Yes they are terrible and enthusiasts should use rechargeables. But for others, there are sane reasons to want to have a few alkaleaks on long term standby. Is the fridge better for this than room temperature? What about the freezer? Related: Countycomm’s 1C and 1D lights are on sale again. That is what prompted this question.
Growing up we always kept batteries in the fridge.
Then a neighbor kid did an actual science experiment on it for school, and determined that refrigerated batteries die FASTER.
I don’t remember the details but it was dramatic, even a few days at colder temps significantly reduced the life of alkalines.