The time it takes to fumble around with items at self-checkout, searching for barcode after barcode to scan, really adds up. Walmart thinks it has found a solution for that.
The retail giant added “invisible barcodes” to its Great Value items. These allow customers and workers to scan items anywhere on the package—not just on the barcode box. While Walmart made the addition back in 2019, customers are still finding out about it to this day.
In a video with over 48,000 views, Walmart worker Cait (@beatsbycait) showcases the invisible barcode technology in action.
She scans a variety of Great Value items: a pack of long-grain white rice, a pack of light brown sugar, a bag of frozen tater tots, a container of ricotta cheese, a pack of American cheese slices, and a bag of shredded fiesta blend cheese. While the items make for a fun grocery haul, where she scans the items is the interesting part. She scans most of the items on their front sides, where the barcode isn’t even visible.
“Real ones know almost all great value items have hidden barcodes,” the text overlay on the video reads.
This trick only works on Walmart-branded items. While Cait used a handheld device that only workers have, self-checkouts are also equipped with the technology that allows the scanners to register invisible barcodes.
What is the technology called?
The company behind this technology is called Digimarc. It partnered with Walmart back in 2019 to equip self-checkout machines to scan invisible barcodes.
According to Kiosk Marketplace, the move was an anti-theft measure by Walmart. The thinking was that shoppers wouldn’t be able to get away with pretending to scan Great Value items, as the invisible barcode would pick up on the item regardless.
The goal of the partnership was also to make the self-checkout process more efficient.
“The scanning speed goes up significantly,” a Digimarc representative told the Daily Mail in 2024. “Hunting for barcodes during the scanning process becomes unnecessary, which eases the self-scanning for customers.”
We might be seeing the introduction of invisible barcodes at more and more retailers in the future. Kiosk Marketplace reports that Walmart shoppers are happy with the technology, which has also been adopted by Wegmans.
@beatsbycait ♬ Goodies (Instrumental) – Ciara
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