Kmart realism, also termed "low-rent tragedies",[1] is a form of minimalist literature found in American short fiction that became popular in the 1980s.
[6] The precursors of Kmart realism include the so-called trailer park fiction, Diet-Pepsi minimalism, and hick chic.
"[8] A related definition describes the genre as American fiction that is characterized, among other things, by a fascination with consumption venues and brand names.
[12] Other writers noted for this style also include Ann Beattie, Raymond Carver, Eric Bogosian, Richard Ford, Bobbie Ann Mason, Mary Robison, Joy Williams, Don DeLillo and Tobias Wolff.
[7] Mason, for instance, often writes about working-class characters in rural Kentucky who do their laundry at laundromats, and subject matters that are similar to those favored by the aforementioned writers such as Dairy Queens, grocery stores, and third-rate motels.