As there are many types of barcode available, you can safely say that there are all sorts of devices that can be used to scan and make sense of them. In retail stores you may find a particular technology is used, while other industries could use something completely different.
Retail barcodes are often scanned using handheld devices as this makes the process quite simple and effective for the shop assistant to use when checking prices. They can look like a gun which has a trigger to scan the products but this varies from store to store.
Another type of reader that is commonly used in a retail setting is a built-in scanner which is fitted into a counter so that it is easier to put items through the checkout by swiping them across the surface. Supermarkets are places which frequently use these sorts of scanners.
New ways of doing things are always being released onto the market, but retail barcodes themselves are here to stay. They are made so they can be quickly applied to all products within the inventory. The central database is able to ensure that the whole process runs smoothly and proves to be an efficient stock control and retail solution.