The first commercial scanning of an item with a Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode occurred on June 26, 1974, at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The item, a pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum, marked the beginning of an era that would revolutionize the retail industry and consumer behavior. Barcodes dramatically improved the efficiency of checkout processes, inventory management, and data accuracy, paving the way for more sophisticated systems of logistics and supply chain management in industries worldwide.
