The supermarket at closing time

Source A: an original contemporary non-fiction-style account.

Ten minutes before closing, the supermarket seemed to be dismantling its own welcome. The cheerful announcements had acquired an edge, and the bright aisles stretched away with almost nobody in them. A worker pulled a trolley of empty crates past the fruit display. The wheels complained at every joint in the floor. Somewhere beyond the frozen food, a cleaning machine began its low, determined growl.

I had come for milk, but the silence made each extra choice feel like an offence. At the bakery, the remaining rolls lay under a hard white light, survivors of a day I had missed. A sheet of plastic rustled over the counter. The shelves were still full, yet the place felt less like a shop than a stage after the audience had gone, with the scenery waiting to be moved. My basket knocked against my knee as I hurried towards the only open till.

The cashier greeted me kindly, which made my sense of trespass seem excessive. Behind her, however, another worker was stacking baskets with brisk, final clicks. I paid and stepped through the automatic doors. They opened with their usual smooth obedience, indifferent to the fact that I was the last customer. Outside, the dark car park felt unexpectedly spacious. There was no announcement telling me how many minutes remained.

Refer to the whole of Source A. Analyse how the writer uses language to create a sense that the shopping day is ending. Explain the effects of specific words, phrases and language choices, using evidence from the passage.