I grew up on the farm. Everyone had a chest-type freezer. I felt like I was finally a real grown-up when I had my own freezer! Way, way easier to put a body (or a freshly-butchered hog, or half a beef - we usually split one with another family,) into a chest freezer. The upright freezer was always for frozen fruit, vegetables, and nuts.
Being short, I fear falling into a chest freezer while attempting to reach the bottom layer.
My short and top-heavy aunt solved that problem by nailing a pair of her old combat boots (retired USMC) to the floor in front of her freezer. Funny, but ingenious!
Clever woman.
Of course, as clutter-prone as we are around here, a chest freezer would quickly be rendered inaccessible by stuff piled on it.
Once a Marine, always a Marine!