SHOP SCALES - ADVANCED FEATURES
You can choose a flat plate retail scale, a fish pan or fruit & veg scoop. We also supply shop scales that link to cash registers and/or provide full cash register facilities including receipt printing, barcode scanning and cash drawer connection. Please contact us to discuss your shop scale requirements.

Many of our retail shop scales have PLU (Price Look Up) facilities, so you can store the prices of your most popular items, either per Kg or per 100g on the shop weighing scale. A tare weight facility allows you to set the weight of empty containers, so you can accurately measure the net weight of the contents. Some of our shop scales can be switched from Metric to Imperial measurements.

SCALES APPROVED FOR TRADE
All the retail weighing scales we supply for UK use are EC approved. ISO 9001:2000 compliant certificates are available on request. All our shop scales are supplied with a user guide, a minimum 12-month warranty and telephone support via our Help Desk.

Retail Weighing Scales - Buying Advice

At Primemark, we have a wide range of retail weighing scales for many different types of measuring application requirements and to suit various budgets. Here are some of the factors you should consider when you buy a retail weighing scale for your shop:-

Capacity
The capacity of a weighing scale will determine the maximum weight of content it will handle. You should carefully consider the typical weights of all the different products you will be weighing (apples, tomatoes, sweets etc) in your shop. Remember to allow for future expansion in case you decide to sell pre-packed items in the future or if you do wholesale trade as well as retail. The capacity would include the tare weight of any bag or container, in addition to the content.

For most retail shop purposes, a 6kg capacity is adequate. If you are selling larger items such as meat, potato bags etc, then a 12kg or 15kg capacity may be a better option. We also have retail scales upto 30kg capacity. However, remember that the greater the capacity, the less the resolution - see next paragraph.

Resolution / Increments
The resolution of a weighing scale determines the accuracy of the equipment and what increments it will weigh in. A resolution of 10g will obviously be less accurate than a resolution of 1g. If you are selling large items like potatoes, then a small variation (1g, 2g, or 5g) may not be relevant. However, if you are selling items like powdered spices, then a smaller resolution will provide for greater accuracy.

Most of our 6kg scales weigh in either 1g or 2g increments. Most 12 or 15kg scales weigh in 5 increments. Check the product specification of your intended scale.

Some scales such as the Kingship MEP series have a graded resolution - which provides for better accuracy when using a higher capacity scale.

Scale Size
All our retail scales have the overall dimensions of the unit specified in the product profile so you can check if your chosen scale will fit within the available space on your shop counter. If you are opting for a Pole Display, then check the height at which the display is read to make sure it will be suitable for the majority of your customers.

Operator Display
Our shop scales have clear, easy-to-read LCD display for the operator to read. Typically, the display will show the current pricing mode (eg. "per kg" or "per 100g"), the unit price, and the weight of the current item. The label/receipt printing scales will also provide for displaying the product name and other related details.

Customer Display
Our retail scales can either have the customer display integrated into the base unit, or mounted on a pole display. In some cases, the pole display is standard. With other shop scales, the Pole Display may be an optional extra item. Be sure to specify your required type of customer display in the product options before confirming your weighing scale purchase.

Power
The majority of shop scales are mains powered, though may be operated outdoors via an invertor where required. Some scales provide a battery operated option - either via a rechargeable internal battery pack or using replacement batteries. If you intend to operate your shop weighing scale by batteries, check the typical battery life and any battery power saving features.

Plates, Pans & Scoops
Depending on the types of items you will be weighing and the container (bag, box) you will place them in, you will need to choose the best shape of weighing surface for your weighing scale. Most shop scales are provided with a flat-plate as standard (check the plate size will be sufficient for your larger items). Optional stainless steel scoops for fruit & veg, sweets as well as fish pans are available on some shop scales. Check the diameter of the scoop/pan to ensure it will be large enough for your intended uses.

Pricing Modes
Most of our retail weighing scales can set the price computing mode to either "per kg" or "per 100g". Some of our shop scales also support Imperial measurement or conversion - check the specification carefully if you require this feature.

Preset Keys & PLU's
By storing the unit price of your most popular items, you can save valuable time at the point of sale.

PLU's (Price Look Up's) can either be programmed onto preset keys (sometimes referred to as Direct PLU's) or can also be programmed into a numbered list (Indirect PLU's) for retrieval by entering the item number.

Check your chosen scale has sufficient preset keys and PLU memory to hold enough of your popular products. Some preset keys can hold multiple values using Shift keys and levels.

Printing Scales
The high-end retail scales have integrated printers. These can either be set to print a label (usually thermal) or to print a receipt. If there is a dual-station printer, then the shop scales can print both a receipt and a label.

Check the specification of the weighing scale to see what information can be stored and printed onto the receipt and/or label (eg. Sell By date, packed date, best before date, ingredients, barcode, etc) to make sure it will print what you require.

Also check the media specification of the shop scale so you obtain compatible receipt paper and/or label stationery. If you will be handling frozen products, then you may require special freezer labels.

If the shop scale has memory to hold product/label information, check the memory capacity is large enough for your product range. Also look at features such as a full Qwerty keyboard/keypad to ease entry of data, or a computer interface to allow product data to be downloaded from your PC.

EPoS/ECR Electronic Interface Scales
Linking to an EPoS system or cash register requires a specialist electronic scale. Be sure to check compatibility of your chosen scale with the EPoS system/cash register provider if you intend to link them together.

Approval & Certification
Under UK and EU legislation, all weighing scales used for trade must be approved and bear the Crown stamp or European approval sticker. Most modern scales bear the CE marking as well as a black letter 'M' on a green background to denote EC approval. All retail scales sold by Primemark are EC approved. Scales built or assembled in the UK may also have a Trading Standards approval sticker or stamp.

Where a weighing scale is approved, it may also be graded CLASS I, CLASS II, CLASS III or CLASS IIII and the corresponding symbol sticker will be visible on the machine and/or its documentation. The grading relates to the accuracy, with CLASS IIII being the most accurate. The standards are defined in Schedule 2 of the UK Government's Weighing Equipment (Non-automatic Weighing Machines) Regulations 1988.

In addition to approval, a Calibration Certificate is available to confirm the unit has been tested in accordance with ISO 9001:2000 requirements. This certificate is optionally available for our shop scales on request and payment of the certificate fee.

Retail Weighing Scales - Operating Advice

The following useful points are a summary of the advice and guidance from the Trading Standards Institute in relation to weighing scales used for trade:-

• Use the retail weighing scale on a level surface
• Ensure the scale's reading is zero before starting.
• Dont position the weighing scale near strong draughts or air conditioning equipment which may distort the weighing
• Keep the scale and pan, including the underside of the pan, clean and free of debris otherwise that could interfere with the weighing
• Purchase and use stamped weights to regularly test the scale is working correctly. Test weights can be purchased from Primemark - see the Accessories section of our Online Technology Store.
• Keep a log of the tests and checks carried out on the retail weighing scale

For further operating advice, including specific information for butchers, bakers, pubs, restaurants, cafes, fish-mongers and greengrocers, see the TSI's Weights and Measures Guidance Leaflets.

List of Retail Weighing Scales



Related products:

Cash Registers / Cash Tills | Cash Drawers | Labels | Coin Counters

Some useful Retail Weighing Scale links:

Dibal - weighing scale manufacturer
Kingship - electronic shop scales manufacturer
Salter Brecknell - weighing equipment supplier
CAS - retail weighing scales manufacturer

Can't See What you Want?
If you wish to discuss your retail weighing scale requirements, Contact Us for helpful advice.We have retail weighing scales for grocers, fruit & veg stores, fish stalls, butchers, sweet shops and many other speciality retail stores. Our website displays our most popular retail weighing scales although we have a much wider range of shop scales and related equipment available as well as replacement parts and accessories. Please Contact Us to check for a particular weighing scale or shop scale accessory.