Then and Now: First retail bar code scanner (above) and modern scanner with NCR SelfServ Checkout (below).

NCR Corp. first demonstrated its scanning system in 1974 to an overflow crowd that attended the Super Market Institute convention to view the then-revolutionary technology. Less than two months later, on June 26, 1974, history was made when a 10-pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum became the first product ever scanned in a retail store setting — with an NCR scanner in a checkout lane at a Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

NCR and Marsh quickly made headlines in newspapers and trade publications in the U.S., Canada and other countries.

"Throughout its history, Marsh has been a technology leader in the retail industry," said Lee Nicholson, vice president of MIS for Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. "When that package of Wrigley’s gum moved across the scan window, and a laser beam ‘read’ the barcode imprinted on the package, it was the beginning of a new era for retailing."

Indeed, the new system helped revolutionize the world of retailing. Barcode scanning at the point of service soon brought faster checkout for shoppers and gave retailers more information and control over inventory and other areas of store operations. But the revolution didn’t stop there.

"That first transaction on an NCR barcode scanner launched a transformation that is still being felt throughout the world of retailing" said Mike Webster, NCR vice president and general manager, retail and hospitality. "It’s a world where NCR has helped make shopping easier and faster for consumers with a stream of innovative solutions that we intend to drive well into the future."