Why doesn’t Hobby Lobby use barcodes?

(NEXSTAR) – There is hardly an item you can buy that does not have a barcode. In fact, going to the checkout and then realizing that your item doesn’t have a barcode can prove challenging.

Unless you’re shopping from a specific national retailer, a barcode can actually be a problem.

Frequent visitors to the Hobby Lobby may have noticed that instead of scanning the labels, the cashiers manually enter the item’s price and sales prices, if any.

Why?

Some have speculated that Hobby Lobby is known for it be owned Evangelical Christians fear that barcodes are the “mark of the beast” mentioned in the last book of the Bible. In there the book of revelation, a beast is described. This apocalyptic beast would leave his mark on all people and that things could not be bought or sold “unless they had the mark”.

The idea that the barcode is a “sign of the best” goes back to the 1970s Wired. George Laurer, the inventor of the modern UPC, reportedly called the idea that it had any connection to the Bible “ridiculous.”

It’s hard to say that this lore has any bearing on Hobby Lobby’s decision not to use barcodes. Former employees, including TikTok users, have debunked the claim @arenclellewho said the company owner simply believes in the power of humans over computers.

David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby, wrote in his book More Than a Hobby that eliminating barcodes and scanners at checkout places people first. He writes that he doesn’t want employees to think that the company values ​​computers more than they do summary of his book.

Green also explained in his 2010 book that he believes employees will better understand what’s in store if they take inventory manually, rather than relying on a computer to tell them what’s in stock and what not.

Although some have Broken checkout process at Hobby Lobby As slow or inconsistent (tellers have to manually enter sales prices, which often change weekly), it’s not likely to change anytime soon.

“We’ve thought about scanning our tills, but don’t think it’s right for us at this time,” Hobby Lobby wrote in its post website.

Hobby Lobby did not respond to Nexstar’s request for comment.