Good Job is Slate’s advice column on work. Have a workplace problem big or small? Send it to Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir here. It’s anonymous!

Dear Good Job,

I own a small grocery store with a wall lined with self-serve bins that hold candy, nuts, dried fruit, etc.

My issue is that shoppers and their children think nothing of sticking their hands in and helping themselves to a handful. When my employees have asked them not to, they often become quite angry and tell them in an expletive-laden manner to mind their own business. Other than putting locks on the bins and displaying a sign instructing customers to request clerk assistance, is there anything that can be done to stop the unauthorized free samples?

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—This Isn’t a Buffet

Dear This Isn’t a Buffet,

You could try treating your customers as experimental subjects and see which interventions make them less likely to grab snacks. A surprising line of research suggests that posting pictures or drawings of eyes makes people less likely to steal. It sounds like one of those experiments that wouldn’t replicate, but a review from a few years ago estimated that images of watchful eyes can reduce antisocial behavior by 35 percent. So maybe a picture of eyes looming over your bins would help? You could also provide even more scoops to deter hand-grabbing, or put magnets on the bin lids so people have to make a little more effort to open them. Sometimes obstacles can prompt people to pause, consider what they’re doing, and then realize it’s wrong. You can use text-based signs to remind people to scoop or pour bulk items into bags. Emphasize the message with an image-based sign of a hand reaching into a bin, with a red circle and slash mark through it.

Doree Shafrir Read More

Another approach is to act like an ice-cream shop that offers customers a tiny spoonful’s worth of a taste before they commit to a cone. Provide shot-glass-size cups for samples, and put up a sign saying that customers are welcome to scoop out (not grab!) a small amount of an item and taste it first, before they buy it in bulk. Some customers may abuse your generosity, but at least this system is more hygienic.

—Laura

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