Why does one butcher shop using Clover and deli scales work with “Per Unit” while another requires “Variable” item type?

Why does one butcher shop using Clover and deli scales work with “Per Unit” while another requires “Variable” item type?

Products Described: Variable Price Barcode Parser, Weight Embedded Barcode Parser


Question
A sales partner supporting multiple butcher shops noticed that the Variable Price Barcode Parser behaves inconsistently across similar setups. At one location, deli scale barcodes scan perfectly when items are set to “Per Unit” in Clover. But at another shop—using the same Clover POS and deli scale—the barcode fails to scan unless the item is set to “Variable.” Why would identical setups result in different behaviors? And why does one store lose quantity and weight tracking while the other doesn't?

Answer
This situation is directly tied to a recent update to the Variable Price Barcode Parser and how it processes price-embedded barcodes within Clover’s framework.

We uncovered that when merchants set items as “Per Unit” in Clover and use price-embedded barcodes, approximately 1 out of 10 cases would produce a rounding error. For example, the barcode might indicate a total of $29.97, but Clover would process it as $29.96 or $29.98—a serious issue for merchants dealing with high-precision pricing.

This happens because Clover tries to reverse-calculate the weight from the total price embedded in the barcode. That process requires multiple steps and often introduces rounding discrepancies.

Solution & Updated Configuration Requirements

To prevent these issues:

  • Merchants using price-embedded barcodes must now set items in Clover as “Variable” when using Variable Price Barcode Parser. This avoids the need for reverse-calculation and eliminates rounding problems.

  • Merchants who prefer to keep items as “Per Unit” must switch their scales to generate weight-embedded barcodes instead. This setup ensures perfect accuracy and maintains full weight/quantity tracking in Clover.

In those cases, merchants should use the Weight Embedded Barcode Parser instead of Variable Price Barcode Parser.

Why does it still work at some stores?

Stores that installed the app prior to this update were kept on a legacy exception release, allowing them to continue using Per Unit + Price Embedded barcodes. That’s why you’re seeing different behavior across stores with seemingly identical setups.

If you'd like to move an older store to the new standard for consistency, just send us the MID and we’ll remove them from the exception release.

Need more technical detail?

Read our full article on Rounding Issues with Variable Price Barcode Parser

Need help determining whether a store should use price or weight embedded barcodes? We’re happy to walk you through the setup.

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