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 It is estimated that the majority of fresh produce in
the United States is eaten by people over the age of fifty-five.
This should come as no surprise to regular buyers of turnips and kale.
Teenage checkers typically pick up these unknown items and, with
confused facial expressions, they ask: “What is this?” After the
buyer identifies the item, the checker pages through a produce book,
finds the corresponding barcode labels and scans it. In some
supermarkets, the checker still enters the product’s barcode number by
hand.
From a customer misidentifying an item to a checker
scanning the wrong barcode, this process for identifying and registering
produce prices is rife with error potential. Supermarkets are
generally leaders in direct thermal labeling systems and barcode labels,
but when it comes to produce, automated data collection (ADC) should be
a top priority.
ADC is fully automated data collection via scan,
voice recognition or radio frequency. To integrate ADC in the
produce section of the supermarket, handheld direct thermal label
printers should be made available to stocking. Convenient handheld
direct thermal label printers are already in wide use in other
departments of the supermarket (the meat and poultry department, for
example) and can be easily integrated into the produce department.
The stocking associate prints a direct thermal label onto a blank label
and affixes it to the produce.
Uprintlabels.com provides a wide variety of blank
label sizes and formats. Blank label sizes vary, and can be
purchased in shapes and sizes that easily affix to produce boxes.
By labeling fruits and vegetables with barcode labels
printed on demand in the produce section, grocery stores will be able to
eliminate an inefficient exchange between checker and customer as well
as the multiple points of entry for human error.
 ADC systems aim to eliminate keyboard strokes and the
errors that accompany them. Supermarkets make the most use of
on-demand direct thermal label printing in their deli departments.
Deli associates keep thermal printers stocked with blank label rolls.
When a customer purchases a deli salad, quantity of meat or cheese, the
associate typically does not need to key in the product’s code or
weight. This is all done through automated data collection.
The product’s barcode is scanned, the weight is recorded and an accurate
label is instantly printed, affixed to the item and the customer moves
along to the next department.
Once supermarkets fully integrate barcode labeling
into the produce section, vegetable enthusiasts will be able to breeze
through the supermarket check-out process like everyone else.
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