Local store operators said Friday they are moving to implement Gov. Mike DeWine’s latest coronavirus directive for limiting customers.

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On Thursday, the governor tightened restrictions on essential businesses, ordering stores to limit customers to a set maximum. Anyone waiting in line to enter the store must also maintain “safe social distancing,” the new order said.

“We’re not a big store. We’re limiting to nine customers at a time,” said Robert DeVitis, president of DeVitis Italian Market in Akron. “Once I see nine heads in the building I have to stop it.”

DeVitis said the store hasn’t had huge lines outside, but store employees ensure that customers are keeping the proper distance.

He said the store is prepackaging salads and lunch meats to comply with previous directives.

“You can’t walk up to the counter and say, ‘I want three-quarters of a pound chipped,” he said.

Gabe Nabors, CEO of Mustard Seed Market & Caf�, said his stores are making every effort to comply. But the rules aren’t always as clear as he would like.

“We’re trying to quantify this,” Nabors said. “If there was a number based on square footage. But there’s no guidelines.”

Nabors said Mustard Seed has installed plexiglass to shield cashiers and has markers on the floor to guide customers. But the effort to maintain social distancing requires constant vigilance.

“It takes a lot of verbal cues on top of the physical cues,” he said.

At DeVitis, physical cues include boxes marked on the floor where customers should stand.

“I have a little note,” DeVitis said. “Please do your share, stay in your square.”

DeVitis said he’s satisfied with the new guidelines, and customers have been appreciative of the store’s efforts to maintain social distancing.

“If someone’s standing at the register you have to stand 7 feet back,” he said.

The store is cleaned every night and he is rotating staff to minimize possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Like some other retail operations, DeVitis said he’s putting a little extra in his employees’ paychecks.

“We are paying our help more because of these circumstances,” he said. “A weekly bonus. … kind of like hazard pay.”

Both Mustard Seed and DeVitis have adopted curb service, and reaction from customers has been solid.

Nabors said his company signed a deal with San Francisco-based Instacart, a same-day grocery delivery company. He’s encouraging employees to wear gloves and is considering more.

“[We’re] getting ready to provide masks to our staff as an option,” he said.

DeVitis said the curb service has been popular across the board, and continues growing, especially among older customers.

“They love that,” he said. “The seniors are doing it more often.”

Nabors said the delivery service will take a few weeks, but his operation is scrambling to keep up with a rapidly changing retail environment.

“We’re going to keep adapting,” he said.

Alan Ashworth can be reached at 330-996-3859 or emailed at aashworth@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.