In the short story "A&P," how does the story add up to more than its sum of events?

That's an interesting question, because you are correct. The story itself doesn't really contain a whole lot of anything. It has few characters and little action happens. Sammy works at a grocery store of sorts. He does his job fine, but he doesn't particularly enjoy it or the customers that he has to deal with. A group of girls walks in wearing bathing suits, his boss gets upset, Sammy unsuccessfully tries to defend them, and the story ends with Sammy no longer having a job. With that said, the story sparks a lot of discussion about various characters and themes. This is why the story adds up to be more than a simple story about a kid in a grocery store. Solid discussions can be had about Sammy's "heroism" and what it actually means to be a hero or what a heroic act actually is. A great discussion question to ask is about whether or not Sammy would have been better off not doing anything. What's the point of trying to be a hero? It's always interesting to discuss what might become of Sammy in the next few years. Will he come to fully regret his actions, or do they shape him to be a better person? There's a lot of potential for this story to be used as an example of sexual objectification of women, as well. That's incredibly relevant to today's media, so it gives this story a lot of current relevance.