Marsh Supermarkets Becomes the First Grocery Store to Use Barcodes and Bar Code Scanners

June 26 2009 marks the 35th anniversary of the first commercial barcode or bar code scanning application - an event that took place at a midwest grocer named Marsh Supermarket. Steve Overmyer describes this historic event. The first item scanned? A pack of Juicy Fruit gum.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• barcode
• bar
• code
• scanning
• scanner
• pos
• application
• marsh
• supermarket
• first
• anniversary
• 1974
• technology
• event
• Marsh Supermarket
• barcode scanning
• Juicy Fruit gum
• Troy Ohio
• marsh supermarkets
• bar code
• how to use barcode scanner
• grocery store

[TheWW2tribute]

@pulpy, I know what you mean, I work at Marsh and it gets crazy at times! I wish I worked in the meat department.

[mmr11027]

That's quite as story about Marsh. I only knew of Troy, OH for their strawberry festival.

It's too bad no other stores seem to have caught on to the way it's done at ALDI. As far as I know, it's the only store that has 3 large barcodes on each product so that you can basically pass an item effortlessly across the scanner without missing a barcode.

It would be cool if Kraft and other big brands would use ALDI's method-checkout would be so much faster and easier.

[chrisfball12]

I work at Costco and my job is to look for bar codes for the cashier to scan. I would say i memorized the location on the box of almost 5000+ bar codes.

[pulpy]

Now if they could only perfect self-checkout.