How is the A & P a microcosm of American society in the short story by Updike

At first glance, John Updike's short story A & P seems to be another coming of age piece. But with taking a deeper look, in many ways you see how the A & P grocery store could be viewed as microcosm of North American society in the 1960's - and it's not a very positive portrait. The general bleakness of the people, the accepted coldness of the store itself, and the theme of class consciousness throughout the entire story causes you to really see how ...