Thank you Tracy for taking the time to provide your feedback. For best results, we recommend to pre-chill your cooler by fully loading it with ice the night before use. If the cooler starts out warm before you fill it, the ice will melt at a quicker pace as the ice will have to cool down the walls of the cooler. Starting off with COLD contents - The colder the contents are at the time of packing, the longer they will retain their initial temperature. Keep your cooler out of direct sunlight, a cooler kept in the sun will not perform as well as a cooler placed in the shade.<br />Open your cooler as little and for as short an amount of time as possible - Opening the cooler frequently allows the cool air to escape and the warm air outside to get in. Opening the cooler less frequently can greatly increase the performance of your cooler. Should you still have ice retention issues, please do not hesitate to contact our customer care team for further assistance.