GREENSBORO, N.C. — The checkout has changed over the years. First, cashiers manually punched in the price of an item, then the scanners made check-out much quicker, and today, there's self-check-out.

The initiative that gives consumers detailed product information via QR codes is gearing up for a major shift in retail technology.

The zebra-striped labels are in the process of being phased out in favour of new, square-shaped QR codes in a move that could put an end to squinting at tiny product labels and accidentally buying ...

Forward-looking: For almost five decades, the humble barcode has been found on the packaging of almost every consumer item in the world. But there's a push to get rid of them within just two years, ...