A Bad Day for Sales

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Leiber, Fritz, 1910-1992

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"A Bad Day for Sales" by Fritz Leiber is a short story written in the early 1950s, specifically during the mid-20th century. It falls into the genre of science fiction, exploring themes of technology and human interaction in a futuristic context. The narrative revolves around an advanced sales robot, Robie, and the impact he has on a crowded Times Square setting amidst significant shifts. The story centers on Robie, a mobile sales robot designed to sell various products while engaging with potential customers. As Robie interacts with a diverse crowd, he tries to sell items like candy and an unusual drink called Poppy Pop. However, the atmosphere quickly shifts as a catastrophic event occurs, leading to chaos and destruction in the once-bustling location. Amidst the turmoil, Robie's programmed responses and interactions reveal a stark contrast between mechanical efficiency and the emotional human experience of loss and fear, especially when a young girl searches for her mother after the blast. The story ultimately reflects on the nature of technology in a world where human frailty is exposed, leaving readers to contemplate the implications of automation and its emotional disconnect from human experiences. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 77.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.

Release date is 2016-01-01