If a product's barcode cannot be scanned at checkout and there is no price tag, what should the cashier do first?

• A. Manually enter the code.
• B. Ask the customer if she knows the price of the product.
• C. Have another associate do a price check.
• D. Ask the customer to get another item off the shelf.

Answer: (A)

When a barcode won’t scan and there’s no price tag, the first move is to manually enter the product’s code into the POS system. The store’s system has price data linked to that UPC or PLU, so typing the code pulls up the exact price, tax, and any promotions for that item. This approach uses reliable data from the central pricing database, avoids guessing, and keeps checkout accurate and efficient. If the code entry still doesn’t yield a price, that’s the moment to escalate to a price check with another associate or supervisor. Asking the customer for the price or trying to price the item by memory would introduce risk and delay.