All the kitchens I see have a fridge covered in magnets from holidays, photos of children, and children's paintings. Items on every surface, signs of life. Except when they're emptied to take photos for selling the house.
Manufacturers have wised up though. We just got a brand new Samsung with s/s finish, and lo and behold: magnets work.
I don't know if they're using it's-not-really-stainless-steel, or if they are backing with something more ferrous, but either way, fridge magnets are back, baby!
[0] https://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pdf/Article%20-%20Magn...