How Does a Barcode Work?

Why are Barcodes Used?

Have you ever seen a barcode or UPC (Universal Product Code) symbol on a and wondered how does a barcode work? Barcodes are just a different way of labeling products. Rather than use a pricing sticker, most businesses now use barcodes on their products. This allows for quicker checkouts as usually all the cashier does is run an item’s UPC label over a Sometimes, because the label is torn, faded, or wrinkled, the label cannot be read and the cashier has to manually type the UPC number into the register.

How do Barcodes Work?

But how does a barcode work? Once it is run across the scanner, the scanner picks up the barcode. This is done by it reading the bars and spaces between the bars. The numbers at the bottom of a UPC label are for humans only. As the scanner picks up the bars, it then transfers the information to a computer (or register). The computer then finds the record associated with that barcode. The computer records may contain such information as price, number of items available, and other pertinent information such as discounts or promotions.

How does a barcode work to help a company? It helps keep the pricing more accurate than humans simply keying in a price would. By scanning, the margin of error is almost entirely removed. It also helps a company know exactly how much of an item they have in stock or when they run out of an item so it can be ordered ahead of time.

How does a barcode work to help you as a customer? Because it does help the company keep better track on inventory and know exactly what they have and don’t have, it means you are less likely to want an item they are out of because once they are alerted they are out of something, they can immediately reorder it. It also may save you money for data entry errors on prices.

Get in touch with one of our experts today or shop barcode scanners and other at Barcodes Inc.