The barcode names the product — not its price
Many shops in Egypt — especially textiles, footwear, and clothing — print the price inside the barcode itself. It works, but it hurts the moment a price changes. Let's look at the difference between that old way and having the barcode identify the product while the price lives in the system.
How the barcode works right in Zemam
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1. The barcode says WHAT the product is — not its price
In Zemam the barcode is the item's identity (an internal code or the manufacturer's EAN-13) — it only identifies the product. The price is not printed inside it.
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2. Price and discount live in the system
Prices and discounts are stored inside Zemam — not on the sticker. So you can change them anytime without touching the product.
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3. Scan the barcode → the system fetches the current price
The cashier scans the barcode, Zemam identifies the product from the code, and pulls its current price instantly — always the latest price, not an old price printed months ago.
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4. Change the price once → it changes everywhere
Changed an item's price? The change applies instantly across every POS and branch — no going back to reprint and re-stick labels.
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5. Wholesale tiers + per-customer lists + offers
The same product with the same barcode gets a quantity-tiered wholesale price, a special price per customer or category, and offers applied at checkout — all from the system, without the barcode ever changing.
Why this saves you the headache
Changed a price? It updates everywhere instantly — without touching a single sticker.
Tiered wholesale prices and price lists per customer/category — same product, same barcode, different prices.
VAT is computed correctly — after the discount as the law requires, not a number frozen on a sticker.
No 'old sticker, old price' mistake — the price always comes from the system at the moment of sale.
The old way: price inside the barcode — where it hurts
Price change = reprint every sticker
In the old way that puts the price inside the barcode, the moment a price changes you must reprint and re-stick every item — time, money, and errors.
No wholesale, no per-customer price
The printed sticker price is one for everyone — you can't separate wholesale from retail, or give your big customer his special price.
Old-sticker mistakes
An item left with an old-price sticker → sold at the wrong price. A price frozen on paper turns into a silent loss.
So when does price-in-barcode make sense?
To be honest: there are narrow cases where it's right — goods sold by weight (the scale prints weight + price), clearance markdowns, and coupons. But putting the price inside every ordinary product's barcode — that's the part that hurts.
In Zemam
The barcode identifies the item (a CODE128 internal code or the manufacturer's EAN-13), while price, discount, and offers live in the system. Scan the product and its current price appears — change the price once and it updates everywhere, with tiered wholesale prices, per-customer price lists, and VAT computed after the discount correctly.
Want to change prices in a second — with no reprinting?
In Zemam the barcode identifies the product and the price lives in the system: wholesale tiers, per-customer pricing, and offers — all updated instantly. Try it free and see the difference in your shop.