In a bid to restore consumer confidence following last year's shop and supermarket overcharging controversy, most major players have signed up to the voluntary Scanning Code of Practice. The EAN Ireland code, approved by the director of Consumer Affairs, Ms Carmel Foley, has set down procedures for the use of bar coding at the retail point of sale.
Retailers signing up to the code must have systems in place to ensure that the price displayed is the price paid and that this information is readily available to the consumer.
Ms Foley hopes that following the code's introduction, there will be fewer and fewer complaints relating to incorrect charging. "In this regard, there must never be an acceptable level of error," she said at the code launch last week.
The bar code offers shop owners cost savings and stock control but requires a giant leap of faith for consumers who arrive home with a long, uncheckable list of grocery prices, Ms Foley said. It involves implicit trust that the price paid is the same that was displayed on a long forgotten shelf edge label.
Scanning was introduced here 13 years ago but standards have slipped in some areas. The relaunch of the code demonstrates the trade's commitment to improved consumer standards.
Chairman of EAN Ireland, Mr Brian Mahony said: "Scanning is a vital element of effective retail systems and adherence to this Code of Practice is essential for the retailer in ensuring the accuracy of their systems and, more importantly, for underpinning the consumer's confidence in the integrity of scanning systems."
EAN Ireland monitors the retailers at random to ensure compliance is maintained. Stores in breach of the code will have their scanning notice withdrawn. Adherence to the code may assist retailers in re-establishing customer confidence and enable a good ongoing relationship with the Office of Consumer Affairs. Tesco, Superquinn, Centra, SuperValu, Dunnes Stores, Londis, Roches Stores, Spar, Atlantic Homecare and Petitt's have all signed up to the code.
EAN Ireland is the organisation responsible for managing and promoting article numbering, bar coding, scanning and ecommerce and has a membership base of over 2,100 companies throughout the State.
