OLIVE BRANCH, Ill. (KFVS) – As the extreme temperatures continue throughout the week–a southern Illinois business is taking precautions by adjusting its hours for its employees.

Allen Pearman, owner of Sweet and Sassy Treats, said he decided to only open Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m.

“Let’s cut out the hottest part of the day for our employees and our machines–anything that keeps things cold or produces cold items, generates a lot of heat,” Pearman said. “And in addition to the heat that’s in the building, we have a big refrigerator-freezer combo. We have a sandwich prep table and we have two to three ice cream machines. They produce quite a bit of heat, and between noon and 4 p.m., it’s just it’s miserable.”

Pearman said with all of the machines they have running at the same time, it creates a little chaos and heats the inside of the building fast.

He said reducing the hours not only protects his employees and their machines, but it also makes sure their customers receive the best products in the heat.

“First of all, our employees are, you know, they’re in here melting from noon to 4 p.m. and hardly anyone comes during those hours anyway,” he explained. “We don’t have a grocery store in town, so opening up before noon is kind of tough for us, you know, because we’re a family business.”

Pearman said they will be closed Saturday to install a new air conditioning unit in addition to what they already have.

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