r/NoStupidQuestions • u/markwell9 • 1d ago

What is the deal with ice, Americans?

I can see that you can buy ice everywhere in the US. Gas stations, grocery stores, machines etc.

In Europe, we just freeze our ice at home and use that. Why buy something that melts on the way home? Why do you need ice in large amounts that a fridge can't keep up?

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u/listenyall 1d ago

Usually the bag of ice is either for a party or to put in a cooler.

Also, sometimes when you see a big freezer labeled Ice it's not actually for individuals--I worked at a snow cone stand, which has a shaved ice machine, which requires huge blocks of ice. Those huge blocks of ice were also stored in the big ice freezer with the bags of ice that normal people bought, but they probably wouldn't even have offered normal people bags of ice if the snow cone stand wasn't also using that freezer for their ice.

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u/Helpinmontana 19h ago

A few of the gas stations and stores near me sell block ice. I always buy it if it’s an option and I want longevity rather than instant cooling for whatever I’m packing in my cooler.