Days numbered for barcodes as shoppers demand more data

Growing demand for more information about the products we buy could mean the end of the simple bar code — the blocks of black and white stripes that adorn most objects for sale and are scanned five billion times a day. First used on a pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum in 1974 in a store in Ohio, bar codes have revolutionized the retail world, allowing cashiers to ring up products much faster and more accurately, while also streamlining logistics.