Woman's careless supermarket habit driving me crazy - and it's ruining the food

Everyone goes food shopping in their own way, whether they make a list beforehand and only buy what they need or leisurely wander down each aisle, inspecting every item. Either way, most supermarket habits are perfectly acceptable and likely don't bother anyone else in the shop.

However, there are some habits certain people do that may not only annoy fellow shoppers but also put the groceries at risk of being spoiled. This particular situation was the case for one supermarket customer who headed online to share their frustrations.

Taking to Reddit's popular subreddit, British Problems, a user named Golarion vented anger after being irritated by one woman's seemingly 'careless' habit while filling up her trolley. While many would argue that it is common sense to close the refrigerator door when grabbing something out of the frozen section, to others, it is not necessary.

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Sharing their tale, 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."

They continued: "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?!"

Unsurprisingly, the comment section quickly flooded with hundreds of responses by other users, despite the post only going live last night. One person said: "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?"

Sharing their own experiences, 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 the door stays open, the more the food will warm up. A few minutes might not pose a problem, but several hours could result in significant thawing and bacterial growth. Certain foods are more prone to spoilage than others. For instance, ice cream and dairy products should be thrown away if they have been subjected to warm temperatures for an extended period, while some frozen vegetables may be fine if they are refrozen quickly.

Ideally, frozen food should be kept at -18C or lower. If the food warms up to above 4C, bacteria can begin to multiply. If the food is still largely frozen, with ice crystals present, it is likely safe to refreeze. Check the food's temperature. If it exceeds 4C, it should be discarded. If you are uncertain about the food's safety, it is always wise to err on the side of caution and throw it away.

Leaving frozen food exposed can also result in cross-contamination, especially if the food isn't properly packaged. Even if the food remains frozen, extended exposure to cold, dry air can lead to freezer burn, which affects the food's quality. Power outages can also cause freezers to warm up. If the power goes out, keep the freezer door closed as much as possible.