Barcode vs PLU: Which Should Your Shop Use?

If you're setting up products in a POS system for the first time, you'll be asked to choose between a barcode and a PLU code for each item — and it's easy to default to whatever the last item used, without thinking about which one actually fits.

Barcodes: for packaged, pre-labeled items

If a product already comes with a barcode printed on the package — a bottled drink, packaged snacks, most retail goods — just scan it. There's nothing to set up beyond pointing a scanner at the item, and it's the fastest, most error-proof option at checkout.

PLU codes: for anything without a label

Fresh bread, loose produce, made-to-order items, anything sold by weight — these don't come with a barcode, so you assign a short numeric PLU code instead. A good system lets you type it fast (some even let you type a quantity shortcut, like 5 times a code to ring up five of something in one motion) without needing a scanner at all.

Set a default so you're not choosing every time

If most of what you sell is one type or the other, set that as your default identifier type when creating new products — a bakery will mostly want PLU by default, a retail shop reselling packaged goods will mostly want barcode. You can still override it per item; the default just saves you a click on the 90% case.