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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#19: Talking Shop

While Black Friday and Cyber Monday might be behind us, there are still weeks of shopping ahead as many of us gear up for Christmas.

While Hallmark holiday movies might have us believe that holiday shopping is a relaxed and cheerful activity that involves dipping into quaint shops with a hot chocolate in one hand and a bag of goodies in the other — we know the truth. Often, holiday shopping is a chaotic, several hour-long excursion through a packed mall, where you down cups of coffee just to keep yourself going. Or maybe you prefer to shop online, from the serene comfort of your couch. Finally, perhaps you avoid the whole thing altogether, because, like the Grinch, you know that "Christmas doesn't come from a store."

Whatever the case, it's clear that shopping can conjure up a range of emotions in different people. And your challenge this week is to capture those very emotions in a short story about... shopping!

This week's prompts

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

Funny – 41 stories

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

Romance – 60 stories

Write a short story about someone watching a convincing infomercial.

Funny – 20 stories

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

Narrative – 41 stories

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

Character – 49 stories

Stories

“Tis The Season?!” by Deanna West

Submitted to Contest #19

Uhmm excuse me, can we move it along here? I have less than 15mins before I have to get back to workCashier: I'm so sorry everyone for the inconvenience, one of the cashier's got sick and the now who is supposed to be in for 2nd shift is running late. I'm deeply sorry.Older woman: oh honey, just as long as I'm getting good customer service I'm good. I'm sure she'll be here soon...(I softy taps the older lady on the shoulder)Amanda: hi (generously extends my hand to the older lady)Older woman: (turns around) oh well hello there sweethea...

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“The Encounter” by Michele Duess

Submitted to Contest #19

Bah damn blasted humbug, thought Susan. She was deep into an early December shift and she was heartbroken. It was the people. These desperate people. She was heartsick from their constant demands for toys. Their anger when she was out of an item. The last woman had literally cried over a flipping doll. Then she swore. It wasn’t at Susan but it hurt all the same. Yeah, she thought, brilliant idea having these brick locations where the cyberbullies could now yell at her in person instead of the online virtual assistant. S...

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“Classic Face and their nutcrackers ” by Andrea Zimerer

Submitted to Contest #19

It was thanksgiving day and the team at Classic Face Clothing Store was having a meeting to prep them for the next few hours of their shifts. “We’re all aware of how stressful it is to work during this time of the year, but I believe we should go over a few basic regulations,” spoke the manager. As a result, Gerald an employee started patting down some of his forehead sweat. “I do trust you all to be on your utmost behavior, but I want to remind you that you are responsible to keep a productive but safe environment for both employees an...

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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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“Night Shift ” by Colleen Pinner

Submitted to Contest #19

Sally took a quick look at her watch. She couldn’t remember why she had volunteered to take this extra shift. Right now, she felt like she had been standing here behind her register for an eternity. The conveyor belt was relentless in its demand of her time and energy. Ring it up, bag it up, take the money, made the change, hand off the receipt, then do it all again. It was hard to keep smiling. Her back hurt, her feet hurt, her head hurt, but with Christmas so close, this would go on for hours, days, maybe forever.Children were tired and cr...

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“Merry Christmas from Shopping Street TV” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #19

There are two things I swore I’d never do (well, apart from the obvious ones like mass-murder or incest). One was having a TV in the bedroom and the other was wearing my PJs in the lounge. Not that it didn’t occurred to me that they were possibly among the perks of living alone, and certainly didn’t do anyone else any harm, and I certainly wasn’t into Sleep Hygiene – the very phrase makes me wince. I need my radio in my bedroom. Silence makes me nervous and I can’t sleep. But I digress. The business about n...

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“Disillusion” by Jonathan Purvis

Submitted to Contest #19

In the jail cell. Location: CLASSIFIEDNo one ever believed me. And now no one will.10 months before. The Year is 1965. No one believes me, but I don’t expect anyone to. After bringing the country out of the Great Depression and winning World War II, the suited men were heavily respected by everyone. Parades, oh the parades. The smiles, oh the smiles which shadowed over the tents, shelters, ashes, and tears from the decades left behind. Indeed it was a new age, an age of perfection. The suited men could do no wrong. Every law, every way to co...

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“A Young Thing in Old Bones” by Grace Noel

Submitted to Contest #19

“Have any of those apples left? The big yellow ones?” The young man across the counter opens his mouth to answer, but is cut short by the darting of the woman's eyes. The circles of foggy green springboard and ricochet off the walls of the farmer’s market, as if chasing a particularly petulant fly. The cashier’s gaze follows. Her finger thrusts past his cheek, yanking him back to attention.“Right that way!”“Ma’am?” He raises his eyebrows, glancing back to the rows of fruit crates. The woman’s thin lips quirk up...

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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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“A CANTICLE FOR LOBACHEVSKY” by Andrew Grell

Submitted to Contest #19

“Why don’t they take their receipts? Why didn’t she take her receipt in my cab? I handed it to her with her change. On the news, every few weeks, tick tock, someone leaves something valuable in a cab. A violin. A secret file. A child’s first drawing, now not taped on the refrigerator. So simple, brother. Sorry, I mean Father. Father brother, eh? Take a receipt, pocket it, have it if you forgot something, you get it back.” John Dunne Mahaya, graduate student and part time New York ca...

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“The Engagement” by Arthur Tiberio

Submitted to Contest #19

Behind the white expanse of the customer service counter, surrounded on every side by whiffs of orange, rose, and tincture of Roe, Amelia fiddled with the thin band of gold, still unfamiliar in its spot on her fourth finger. She turned it first one way, then the other, and the metal spun reluctantly but steadily, occasionally catching on the odd curvature of the joints. None of the infinite variations of position, though, were proving in the least bit comfortable. The hand felt ... leashed, somehow, which was ridiculous. It wasn't as if it w...

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“A Good Innings” by Deborah Mercer

Submitted to Contest #19

Why was I ever deluded enough to think this was a cushy job? In my defence, I wasn’t the only one and that’s not just surmising, because I know people who were turned down for this job and think I’m a lucky so and so – except even if they don’t say it, I’m pretty sure they’re thinking of an expression other than “so and so”!But they didn’t get the job. I did. To this day I’m not quite sure why, though, okay, fair enough, I didn’t tell any lies on my CV, but three weeks in the Friends of the Hospital Shop hardly counts as “Extensive Retail Ex...

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“The Office Ball 2000” by Natalie M.

Submitted to Contest #19

“Are you stressed at work? Out of shape? Not sleeping well?”“Yes, yes. And clearly yes, it’s almost three in the morning.”“Are you looking for a fun, basic way to move around during the day?”“Yeah, sounds good to me.”“Do you want to become active however you can?”“Yes, now just get to the point already.“Do you have $19.99 plus shipping and handling to spend right now?”“If you stop asking me questions, then I will.”“Then try the best innovation in exercise balls to date, the Office Ball 2000! It mixes all of the fun and exercise of a bouncy f...

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“Ho Ho Ho” by Nicole Rook

Submitted to Contest #19

“Is there anything else I can help you find? Perhaps a matching scarf to go with your new coat?” Michelle asked the finely dressed incognito celebrity. It was obvious to her that the celebrity’s bodyguard, a large man in a black suit, red tie and loaded down with multiple bags from the malls multitude of stores stood only a few feet from her, that this shopper wasn’t her average shopper. “ Good idea girl,” The celebrities bleach blon...

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“The Devil's Lullaby” by Eva Korošec

Submitted to Contest #19

“Having trouble sleeping?"Yes. I wouldn't be in front of my television at 1 am otherwise, lifelessly watching the infomercials. The man was grinning back at me almost manically, as if he knew it well, as if I, a bored insomniac, personally checked all of his boxes for a target audience."The nights too loud in the big city? Do you ever just want to move away for a good night's sleep?"Again, yes. As a country mouse, I had a hard time dealing with the big city racket that never ceased. Even now, I could hear police sirens a few blocks away and ...

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$50

Prize money

211

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Dec 13, 2019 EST

Won by Kelsey Marlett 🏆

Title: Man-Eater

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

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