Grocery workers request that customers avoid this seemingly polite practice, as keeping frozen items out of the freezer for too long can be detrimental to food safety.

Once outside the freezer, frozen food starts to defrost, becoming unsafe to eat after a point. Instead, return it to the staff and inform them how long the food was outside.

Since cold conditions reduce the growth rate of bacteria in food, improperly stored frozen food can cause illness by harboring bacteria, such as E. coli and C. botulinum.

There's a higher chance of this happening when perishable items reach temperatures between 40 to 140 degrees F. Items become dangerous after about two hours at room temperature.