Well, we suppose it would be possible, but we have become so used to the ease with which they can give us information about an item and this can be used for a multitude of purposes such as stock control, re-ordering, slow-selling items inventory control and a multitude of other uses.
Take the supermarket, the item you have bought is scanned at the checkout and naturally, it tells the assistant the price, which is automatically entered into the cash register. But it does a lot more; the purchasing office will be able to see the current stock levels of each item scanned and re-order as necessary to make sure the shelves are kept stocked. This way the store does not have to carry a lot of stock, as they can stock on a just-in-time basis each day and avoid having expensive items on the warehouse floor. Many supermarkets have little or no warehouse room today, just enough to hold whilst the delivery truck from the distribution depot is unloaded.
In the case just outlined we can see how the barcode has kept prices at a low level and in some areas it has reduced prices by keeping overheads low. The warehouse no longer has to have staff to find the items for the store to put on the shelves for sale, it is now just a simple transit area and the floor area can be utilised for more profitable use. Large stocks do not need to be held at an expense passed on to the customer. The distribution warehouse will also use the barcode technology, often fed directly into their computer from the sales outlet.
So perhaps we cannot live without barcodes, not without huge inconvenience and expense though.