Suzanne O’Connor’s Bargains LA

Barcode Scanner Apps for Your Cell

Kevin O’Connor

Barcode scanner apps are cell phone applications that will scan a barcode from your cell and then pull up relevant info such as pricing and store location. You can see pricing variations and use that knowledge to determine if you are getting a “bargain”.

You begin by downloading a barcode scanner app to your phone. It utilizes the camera to act as a scanner. Load app, point camera at the barcode and when it reads it, the phone will automatically scan. Google steps in and sends back results.

First, it will show product with a range of prices. You can ask for a web search where things like Amazon or Overstock.com pricing comes up or if you have GPS positioning enabled, it will price it out at stores near you with mileage.  Now obviously it will not show every store. It’s only the big boys…Walgreens, Costco, Walmart (my least favorite store) etc. I use the box store pricing as a reference point. For specific product, the stores on BargainsLA.com are well below those. What its cool for is comparison shopping to see if you are really getting a deal.

Personal example: I’m in Frye’s looking for a boom box. A real boom box, not one of these little things that sit on your bedside table with an ipod plugged in. I mean a 20 lb, 110 db boom box. Only place that has one is Frye’s, which I normally don’t go to but had to…

Find out its Day 1 for Ironman 2 release. They were offering a 3 disc, blueray edition for $21.99. Normally I buy all dvd/blueray at Costco. If I want to wait I can sometimes nab them at the Outlet by E.L.S, which is where I got my Playstation and theater surround system…but I digress.

Pull out phone, shoot barcode, see that Target (3 miles away) has it for $28.99, Costco (4.7 miles away) is $27.99, etc. So at $21.99 it’s a deal. So I buy it…oh and the boom box too.

There are tons of uses. You can create wish lists where you list stuff you have scanned or, like me, you see something that you are hemming and hawing over, only to discover that this really is a good price and you end up buying it. I see this as a tool/guide resource then a definitive, where to shop, type of application. But it sure comes in handy when comparison shopping. The price (free) is not too bad either.

IPhone vs Droid. OK I’m going out on a limb here as I don’t have an IPhone but I’m betting Droid has better search capabilities because Google is directly involved in the integration with Droid.