Barcode scanners...have I missed something here?

["Kenneth Watt" <kennwatt@xxxxxxx>]

Guys,

I know that many of you are getting these barcode scanners and I know
that many of you are using them for cataloguing stuff and for doing your
grocery list but I see some slight problems here.

For scanning in CD's, books, etc. do you not need a database of barcodes
that is valid? If so where are you gong to find one? Otherwise does
everything not need to be typed in anyway? I can see the point in a
commercial environment where there are stock lines and you move xx of
*one* product line, but I hardly see the point in a domestic situation
where you use one off a particular item.

As for scanning food etc., well Samsung and Electrolux (that I know of
>from
have a couple of issues with these machines. One is that it depends on
you shopping habits whether or not the information is correct, as in you
have to use the same store/s most of the time, and they cannot handle
too many products particularly of the "own brand" type.

I usually do the supermarket thing during the week at night, when I get
back the last thing I want to do is unpack a load of shopping, let alone
unpack it, scan it, enter values etc.

But here's the big one, I was talking to a rep for Lux and they said
that one of the biggest problems they had with the product was getting
people to *actually* remember to scan everything! Bear in mind that in
order for the fridge to track every item it has to know where every item
is and if you used it or not, miss one or two and the whole inventory is
up the spout. The other problem mentioned, that seems a real problem, is
how on earth do you keep track of a carton of milk? Think about it, I
could make macaroni & cheese and use a pint, or I could make tea and
use
>100ml or I could make a latte and use 1/4 of a pint...the barcode
reader just doesn't know and to let it know you have to manually enter
the amount used! To me this kinda defeats the purpose of the exercise,
i.e. automating the whole process, does it not?

Just a view


K.



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