How would the plot change if it began with Sammy waking up at his house on the morning of the same day? I think that the plot would have changed dramatically. If such were the case it would seem more like he's talking about a daily routine at his job instead of three scantily-clad girls walking through a grocery store while he's at work.
Voice is important, because if it would have been from Stokesie's point-of-view with what was happening, it might have been his perspective as a married man trying really hard not to look at these three girls, and Stokesie trying hard to keep his attention on the job.
Interpretation of "how hard the world was going to be to me from here on in."
Sammy just quit his job to impress Queenie, who didn't bother to notice it and, then the three girls disappear without a trace when he leaves the store. Since he's given up his job and lost the girl he quit is job for, reality has hit him. For me personally, I see this ending as an anti-climax. The reader would hope or think that Queenie would get a clue with what he was doing, and that certainly wasn't the case.
For my alternative ending, Sammy would feel like quitting his job for Queenie, but decides against. The next time Queenie returns to the A&P, she's wearing a shirt that covers her shoulders.
I know that it's a rather cheesy ending, but I think it's better than the way it ended.
It's interesting to think of how the story would have been different from a different perspective. I liked the ending because the author, instead of giving Sammy his wish of impressing Queenie, has Sammy deal with the harsh truth that his attempt at bravery was pointless.
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