Evan Schuman's StorefrontBacktalk

As retailers this month celebrate (or at least give a yawning acknowledgement of) the 35th anniversary of the Universal Product Code (UPC), there are increasing signs that merchants aren't quite ready for its proposed replacement, the GS1 DataBar. The economy is just one factor in the delay, but it's a key one. With extensive store closings, retail layoffs and dramatic budget cuts, Top Ten priority lists have become Top Three priority lists. Those tighter priorities have to be completed with fewer IT people, which means anything that won't likely yield an immediate margin boost isn't likely to make the initial cut.

Ahold Information Services Vice President of Applications Development Alan Williams argued that a January replacement of the current UPC-A barcode with the DataBar "would create a significant hardship for a large number of retailers." Ahold, a Netherlands-based grocery chain operator with sales of $40 billion, has about 1,400 stores in the U.S. including Stop&Shop and Giant.

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