Following Governor Ned Lamont Pril 1 executive order and the Connecticut Food Association (CFA) recommendations that grocers limit the number of shoppers in their stores to 50 percent of each store's capacity and encourage shoppers to shop alone, Old Saybrook stores are following the guidelines in various ways.

At Ocean State Job Lot, business is so slow that only about three or four customers are in the store at a time, according to a manager, who declined to provide his name. The local Walmart is counting customers and providing the daily count to its headquarters. Local managers keep up with information and orders from the governor’s office, but individual stores follow directions from the Walmart main office, a manager said. Big Y declined to respond to questions from Harbor News.

At Stop & Shop, signs are on their way from headquarters in Boston, according to Stop & Shop Director of External Communications & Community Relations Jennifer Brogan, and an announcement will be played in stores that reminds customers to shop alone whenever possible and to maintain a distance of six feet from others.

Customers will be encouraged to send “one representative on behalf of their families to better practice social distancing within the store,” Brogan said. “Some people are making an outing of it—five, six, even seven members of the family—which makes it difficult for people to stay six feet apart.”

Stop & Shop has worked with the local fire marshal in each town in which a store is located to ascertain the number of customers that will be permitted in the store at one time. The limit, in accordance with the recent CFA guidelines, is 50 percent. In the case of the Old Saybrook store, no more than 265 customers will be permitted inside, she said.

An additional CFA recommendation is that six-foot spacing be clearly marked in checkout lines and other high-traffic areas. It also encourages “conspicuous signage” to direct customers to maintain distance between themselves and other shoppers and employees.

Walt’s Food Market has placed tape on the floor and installed signs outside urging customers to practice social distancing when in the store, said Jim, a manager and self-described right-hand man to owner Paul Kozey.

“We’re doing due diligence—wiping down door handles every hour” and complying with CFA and state recommendations and orders “to keep us and our customers safe,” he said.

“We have a very old clientele,” he continued. “Our shoppers have been shopping here for years—plus a few of the new ones. They pretty much know. Either the husband or wife is doing the shopping.”

Many customers call their orders in ahead of time, he said, so they can pick them up and leave.

Walt’s recently shortened its business hours to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow more time for cleaning the store.

FoodWorks is closed to foot traffic but is taking orders and fulfilling them curbside. Orders can be placed online, by email, or by phone. Email orders are most efficient, according to manager Paul August, as the account is checked every 10 minutes. Employees call the customer; clarify the order, if necessary; take a credit card number; and arrange a time for curbside pickup. Employees are not handling cash for the time being.

Orders are fulfilled based on stock and credit cards are charged accordingly. Customers are asked to call when they arrive in the parking lot—an employee will hand the order to the customer or place it in the trunk of their car, August said.

“We all wear gloves,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can do...Customers have been enormously appreciative.”

August returns the appreciation, saying he wants to Old Saybrook residents to know “how grateful we are for the faithfulness of the customers. We’re here for them—that’s who we are. That’s why we’re doing this. I’d like to thank them for continuing to support us during this difficult time.”

FoodWorks’s email address is osb@foodworksnaturalmarket.com. Those without access to email may place orders by phone at 860-395-0770.