Didn’t want to hijack the other thread, so here’s what I’ve always wondered: why do supermarkets everywhere (I believe it’s fairly universal practice, at least in the parts of Europe and Japan I’ve been to) have open refrigerated sections? It seems like it would be a huge cost and environmental benefit to simply put some doors in, like they do for the freezers.
I suspect the answer has something to do with the fact that it’s easier for people to see and browse, and therefore people are more willing to buy meat and eggs and milk and such. But every time I’ve been in a supermarket I can’t help but think that they should just get some damn doors and conserve energy.
The common belief in supermarkets is that people are more likely to buy something if it’s presented at eye level where it can easily be spotted and grabbed. Putting a door between the shopper and the item adds one extra step where they can change their minds… I mean, imagine how ice cream sales would spike if there was one less barrier between you and the Chunky Monkey?
Also, many refrigerated items those that are usually purchased on nearly every grocery run, such as milk and cheese and eggs. For these, the doors would be kept open more often than they’d be closed and be more prone to wear and tear, so it’s simpler to create an open temp-controlled display where people can reach in and move along to the next item on their list.
For sections that would have doors being opened and closed constantly, I think it’s more efficient to use the open fridges. They force cold air across the front like a curtain and it traps the cold air in.
I am a veteran of two large supermarket chains. This is simple marketing and capitalism. Imagine that they did have doors on the eggs and milk. They would be constantly opened and closed plus there would be competition between customers that are simply browsing. There is a significant condensation and frosting problem with opening and closing the case over and over. As noticed, that cool air doesn’t simply disappear. It contributes to cooling the whole store which are typically kept fairly cool in any case. Freezer cases are often closed and they cause some of the problems above but they give more retail space than simple, open, chest cases which are often used in the same store for high volume items.
An analysis of the problem shows that cold air being sacrificed to the open air is not something to worry about in depth, and, when energy concerns are primary, they simply get washed out many times over for the actual shopping atmosphere. People think that supermarket chains are simpletons in this type of problem when, in fact, the successful ones tend to be on the bleeding edge of technology and analysis among all companies bar none. Wal-Mart started the trend of using insanely sophisticated business models powered by all research and technology available and the supermarket industry had to respond. Everything you see in a major brand supermarket is done through research including refrigerator cases with doors versus those that are open.