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American in UK baffled by 1 'weird' UK supermarket feature she claims is 'wasteful'
Daily mirror | January 27, 2026 2:39 AM CST

Venturing into a foreign supermarketcan feel like a proper adventure, whether you're holidaying abroad or having moved to a new country or culture- there's always something you never knew existing sitting on the shelves. But sometime, even the different features of the supermarket is what's the most baffling.

This was the case for one American expat, dubbed ' Yorkshire Yank' by her 18,600 TikTokfollowers, who regularly posts about her experiences since relocating from the American Midwest to Yorkshire. In a recent clip, she expressed her bafflement at a peculiar feature of British supermarkets that left her utterly perplexed, as she went on to claim it was 'wasteful'.

"Do you wanna see the weirdest thing in a British supermarket? Let me just show you," she said at the beginning of her video.

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She then panned her camera across the milk and dairy section of her local shop, revealing chilled products displayed on open shelves without any protective doors to contain the cold temperature around the items.

"The milk is right out in the open, there's no doors," she observed whilst making her way along the aisle. "You basically just walk into a refrigerator."

The woman, who works for the NHS, continued to claim that this arrangement appeared 'really wasteful' as she maintained it made the whole shop considerably colder than what she was accustomed to, attributing this to the absence of doors on the refrigerated shelving units.

"Now they've started putting them on, which is really good," she commented as she passed another refrigerated section where the shelves were behind glass doors. "But still, the fricking milk is right out in the open."

How do open shelves stay cold in supermarkets?

Viewers quickly flocked to the post's comment section to explain that the reason the milk remains cold on the open shelves is due to air curtains.

These look like air conditioning units and are installed above entrances and loading docks, utilising a high-velocity air stream to separate indoor/outdoor environments, thus helping to maintain a consistent temperature inside.

These air curtains contribute to energy efficiency by reducing HVAC loss, maintaining steady, comfortable temperatures, and acting as a barrier against pests, dust, and fumes.

These devices are crucial for enhancing customer experience, ensuring food safety, and cutting operational costs.

However, another viewer also explained why this is a preferable option than keeping the items behind doors. They stated: "Fridges experience frequent opening, causing temperature swings that accelerate bacterial growth and spoilage, making them unsuitable for large quantities of fresh milk."

Another person added: "Milk is also a loss leader in supermarkets, I'd say a good majority of people that go to a supermarket are going to be buying milk, so they have a quick turn around. There's doors in some supermarkets such as Lidl."

Yet, her video also left some Brits scratching their heads. One viewer confessed: "In my whole life of living in the U.K. I have genuinely never considered the fact that those milk basket trolley things aren't actually in a fridge and are free standing. Although I've now also learnt about cold air curtains!".


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