Would reputatable photo shops sell prof slide film unrefrigerated?

I live in Hong Kong and have been unsuccessful in finding refrigerated films.

Even the better shops recommended in this forum don't store their film in

fridges anymore. I tried their Velvia and 100VS films recently and they

seemed perfectly fine. Have I been too anxious about this? How important is

it that prof film is refrigerated in a photo shop?

 

Any help would be most appreciated.

 

Cheers,

 

Joel

Pro films are supposedly shipped at their peak of color ripeness, and should be kept chilled for consistancy. In reality if it is shot within a month or so, and processed promptly. There are usually no ill effects with room temp storage. It is when it sits out for six months in the sun drenched store window, that you got a problem.

It's really not necessary unless you plan on storing it long term, in which case freezing is the best route. As long as you plan on using it within the expiration date, simply storing it at a reasonable rm temp is fine. Kodak and Fuji don't require cold storage of their pro films for them to perform within spec prior to the expiration date. Asuming a shop has a decent turnover of product, chilling it for the short time it is in their possesion is not going to have any noticeable benefits. Whenever I've been to B+H they grab the stuff out of non refrigerated bins behind the counter. Once I get it home, it goes in the freezer until I need it.