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the UPC symbols off of the items you are buying, so that the computer will automatically print
the price of that item. They obviously have the capability of scanning your hand. For a time, a
few years ago, I began to see upright scanners. With a flat scanner, the cashier only had to slide
the item across the scanning plate; but with the upright scanner, the cashier has to lift the item up
in front of the scanner. I was amazed the first time I seen one, because right away I knew that its
purpose wasn’t to make things easier for the cashier, it was to make it easier to scan your
forehead and hand. Recent versions have placed them lower on the checkout station. I haven’t
seen a lot of them, so I don’t know if the retail industry as a whole is going to upgrade to this
version of the scanner.
We have been talking about future developments, so let’s talk about the present. Do you
realize that with the Universal Product Code (UPC), we are already buying and selling under the
number 666.
In 1970, the National Association of Food Chains, and five other major trade associations
representing manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers, met, and formed an ad hoc committee to
set up guidelines for an encoding system that could be accepted by the entire industry. In 1971, a
code management committee came up with the concept of a ten-digit numerical code: the first
five to identify the manufacturer, and the last five to identify the specific item. In 1972, the
Uniform Grocery Product Code Council, Inc. and Distribution Codes, Inc. (in charge of
assigning numbers) was established, with thousands of companies invited to become members.
On April 3, 1973, the ad hoc committee announced that they had selected a twelve-digit bar code
that could be printed by conventional methods, and be scanned omni-directionally by an
automated system. By the end of 1974, the Uniform Grocery Product Code Council had changed
their name to the Uniform Product Code Council, Inc., and had 21 representatives from
manufacturers, distributors, and trade associations on their Board. Around 2,600 companies,
representing a total of $70.7 billion in annual sales, had become members of the Code Council,
and were utilizing the bar coding on their products.
The UPC system functions like this. The prices are marked on the shelf and not the item
(although some chains continue to put prices on the items). As the items are carried down the
conveyer belt, the cashier pulls the item, symbol downward, across the scanner, and bags the
item. The scanner contains a laser beam which emits a beam of light. The white bars or spaces
will reflect more light than the black bars, which is measured by a light detector. A time
measurement of how long the beam takes to move across the bar and space, is also used for
decoding. The scanner reads the symbol, no matter what direction it is passed over the scanner,
from several inches, to a foot away, decoding the number and sending the number to a computer.
The computer transmits to the electronic cash register, the price of the product, which is
indicated on a display, and printed on the receipt tape.
Checkout time is speeded up by 60-70% over the conventional method, eliminating the need
for as many employees. When the register totals the purchase, the printed receipt tape usually
indicates the store name, number, and location, item name, item price, whether it is taxable, and
the total. It allows for payment in cash, food stamps, check, debit card, or credit card; and
deducts the coupons which are presented. It tells how much change is received, the date, time,
and lane number. Besides the quickness and efficiency, another feature of the system is the
ability to automatically keep track of inventory.
Left Hand Guide Bar (101– 2 black bars and 1 white bar) represents the number 6, and
tells the computer that information is coming.