ST. LOUIS — Schnucks said Monday it will further reduce hours at its stores. With the exception of four St. Louis area stores, all of its groceries will now be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Stores that had been open until midnight saw a dramatic drop in customer traffic after 10 p.m., the company said.

The reduced hours will allow staff extra time to clean the store and restock shelves, the company said.

In addition, Schnucks' downtown St. Louis store, The Culinaria, which previously was open from 6 a.m.-9 p.m., will now be open Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The store will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Schnucks also said it is temporarily closing three locations: Shrewsbury, 7057 Chippewa Street in St. Louis; Lemay, 1032 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis; and Oakwood, 1721 Homer M. Adams Parkway in Alton.

The Shrewsbury, Lemay, and Oakwood stores will each close at 10 p.m. today, and won't reopen until 6 a.m. on March 19.

The three stores that will be closed temporarily are near other Schnucks stores, and the company will shift about 200 employees to other stores to handle increased customer demand.