In many Indian shops, half the items have no barcode you can use: loose dal, local namkeen, garments, fataka boxes. Every one of them means a search at the counter. Printing your own barcode labels turns each of those sales into a single scan. Here is how store codes work and how to set them up without mistakes.
What is a store code?
A store code is a barcode your shop makes for its own items. The most common kind is an EAN-13 code that starts with 200. GS1, the body that manages barcodes worldwide, keeps the prefixes 200 to 299 for use inside a shop, so they will not clash with any product barcode.
A store code has three parts:
- 200 — the in-store prefix;
- nine digits — your item number, for example 000000027;
- one check digit — worked out from the other twelve, so a scanner can tell a misread.
So item 27 becomes 2000000000275: 200, then 000000027, then the check digit 5. Good billing software works out the check digit for you.
Store codes are for your shop only. If you sell packed products to other retailers or online marketplaces, you need your own barcodes from GS1 India.
Packs that carry their weight
For items sold by weight, you can go one step further: pack fixed amounts, such as 250 g or 500 g, and print a label whose barcode includes the weight. At the counter, one scan adds the right item, the right weight and the right price, and stock goes down by weight.
Which label size?
| Label | Good for |
|---|---|
| 38 × 25 mm, 2 across | Most shop items: name, price and code fit well; two labels per row print fast |
| 50 × 25 mm | Longer names, or when you also print MRP and date |
| A4 sheets (24, 40 or 65 labels) | No label printer yet; an office printer will do for small batches |
What to print on the label
- The item name, short enough to read at a glance.
- The selling price, and the MRP if it is higher.
- The barcode with its digits underneath, in case a scan fails.
- Optional: your shop name, the packing date, size and colour for garments.
The workflow that works
- Goods come in. Enter the stock in your billing software as it arrives.
- Labels print. The software gives each new item a store code and prints one label per piece or box.
- Stick them on. Before the item reaches the shelf.
- Scan at the counter. The next sale is one beep.
Mistakes to avoid
- Printing a code your software does not know. If the code is not saved on the item, the counter shows "unknown barcode". Make labels from your billing software, not from a separate tool that knows nothing about your items.
- Reusing a code for a different item. Old labels still on the shelf will ring up the wrong thing.
- Choosing the wrong roll size in the printer settings. The print lands on the gap between labels. Check one row before printing a hundred.
- Labels too small or without white space around the bars. Leave a few millimetres on each side so scanners can read them.
Store codes in KamaiPlus
KamaiPlus gives every new item without a barcode its own EAN-13 store code, saves it on the item before the label prints, and never reuses it. Labels print on thermal rolls (38 × 25 mm 2-across, 50 × 25 mm and more) or A4 sheets, and loose packs carry their weight in the code. See Barcode Studio and the label printer guide.