The book was first published in Australia on June 1, 2004 through Allen & Unwin and focuses on the workers of an unnamed supermarket.

[1] Shelf Life was nominated as one of the CBCA's "Notable Books of 2005" in the "Older Readers" category.

There are other smaller chapters that deal with other areas such as Accounts and Service Desk.

Shelf Life has received reviews from various publications such as the School Library Journal and the Horn Book Guide.

[4][5][6] Publishers Weekly gave a mostly positive review, saying that "Given their mismatched personalities and interests, it seems unlikely that they could form a team, but some touching moments arise when their loyalties to each other unexpectedly emerge.".