket had closed. That might make a good story. Actually, no, it wouldn’t.But at the moment she wasn’t thinking about old phones or phantom trolley dances or her fledgling writing career (though she thought in her gloomier moments that, to borrow an uncomfortably exp...

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“The Old Shopper” by Vaibhav Sharma

Submitted to Contest #19

Cold had never bothered him much, but his ageing bones shivered in the exceptional cold this day. Christmas had always been his favourite time of the year. Maybe that comes with having a large family like his. Despite the blistering cold, he felt saturated with warmth every Christmas. Christmas, for him, was the time he would go all in. Each year, he would spend days setting up the Christmas tree and draping lights around his home. He would make an exhaustive list of gifts for all the children of his family and spend weeks shopping for ...

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“Shopping for Clovis” by Guillaume Boisset

Submitted to Contest #19

Our canoe lurched as I took a swipe with my axe at the pole supporting the weathervane on the roof of the Louvre Palace. Sparks punctured the moonlit December night as my glinting axe connected. A metal on metal screech briefly drowned out the wind. A rooftop cat hissed as the canoe flew past. “Night Watch is up! We’re going back to the Arthalaska,” Tremblay shouted from the stern as a musket ball whistled by. “Just one more hit and it’s ours. Hard about-turn starboard and a final pass,” I replied looking back at him. Fear was etched on his ...

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“The Christmas Wish Lists.” by Rima ElBoustani

Submitted to Contest #19

Christmas is fast approaching and with it comes holiday cheer. Everyone is in a happy mood, looking forward to Mom’s cooking and the presents under the tree. Some of us still believe in Santa. Some don’t. But we are still asking for those things we want, and putting them on our Christmas wish lists. We don’t really care who gets it for us. Just so long as we get it. Every Christmas, I notice that some people think that our wish lists say something about who we are. A fellow teacher and I wanted to test this theory. For Christmas, I had the c...

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“The Shopping List” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #19

The Shopping ListThe List A man is walking ahead of you in the supermarket where you do your shopping. When driven by the curiosity that sometimes suddenly captures you in such situations, you look over his shoulder. You pretend to be reaching for something high on the shelf above him. What you are really doing is looking at his shopping list. You just can’t resist, as you believe that you can read people’s personality or lifestyle in their shopping lists.. What you see written there makes you feel pretty confident that you kn...

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Contest #19

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Ended on 23:59 - Dec 13, 2019 EST

Won by Kelsey Marlett 🏆

Title: Man-Eater

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Write a short story about someone based on their shopping list.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 49 stories

“Things that are hard.” by Cam Croz

“Man-Eater” by Kelsey Marlett

“Tools of the trade” by Miles Gatling

“The worst customer” by Alex Sandoval

“행복한 꿀벌 (Happy Bee)” by Natasha Arnold

“Aki's List” by Whitney Trang

“Next stop, normal” by Bree Kokiri

“Sarah's List” by Heidi Slowinski

“Axiom the Second” by Arthur Tiberio

“That one dress” by Tiana Gabel

“Beyond the Bucket List” by Deborah Mercer

“The Old Shopper” by Vaibhav Sharma

“Shopping for Clovis” by Guillaume Boisset

“The Christmas Wish Lists.” by Rima ElBoustani

“The Shopping List” by John Steckley

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a short story about someone in the middle of a very long and busy retail shift.

Write a short story about someone searching for the perfect gift for their partner.

Write a short story about someone watching a convincing infomercial.

Write a short story about a shop that takes place over a span of years.

Contest #19

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

211

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: