A barcode guide for shops and warehouses: types, printing and common mistakes

Which barcode types does your shop or warehouse need?

Before buying any device, decide exactly what you will be coding: items that arrive barcoded from the manufacturer, loose goods you sell by weight, size and colour variants, or shelf locations and cartons inside the warehouse. Each case has a code that suits it, and mixing them up is the source of most till and stocktaking problems:

• Manufacturer codes on packaged goods
• Internal codes you print for unlabelled items
• A code per variant (size/colour)
• Scale barcodes for produce and meat carrying weight or price
• A code per selling unit: piece, pack, carton
• Codes for shelf and aisle locations in the warehouse to make counting easier

EAN-13, Code128 or QR: when do you use each?

EAN-13 is the 13-digit barcode you see on most packaged goods on supermarket shelves. The manufacturer or brand owner issues it through GS1, and any barcode scanner reads it. Goods from North America usually carry the 12-digit UPC-A, which modern scanners also read, so make sure your system accepts both lengths without rejecting either.

Code128 is a compact linear code that accepts digits and Latin letters, so it suits internal codes: item codes you create yourself, shelf locations, shipment numbers and carton labels. But nobody outside your system knows that number, so it is not suitable for a product you pack and sell to other shops.

QR is a two-dimensional code that holds longer text such as a link or an invoice number. It helps link a printed invoice to a verification page, tag a fixed asset like a device or shelf, or carry a restaurant menu. It needs a 2D scanner or a camera, and it does not replace EAN-13 for selling items at the till. The table below sums up the differences:

How do you print barcodes for loose and weighed goods?

Items you split or weigh in the shop, such as produce, meat, nuts, cheese and sweets, carry no manufacturer barcode, and there are two approaches: a label-printing scale that prints a label for each bag carrying the item code and the weight or price, or a scale at the till connected to the system that reads the weight directly. The first is faster at busy times because the cashier only scans the label.

A scale barcode is usually a 13-digit code starting with 2, followed by the item code, then the weight or price, then a check digit. What matters is that the same format is set in both the scale and the POS system, and that you test it with several real bags before go-live day.

• Keep scale item codes short and fixed, and never change an item’s code once it is in use.
• Decide whether the label carries weight or price: with weight, the system calculates the price at today’s rate; with price, the scale’s prices must be updated with every change.
• For internal non-weighed items, create a number from the in-store range that starts with 2, or use Code128, and never invent a random 13-digit number that might match a real product.
• Print variant labels such as size and colour from the system itself so each code links to its item automatically.

Which scanner and printer do you need? Categories sold in Iraq

In POS supply shops in Baghdad and the governorates you will find roughly the same categories, and the choice depends on sales volume and the type of goods, not the brand. Note that the thermal receipt printer at the till is not a label printer; if you will print item barcodes, you need a separate label printer:

• Wired handheld scanner: enough for most shops, and it works like a keyboard so it needs no special driver.
• Wireless scanner with a base: useful when you scan heavy goods on the floor or cartons away from the counter.
• 2D imager scanner: reads linear codes, QR, phone screens and crumpled labels, and is the safest choice today.
• Omnidirectional desktop scanner: for supermarkets with queues, it reads without precise product alignment.
• Direct thermal label printer: needs no ribbon and suits short-lived price labels, but labels fade with heat and sunlight.
• Thermal transfer label printer: longer-lasting labels, suited to warehouses and goods stored for a long time.
• Android handheld terminal with a built-in scanner: for large warehouses, or an ordinary phone with a stocktaking app for smaller shops.

How does the barcode connect to the POS and inventory?

A barcode on its own is just a number; its value lies in what the system links it to. On each scan, the accounting and POS system for Iraq finds the item, its price and its unit, adds it to the invoice, reduces stock and records the accounting entry at the same moment. When goods arrive from a supplier, the storekeeper scans the cartons and quantities increase with no manual entry.

Because the till looks items up in a catalogue stored on the device, scanning and selling must continue when the internet drops; we explain this in why your POS must work offline. When linking barcodes to the system, follow these rules:

• Allow more than one barcode per item, because a supplier may change the packaging while the item stays the same.
• Block the same barcode from being registered on two different items.
• Tie shelf labels to price changes: every price edit generates a list of labels to replace.
• Block manual sales without a barcode except with supervisor permission, and review that report weekly.

How do you handle piece, pack and carton?

Many shops and warehouses in Iraq sell the same item in more than one unit: a piece for the individual customer, a pack or dozen, and a carton for the wholesaler. The right way is one item with a base unit, and each larger unit with its own barcode and a conversion factor, for example: one carton equals 24 pieces. When the carton barcode is scanned, the system deducts 24 pieces from stock and puts the carton price on the invoice.

If cartons arrive from the supplier with an ITF-14 or a carton-specific code, register it on the carton unit; if they carry no barcode, print an internal label for them. If you define the carton as a separate item from the piece, the stock count will show a surplus in one and a shortage in the other without you knowing why. This is one of the key points in supermarket and hypermarket software, where an item is sold by the piece and by the carton on the same invoice.

How do you run a stocktake with a phone app?

Counting on paper and then typing the numbers into a computer doubles the errors. The easier route today is a stocktaking app on an Android phone, using the camera or a small Bluetooth scanner, that works even without internet inside the warehouse and uploads the results afterwards. In an inventory and warehouse management system counted quantities are compared with the recorded balance, and the manager approves adjustments with permission. Steps for an organised count:

• Split the warehouse into locations, such as shelf, aisle and fridge, and give each location a Code128 label.
• Record the count start time, and pause receiving and transfers in the locations being counted, or log movements after it clearly.
• Use blind counting: the counter does not see the expected quantity so it does not sway them.
• Scan the location first, then the items inside it, entering the quantity or scanning each piece for low-count items.
• Recheck large discrepancies with a second count by another person before approving the adjustment.
• Start weekly cycle counts of fast-moving and high-value items instead of one full count a year.

Which common mistakes cause stock-count gaps?

Each of these turns straight into a stock-count gap, and most can be prevented by the right system settings from day one instead of relying on staff attention.

• One barcode for both carton and piece.
• Scanning a similar item because a label fell off.
• Low-quality labels, or labels without enough white margin around the bars, that won’t scan.
• Typing codes instead of scanning.
• Inventing random 13-digit numbers for internal items that then match a real product.
• Importing items from Excel, which strips leading zeros or turns the barcode into scientific notation; set the column to text before importing.
• A keyboard-emulating scanner while the input language is Arabic, so codes containing letters appear as Arabic characters; configure the scanner or the input language.
• Direct thermal labels on goods that sit for months near sunlight or heat, so they fade.
• Reusing a discontinued item’s barcode for a new item, so old and new reports get mixed up.

Where do you start?

Start with your current item list: how many items carry a manufacturer barcode, how many need an internal label, and what is sold by weight or by the carton. That list sets the number of scanners and printers and the type of labels before any purchase, and stops you buying devices you don’t need. If you would like us to review it with you and suggest the right setup for your shop or warehouse, contact the Al-Arjan team in Al-Mansour, Baghdad.