Friend regularly leaves 4yo at home for 15 mins

[SlinkySienna]

We are both single parents. She's not a close friend but we see each other regularly at a group both our sons go to. Our sons are 2 weeks apart, both were 4 in November. I was saying today how hard it is in the evenings when you're a lone parent, mainly because if you fancy a bar of chocolate and your child is asleep you can't just nip out (not a big issue, just never have chocolate when I need it!). She said 'just leave him at home, that's what I do. I can see the shop from my bedroom window and I'm always back within 15 mins'. My son has fallen out of bed in the past, or had a nightmare, and I wouldn't put it past him to wake up, call for me, and to go wandering round the house if I didn't respond. Is this actually something people do and just keep quiet, or am I in the majority here thinking that this is so ridiculously negligent?

I think 15 mins is madness. I have a 4.5 year old, i never pop out while she is asleep as the door closing could wake her and she would be alone and frightened. I have had to fetch the shopping from the car and have explained to her what I am doing, she watches her cartoons on the ipad and I run out and run in, literally. Kids this age still have short attention spans and in 15 mins their minds will have turned to goodness knows what.

I sometimes leave my 7 year old watching TV for 10-15 minutes. I would not leave my 5 year old alone in the house for even 5 minutes. 4 is much too young!