Looking up UPC codes???

drewmitch44

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 26, 2005
Messages
1,749
Does anyone know how to look up UPC codes on the web? I work retail and if i wanted to do some comp shopping from home if i knew some of the UPC numbers from some things that would save me a lot of time whyle at work. What i mean is say the UPC for a electric space heater is 04889402502, (im just using this item as an example) well my store sells this and others as well. I am supposed to make sure that we have the lowest price. My question is if i knew the upc's i could do it over the phone and save a lot of time. I could just ask someone at k-mart if they have the item and how much it costs. That way i dont have to go there and look. Just wondering if anyone knows how or where to look up these numbers for such products. UPC is the number under the barcode thats on just about everything that is sold anywhere.
 

i386

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Aug 24, 2004
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3,548
Re: Looking up UPC codes???

I googled "upc code search" and found a few possible hits. Tried any of those?
 

wildmaninal

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Jul 14, 2007
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Re: Looking up UPC codes???

When I was in retail we had a few people who tried the old UPC switcheroo on items. I went to ring up an expensive item for a "customer" and it rung up dirt cheap. If I remember right I took the UPC they put on the item off and rung up the item's regular UPC and told them the price if I'm not mistaken they were in shock that I caught it.

I like the idea that they gave on the show "It Takes a Thief" where they bar coded all the items in the house and loaded every item on a computer program which they could back up onto a disk. Very neat. Sorry jumped off subject, I know.
 

whywhyzed

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Feb 1, 2005
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1,871
Re: Looking up UPC codes???

if you phone k-mart just tell them what the item is. They'll tell you the price. they don't need the UPC. That would just turn a 5 minute call into a 45 minute call.
 

drewmitch44

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 26, 2005
Messages
1,749
Re: Looking up UPC codes???

Yea when i comp shop im supposed to scan the upc not the store label. It is still the upc on the label but somehow the scanner we use can tell. But ive seen people do that to upc's also. Its funny how its so obvious when the upc has been switched. Im not looking to do that im just trying to make my work load a little easier. You can clearly tell though whey someone sticks a different upc on an item. most of the time the upc is on the cardboard which is shrink-wrapped. Its a giveaway when there is a sticker ontop of the shrinkwrap. I worked at the distribution center so i know how the bar codes are supposed to be and i caught a couple of people doing that too. Im not a cashier but ive seen them doing it. by the way when i say comp. shop im talking about- i got to go to a competitor and scan their products and then enter in their prices. If their price is lower than ours then we automatically lower out price to beat the competition. The scanner that we use looks like a older cell phone so that way employee's in say, k-mart dont know that im in there. Its weird though it feels like im stealing cause i dont want anyone to know that I work for another retailer and im there checking their prices.
 

SeaKaye12

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 3, 2005
Messages
1,108
Re: Looking up UPC codes???

It might not work very well because many of the really large merchants get their merchandise packaged slightly different and therefore it would have a different barcode.

Specialty store cameras come with cases and batteries in the package. Walmart versions do not; and therefore have a different barcode. Same product but different packaging.

Just one example.

Chuck
 
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