Barcode Reader

If you go to the grocery store and pick up any product other than produce, you will notice there is a barcode on it.  This is used almost universally now in grocery stores as well as many other stores and businesses.  It is a much easier way of getting accurate prices of items because it eliminates cashier key entry error.

The barcodes are known as Universal Product Code (UPC).  The cashier can enter the UPC code into the register by hand, but usually, they use a barcode reader to read it.  The UPC barcode reader looks at the black bars and space in between the bars to determine the code.  If part of the UPC symbol is torn off, winkled, or faded out, the barcode reader may not be able to read it.  In cases such as this, the cashier will have to key in the set of numbers below the bars.

There are different types of barcode readers.  Some stores have the type that resembles a pen.  The cashier runs the tip over the UPC and the light at the end reflects the bars and reads the code.   Normally, at retail and grocery stores, the cashier merely runs the item UPC code down over a charged coupled device (CCD).  This type of barcode reader has hundreds of lights it uses to read the symbol.  One of the problems with this type of reader is it can get dirty and then it does not read the symbols anymore.  Many times at the grocery store, you may see the cashier cleaning off the glass on top of the CCD reader.  One of the newest readers for UPC symbols is the camera-based readers.  Using digital technology, it uses a small camera to capture the UPC symbol’s image and then read it.

UPC codes and their readers have helped made life much easier for businesses and made their pricing and inventory much more accurate.