Nowadays point of sale bar code scanners are an absolute necessity in any retail business. Even little shops are finding that POS bar code scanners can't be beat for speeding up customer checkout, tracking stock, and assuring price accuracy. A bar code is simply a series of wide and narrow lines which are printed on a tag or label. Every bar on this label represents one character which a bar code reader can interpret. The reader utilizes a photo sensor which converts the code into electrical signals as it scans across the lines. The reader measures the widths of the lines and spaces and translates the pattern into normal characters, and then sends them to a portable terminal or a computer. Although they all appear similar, they can have differing standards. The UPC, or Universal Product Code, is used on almost all of the retail items sold in Canada and the U.S. The EAN-13 is used on retail products sold in Europe.
Although most stores now use bar coding, not every store owner uses the technology correctly; and, as a result, they aren't reaping all the benefits that they might. Using it in conjunction with POS software enables you to serve your customers more quickly and accurately. Scanning the bar code at the Point of Sale rather than typing an SKU virtually eliminates errors in pricing and inventory. Normally, humans entering data make one error for every 300 characters typed. Scanners, on the other hand, make fewer than one error in 36,000,000,000,000 characters. If you bar code all of your merchandise than you can not only save time in checking customers out and implementing markdowns instantly, but also you can eliminate the problem of switched price tags. By putting UPC's on all of your point of sale products you don't need to put a price tag on the item itself, which saves time and lowers handling costs. Another advantage of it is that you can instantly check your inventory. If you buy a portable data terminal, you will be able to enter your inventory and count it by scanning each purchase with the PDT. The PDT stores your inventory count which enables you to upload it quickly into your Point of Sale software.
In order to use bar code technology effectively, you have to consider your own individual needs. For example, you don't need a bar code printer if all of your merchandise already has UPC codes on it. If it does not, then you will need to purchase a printer to create labels with your own codes. These can be purchased quite cheaply from any refurbished POS vendor. Your vendor can tell you which scanners and printers are best for your needs, and how to set up your POS inventory software in order to integrate the scanner and printer into the system. Then you must bar code all existing merchandise; new merchandise can be labeled as it is received.
POS bar code scanners can help you to check out customers 20 to 50% faster than the old-fashioned way. Not only that, but this and other point of sale technology can reduce errors by 4%, which not only improves customer service but lowers overhead. Refurbished POS allows you to update your sales operation at a very, very low cost.
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By Alice Lane
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