We see it everyday. Millions of retailers are using bar
codes and scanners to check out customers and enter
inventory. Even small stores find that bar coding is
practical because it speeds up checkout,How Retailers Save Time and Improve Service with Bar Coding Technology Articles tracks stock, and
assures pricing accuracy.

Unfortunately, not everyone uses bar coding technology
properly. And they don’t reap as many benefits as they
could.

Utilizing bar codes with your POS software will allow you
to…

– Serve customers faster and improve service by quickly
scanning bar codes at the point of sale (POS) instead of
typing a SKU.

– Reduce pricing and inventory errors. Scanning bar codes at
the POS is much more accurate than typing a SKU. The typical
error rate for human data entry is 1 error per 300
characters. Barcode scanners can be as good as 1 error in 36
trillion characters depending on the type of barcode used.

– Save time and improve efficiency. If all your
merchandise is
bar coded you can save time by checking out customers
faster, instantly implementing mark downs and eliminating
the problem of price tag switching.

– Quickly count your inventory at any time. If you
purchase a
PDT (portable data terminal) you can count and enter your
inventory by scanning each item with a PDT. The PDT will
store your inventory count so you can quickly upload it into
your POS software.

– Reduce costs. If you have UPCs on your merchandise then
you
don’t have to put the price tag on the product itself, which
saves time and reduces handling costs.

– Improve the accuracy of your inventory. One of the biggest
cost savings and benefits is maintaining a more accurate
inventory. Bar coding reduces errors at receiving and at the
point of sale so your inventory stays accurate.

HOW IT WORKS

First of all, a bar code is a restaurant halloween ideas series of narrow and wide
lines printed on a label or tag. Each bar on the label
represents a character for a “bar code reader” to interpret.

You can scan the bar code with a bar code reader which uses
a photosensor to convert the bar code into an electrical
signal as it moves across the bars. The scanner then
measures the relative widths of the bars and spaces,
translates the different patterns back into regular
characters, and sends them on to a computer or portable
terminal.

Most bar codes look similar but they can have different
symbologies or standards. The symbology defines the width of
the bars and the technical details of a particular type of
barcode.

For example, the UPC (Universal Product Code) is seen on
almost all retail products in the USA and Canada. And EAN-13
is a common code used on European retail products. Your bar
code reader and inventory software will need to be setup
properly to read the “symbology” that you use.

WHAT YOU NEED

You’ll need the following items to start using bar coding…

1. POS – Inventory Software that supports bar code scanning
at the point of sale.

2. A bar code scanner that’s compatible with your POS
software.

3. Merchandise that’s properly labeled with bar code
symbologies that your POS software and scanners can handle.