'Supermarket shopper's reckless habit makes me mad and ruins the food'

The supermarket customer vented their frustrations after witnessing the inconsiderate act

Everyone has their own approach to grocery shopping, whether it's creating a list in advance and sticking to it or casually strolling through each aisle, examining every product. Regardless, most shopping habits are completely fine and probably don't disturb anyone else in the store.

However, certain behaviours that some exhibit can not only irritate other shoppers but also jeopardise the freshness of the groceries. This was the scenario for one supermarket patron who took to the internet to express their grievances.

A user named Golarion took to the well-known subreddit British Problems to express frustration over a woman's seemingly 'thoughtless' behaviour while loading her trolley. While some might say it's just common sense to shut the refrigerator door after taking something from the frozen section, others believe it's not a big deal.

They said: "Just witnessed a seemingly normal, grown-a** 40-year-old woman in the dairy aisle take out some things from 5 separate fridges and nonchalantly walk away with the doors wide open as if it was the most normal thing in the world, flooding the entire aisle with freezing cold air. I had to close them behind her.

"Makes several times I've found doors hanging open but never seen someone actually leave them like that before." Asking fellow Reddit users for reassurance, Golarion added: "Is that a thing now? Was she raised under a rock? Surely that's the behaviour of animals. How do they not know how to use a frigging fridge?!"

The comment section soon filled with hundreds of replies from other users, even though the post had just gone live last night. One user replied: "I don’t even think it’s malicious, just utterly self-involved. There’s no community spirit anymore. Shame."

A second argued: "Manners are getting worse and worse it seems. Ever been on a train lately? When it's your stop to get off you'll often find people trying to push their way on before you've got off." Another said: "Don't accuse animals of acting like humans. There's never been a human being as fine as a dog." One more put: "My real question is: why don't they have automatic closers?"

Another wrote: "Working in a supermarket and im shocked at the amount of chilled/frozen food I find left on shelves that will have to go into the waste every morning. I get leaving shelf stuff in another place, but chilled/frozen?! It's as bad as shoplifting only they don't even get anything out of it!"

Someone else said: "I noticed this today. The supermarket near me has recently put doors on all the chilled sections. I watched a young lady tell her young kid to go and get something then watch and she left the door wide open and walked away. Yes I did make a point of walking over, shutting the door and going back to my trolley, but I don’t think it registered at all."

Can frozen food go bad if the door is left open in supermarkets?

The longer a door remains open, the more the food inside will warm up. A few minutes may not be an issue, but leaving it open for several hours can lead to significant thawing and the growth of bacteria. Some foods are more susceptible to spoilage than others. For example, ice cream and dairy products should be discarded if they have been exposed to warm temperatures for too long, whereas some frozen vegetables might be safe if they are refrozen quickly.

Ideally, frozen food should be stored at -18C or lower. If the temperature rises above 4C, bacteria can start to multiply. If the food is still mostly frozen and has ice crystals, it is likely safe to refreeze. Always check the food's temperature; if it goes above 4C, it should be thrown away. When in doubt about the safety of the food, it's best to be cautious and dispose of it. Exposing frozen food can also lead to cross-contamination, particularly if the food isn't properly wrapped.

Even if the food stays frozen, prolonged exposure to cold, dry air can cause freezer burn, which diminishes the quality of the food. Additionally, power outages can lead to a rise in freezer temperatures. If the power goes out, try to keep the freezer door closed as much as possible.