Scan to sell at the till

Nine o'clock, after the school run. Fathima has bought a plug-in barcode scanner for the counter at Corner Stop (a sample shop), and a rep has left a box of ginger biscuits the shop has never stocked before. Two worries: will the scanner just work, and what happens when she scans a biscuit the till does not know?

This tour walks through both on the counter computer, before the mid-morning trickle of customers.

What can go wrong with a scanner, and how does the test show it?

Most scanner problems are one of a handful, and the scanner test on the settings page shows each of them before a customer is waiting.

In the sample, Fathima's test reads code 5000112637922, 13 characters, 38 milliseconds, Enter at the end.

Step by step

1. Plug in the scanner. At 09:00 the scanner's cable goes into a spare port on the shop's computer. To the computer it is just another keyboard, which is why there is no driver to install and no app to download. If it were Bluetooth, she would pair it in keyboard (HID) mode instead.
2. Open Settings, Printers and scanner. The Barcode scanner panel on that page has a test area marked Scan anything to test.
3. Scan a tin from the shelf. The panel says Scanner works and shows what it read: the code, 13 characters, 38 milliseconds and that the scanner pressed Enter at the end. Nobody types thirteen digits in 38 milliseconds; that speed is the mark of a scanner working properly.
4. Scan to sell. At 09:05 a customer brings milk and two bags of crisps. On the till Fathima does not select anything first; she scans. A ding, and Milk 2 pint goes in at £1.45. She scans the crisps twice and the line becomes Crisps ×2 at £1.10 each.
5. Scan the multipack. The next customer takes a six-pack of cola. The outer pack has its own barcode, saved with a pack size of six, so one scan adds six Cola 500ml at £1.60 each. A note on the line names it as the multipack barcode with its pack of 6, so nobody wonders why six appeared.
6. Scan the new biscuits. At 09:09 a customer picks up the ginger biscuits. Instead of a ding there is a soft no. A panel titled New barcode slides in, showing 5014067133804 and the line Not in your products yet.
7. Check the name and type the price. The name has come from the barcode database: Ginger biscuits 250g. Fathima types the selling price, £1.25, and presses Enter. Under More she can add the cost, how many she has and a category; she adds the cost from the rep's invoice while it is in front of her.
8. Save and add to sale. The biscuits are created as a product and go into this customer's sale in the same moment. They will scan on every till from now on.
9. Use Link to a product for a changed barcode. When a brand reprints its packaging with a new barcode, Fathima chooses Link to a product and picks the existing item. The new code is saved on it, and stock stays in one place.

Getting the price right on a new line

The rep's invoice gives a cost of 68p a packet. At £1.25 on the shelf:

That is a healthy margin for a biscuit line. Entering the cost when the barcode is created means profit reports include this product from the first sale. For the difference between margin and markup, and a calculator, see markup vs margin.

Why scanning matters beyond speed

Each scan is a stock movement. When every sale is scanned or tapped, the till's stock figures stay close to what is on the shelf, and a stocktake finds fewer surprises. A product sold under a "miscellaneous" key, by contrast, disappears from the shelf without leaving a trace in the stock list.

Which scanner should a corner shop buy?

The simplest one that works as a keyboard. A corded USB scanner on a stand suits a fixed counter computer and never needs charging. A Bluetooth one suits a tablet or a shop where you sometimes scan on the shop floor; check that it offers HID (keyboard) mode, which most do, and keep its manual, because the setup barcodes for modes and the Enter key are printed there. Whichever you buy, the scanner test tells you within seconds whether it is ready.

Tips

• Keep the test page bookmarked in your head. Settings, Printers and scanner. If the scanner ever plays up, test there first.
• Save every multipack you sell. Six-packs of cola, multipacks of crisps and four-packs of beans are all faster as one scan.
• Add the cost on day one. It takes ten seconds when the invoice is on the counter.
• Let the till's sounds guide you. A ding means added; a soft no means look at the screen.

Common mistakes

• Creating a second product when a barcode changes. It splits the stock count and confuses reorders. Link the code instead.
• Scanning one can in a pack. It adds one can, not six. Scan the outer pack.
• Selling unknown items under a general key. It is quicker today and costs you stock accuracy for months.
• Skipping the test after moving the computer. A different port or a new cable is worth five seconds of testing.

What to do next

Back at the counter, milk, bread and a queue shows the quick keys for things with no barcode, such as loose rolls. Later in the day, the corner shop tab, without the notebook shows credit for a regular.

If you are still picking hardware, how to choose a POS system covers scanners, tills and printers for a small shop.