Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts retail chain with over 900 stores across the United States, is known for not using universal product codes (UPCs) or barcodes on any of the merchandise in their stores. This unique and controversial business decision stems from the Christian values of Hobby Lobby’s founders and owners, the Green family. The Greens claim religious objections to barcodes and believe they contain connections to the “Mark of the Beast.” While the reasoning may seem unusual to some customers, the lack of barcodes has become an integral part of Hobby Lobby’s brand identity over the past 47 years.
The History Behind Hobby Lobby’s Barcode-Free Policy
David Green, an evangelical Christian, founded Hobby Lobby in 1972 in Oklahoma City with a $600 loan. From the beginning, Green ran his business based on biblical principles and his Christian faith has always guided Hobby Lobby’s operational decisions. In the mid-1980s as barcode technology was becoming more widespread among retailers, David Green learned that the Universal Product Code may contain three hidden sixes (666), which is known as the “Number of the Beast” in the Book of Revelation. As a result, Hobby Lobby made the decision to forego UPC barcodes in its retail stores.
Connection Between Barcodes and Biblical Prophecy
According to an interpretation held by some evangelical Christians, barcodes resemble the code “666,” which represents the “Mark of the Beast.” Some people believe barcodes are associated with Satan and the end times prophesied in Revelation. Though barcodes have been commercialized since the 1970s, David Green and others believe the technology could evolve into the actual “Mark of the Beast” barcode tattoo that the Antichrist will enforce during the end times tribulation.
Hobby Lobby’s Christian, Biblically-Based Business Model
The Greens are outspoken about managing Hobby Lobby based on Christian faith and biblical values. Besides avoiding potentially demonic barcodes, Hobby Lobby’s statement of purpose promises to “[h]onor the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles.” The retail chain plays Christian music in stores, closes on Sundays, pays above minimum wage, and prints a Bible verse on every shopping bag. Eliminating barcodes is part of the Greens’ commitment to running Hobby Lobby according to their interpretation of the Bible.
Practical Implications of Not Having Barcodes
While avoiding barcodes originated for religious reasons, operating without UPCs has impacted Hobby Lobby’s business operations and expansion over the years.
Inventory Management and Pricing Challenges
Without barcodes to automate inventory counts and track products, Hobby Lobby employees must manually enter details for each item into the point-of-sale system. While technology has improved this process, stocking shelves and updating pricing still requires significantly more labor compared to retailers that leverage barcodes for workflow efficiency. However, Hobby Lobby has made the model work by hiring more employees to accommodate the workload.
Slower Checkout Process
Checking out also moves slower at Hobby Lobby because cashiers must look up each product’s price and item number instead of scanning a barcode. The retail chain offsets checkout delays by staffing more cashier stations compared to competitors. Hobby Lobby also prioritizes excellent customer service, so cashiers are trained to process each order with care – not haste.
Challenges Stocking Other Brands’ Products
As a specialty retailer focused primarily on its own portfolio of private label arts, crafts, home decor, and seasonal merchandise, managing inventory without barcodes is feasible. However, not using barcodes poses problems when Hobby Lobby adds products from other brands or manufacturers. If an outside company’s merchandise ships with embedded barcodes, Hobby Lobby reportedly covers over or removes UPC symbols before stocking items in stores due to the Greens’ religious objections.
Customer Reactions to Barcode-Free Shopping
Regular Hobby Lobby shoppers are accustomed to the arts and crafts supplies chain not relying on barcodes at checkout. However, customers unaware of the policy may be caught off guard when a cashier manually keys in product codes instead of scanning items. Shoppers unfamiliar with the Greens’ Christian background and religious reasons for avoiding barcodes can find the practice unusual or inconvenient. However, many customers ultimately respect or even support Hobby Lobby’s values-based position on barcodes.
Confusion and Frustration
Some first-time Hobby Lobby patrons feel baffled or annoyed when they learn the retail chain does not use barcodes. Shoppers visiting Hobby Lobby stores while traveling or living in a different region of the country may not realize barcode scanners are intentionally absent until they check out. If customers are in a hurry, the slower manual checkout process can be seen as an irritation and source of longer lines. However, regular customers tend to take the longer checkout waits in stride.
Admiration for Values-Based Business Practices
While barcodes may represent the “Mark of the Beast” to the Greens, plenty of Hobby Lobby consumers simply view the symbol-free merchandise as a values-driven business decision. Loyal shoppers respect the retail chain for sticking to Christian principles. Many evangelical customers even purposefully support Hobby Lobby specifically due to stances like avoiding barcodes as well as closing stores on Sundays.
Curiosity About Reasoning Behind the Policy
Customers intrigued or caught off guard by products lacking barcodes may ask Hobby Lobby employees why the items do not have UPCs. When clerks explain the Greens’ desire to avoid potential connections to the “Number of the Beast,” shoppers often find the rationale interesting. The unusual barcode-free policy sparks curiosity even among customers who do not share the same religious beliefs as the Green family.
The Future of Barcodes at Hobby Lobby
After almost 50 years in business, Hobby Lobby remains committed to operating stores without using universal product codes on merchandise. The Greens’ evangelical Christian faith continues guiding business decisions across the growing retail chain. With new Hobby Lobby locations opening after the company’s recent Supreme Court victory exempting them from offering employee contraception coverage, barcodes will likely remain absent from shelves.
As technology evolves, some wonder if Hobby Lobby may one day leverage QR codes or RFID tags which could offer workflow efficiencies and inventory insights typically provided by UPC barcodes. However, the Greens seem intent on never directly associating their company with symbols carrying any potential connection to the “Mark of the Beast.” For the foreseeable future, shopping at Hobby Lobby will not involve barcode scans at checkout. The barcode-free environment has become ingrained in the arts and crafts retailer’s brand identity and allows customers to literally see the Greens’ Christian values manifested on every shelf.
