40 years of Bar codes and the End of the Long Checkout Line

A recent Globe and Mail article noted the 40 year anniversary of the introduction of the bar code to retailers and consumers alike.The anniversary commemorates the purchase of a 67-cent (U.S.) package of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio, the first-ever transaction in the world to involve scanning a bar code.That pack of gum, now on display at the Smithsonian,marked the beginning of an era in which cashiers no longer had to type in long product numbers and businesses could keep better track of their sales and inventories.According to the article, a 1970s ad from food giant Kraft trying to sell consumers on the bar code’s benefits boasted it was “the beginning of the end of the long checkout line.”

While bar code technology has impacted the speed of checking out items at retail stores and helping people check in at various sporting, trade, cultural venues and transportation hubs–it hasn’t been the end of the long checkout line–but rather an integral part of the many advancements that have been made over the course of many years in queue management to help ensure the efficiency of checkout and check-in lines.

Like our introduction of single line electronic call forward which has been proven to reduce walkaways by 96%, to the use of next generation digital signage and virtual queue management systems, Tensator applauds the 40 year anniversary of the bar code as we continue to forge ahead in delivering innovative technology solutions that help better manage the customer journey.To explore our complete range of offerings, please contact our queue management experts.