In a viral video posted Oct. 9, TikToker Aidan (@aidan_bost) shared a public service announcement to his fellow Walmart employees who work in online pickup and delivery (OPD). The video has over 835,600 views as of Monday.
“I found a shortcut,” he wrote in the caption.
With the handheld scanner, Aidan demonstrated that you can scan the image of the product and it’ll act as the barcode.
“For most Great Value products, there’s a hidden barcode in the picture of the product,” he wrote in the overlay text.
He proceeded to scan other items to prove his point.
@aidan_bost I found a shortcut #walmart #work #fyp #lifehack .#shortcut #smarternotharder #walmartsyncalong #walmartfinds #opd #ogp #walmartopd ♬ original sound – I’m Aidan
In the comments section, one user cracked the code as to how this system works.
“It’s called digimarc, it’s a real thing they have started to add to GV items,” the user said, as he claims he has work experience as a printer.
At the end of 2019, Walmart employed Digimarc to digitally watermark their products, specifically the Great Value brand, to make for easier consumer access.
“Unlike visible barcodes that are typically applied to one or two locations on a package, Digimarc Barcode can be applied throughout the entire package design yet is imperceptible to most consumers,” according to Labels and Labeling.
Other users in the comments section shared their experiences working for the company.
“Okay I don’t typically pick frozen but I might today just to try it,” one user said. Aidan responded, saying that “it works with almost any GV, try the cans and cereal boxes.”
“I thought I was insane when I scanned the front of the box and it worked,” another user commented.
The Daily Dot reached out to Aidan via TikTok comment and to Walmart via email.
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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/walmart-great-value-products-hidden-barcodes/