US Open relies on Symbol SPT1846 handheld terminal

Filed under: Barcode Scanner Business, Barcode Scanner Repair, Announcements

Summers’ end means Labor Day, cookouts, back-to-school and the US Open at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, NY.  One of the four majors in tennis, sponsored by the United States Tennis Association (the USTA), the US Open is the world’s largest sporting event by attendance.

My wife is a huge fan as well as an enthusiastic recreational tennis player (and USTA member).  It’s one of her missions in life to get to all the majors.  In addition to the US Open, that’s the French and Australian, plus Wimbledon in London. So along with eight of our best friends we charged off to New York last week for a few days of the best tennis atmosphere anywhere.

And we weren’t alone -- already after Week One (it’s a two week gig) more than 420,000 fans have passed through the turn styles. That’s where the practical power and reliability, not to mention speed, accuracy and value associated with good old mobile barcode scanning devices help to make this train run smoothly. Each fan through the gate had their barcoded ticket scanned by a Symbol SPT1846 handheld terminal, which we know a little about.

I know that most of the time we’re talking about moving product off the dock to customers and how important that is (and it is), but trust me – when a (huge) crowd of serious tennis fans are determined not to miss a minute of Rafael Nadal or Venus or Serena – you’ve got to be able to move people through the entry ques quickly.  That’s just what the USTA people were able to do with zero backups or bottlenecks (at least I didn’t observe any).  Hats off to the USTA for reminding us that reliable, proven barcode technology and RF-powered handheld devices can be used for more than taking inventory!