Thank you to all who participated in our recent survey and gave us their thoughts about the NCP Blog. We really appreciate it!

One of the survey questions was “what topics do you like to read about.” Well, a large percentage said they like to read tips about scanning and panel membership.

So we thought now would be a good time to pass along some tips!


As you know, one of the most important things to do as a panelist is to accurately scan your purchases. So keep these in mind …

  • The best time to scan your purchases is as soon as you get home from a shopping trip. This way the purchases are fresh in your mind! Use your receipt as a guide.
  • Make sure to scan the actual barcode on the items purchased, and not the receipts from the stores!
  • On-the-go purchases and gifts, like a bottle of liquor picked up on the way to a party, pose a unique scanning challenge. So instead of asking for the empty bottle to go, just write down the barcode numbers on the back of the receipt and key the entry when you get home.
  • Many coupons have barcodes on them. Of course we want you to tell us about any coupons you use, but please do not scan the barcode on the coupon. Although the scanner may accept the barcode, the information is not readable to us.
  • If the store you shopped at does not appear on your Store List, use a Store Type category, for instance, Drug Store, Department Store, Pet Store, and Restaurant. If you still can’t find the right Store Type, use All Other Stores. Even though you won’t be telling us the specific store, we can still use these information, plus you’ll be credited with having provided us with a shopping trip!

Not an NCP member yet? If you want to join the panel, just go to join.ncponline.com and sign up!

Thanks, and enjoy the weekend!