2005 Sunrise―and shine

摘要

If you're a retailer, you'll be affected in a big way by the 2005 Sunrise initiative, which goes live on Jan. 1, 2005. On that day, U.S. and Canadian retailers should start scanning 13-digit EAN bar codes, in addition to the current 12-digit UPC (see "What is 2005 Sunrise?" below). Because most of the major retailers will be ready, Al Garton, director of channel management for the Uniform Code Council (UCC), says his focus is on mid-size and small retailers, who may not realize what a drawback noncompliance will be. "If you haven't started by now, you're putting yourself at a huge disadvantage," he says. By not embracing the 2005 Sunrise initiative, you'll increasingly have to make complicated arrangements to accommodate an obsolete system. Indeed, the question is not whether your operation will change, but how it will change, and whether you will benefit.