Marsh, NCR to Mark 35th Anniversary of First Product Scan

TROY, Ohio — Next week marks the 35th anniversary of bar code scanning. On June 26, 1974, a 10-pack of Wrigley's chewing gum became the first product ever scanned in a retail store setting - with an NCR scanner in a checkout lane at a Marsh Supermarket here.

"Throughout its history, Marsh has been a technology leader in the retail industry," said Lee Nicholson, vice president of MIS for Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets, in a statement. "When that package of Wrigley's gum moved across the scan window, and a laser beam 'read' the bar code imprinted on the package, it was the beginning of a new era for retailing."

Two months earlier, NCR first had demonstrated its scanning system to an overflow crowd that attended the Super Market Institute convention to view the technology.

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