Ode to the barcode

The barcode, the simple code of black lines printed onto packaging, is still necessary. With the rise of the online shopper the barcode continues to be as important. Even more so says blogge Onno Rompa at Dutchcowboys.nl. Retailers in the Netherlands use the GS1 barcode to identify products. According to Rompa online retailers also use the unique identification of products. They use Global Trade Item Numbers (GTIN) for this puprose.
The barcode is 43 years old. The first barcode was scanned in the summer of 1973 in the USA on a pacakage of Wrigley chewing gum. Since then the barcode has been a mainstay in the shops. Albert Heijn (Dutch retailer) introduced the barcode in the Netherlands in 1976. The ´bleep´ is heard 5 billion times a day at cash registers worldwide.