Bars and stripes

Every time we go shopping at a supermarket, the price of each item is read from the bar code.

BAR CODES appear on just about everything we buy. They are patterns of thick and thin stripes, or bars, which an electronic scanner reads.

The stripes represent the 13-digit number underneath. An 8-digit bar code is used if there is not enough space on the packaging.

There are four main pieces of information on a bar code. The first two numbers represent the country in which the product was registered.This does not have to be the country of manufacture. The code for the UK and Ireland is 50. Some countries have three-digit codes: South Korea is 880 — to commemorate the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Next comes the manufacturer's or supplier's code. Each manufacturer has a unique five-digit code. For example, Cadbury* is 00183, Nestle* is 00243 and McVitie* is 00168.

The second group of five numbers represents the product and the package size, but not the price. The manufacturers can choose any number they want. Different producers can have the same number for their goods. 20389 might be a tube of toothpaste for one manufacturer and a tin of tomatoes for another. Bar codes also help shops with re-ordering. A shop's computer recognises the whole shape of a bar code when it passes across the scanner at a shop's checkout counter. It reads the bar code and the price of the product appears on the till display. At the same time one item is deducted from the stock total.

Security

Finally, the code finishes with a check digit that makes sure the bar code has been keyed in correctly. If not, the item will either not be recognised or will be

shown as a totally different product.

Country codes The Guardian

Some examples of country codes are:

00-09 US and Canada

30-37 France

400-440 Germany

45,49 Japan

57 Denmark

80-83 Italy

93 Australia

There are also two special codes

that take the place of country codes

for the following:

977 Newspapers and

magazines

978 Books

* Cadbury: chocolate manufacturer

* Nestle: food manufacturer. Products include coffee and chocolate.

* McVitie: food manufacturer

C. Read the text carefully and label this bar code.

1 _______

2 _______ 3 ______ 4 ________

D. What do these numbers from the text refer to?

13 50 880 00183

E. Complete the sentences using the words given below.

bar code packaging stock manufacturer

supplier price till display checkout counter

1. A _________ is the pay desk in a self-service shop.

2. A _________ is a pattern of thick and thin lines that represents information.

3. A _________ is an electronic screen which shows you how much to pay.

4. A _________ is a firm which makes or produces goods.

5. A _________ is an agent who provides goods or services.

6. The _______ is used to protect goods and to present an image for them.

7. The _______ is the amount the goods cost.

8. The _______ is all the goods a retail outlet keeps to sell to its customers.

Listening

Have you ever bought an item that was a bargain? What was it? Where did you buy it?

Listen to the text.What has the woman bought? Do you think it’s a real bargain.