New Product Hits The Market

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Scale Man
Brecknell PC-30

Brecknell Scales New Price Computing Scale

New to the market place, legal for trade certified scales with capacities for any application you have for charging price per pound. Or perhaps you are looking to charge price per ounce or price per kilogram? If so, the PC-30 or the PC-60 from Brecknell Scales is your choice. Whatever you want to weigh, from fudge to apples, the Brecknell PC series delivers the capacity and resolution you need. The scales come complete with either a 30 pound or 60 pound capacity in a choice of resolutions to meet your needs. Continue reading →

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Popular Goodies at the Farmers Market

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Scale Man

We were doing an internal poll around here thinking about what fresh foods we were looking forward to buying once the farmers market opens up soon. Below is an overview of a few of the top picks among our group of hungry eaters.

Strawberries, blueberries, okra, corn, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, red onions, cantaloupe, kale, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, collards, bananas, spinach, peaches, pecans, butternut squash, tomatoes including cherry, grape, roma, and slicing, turnips, and watermelon.

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Unique Scales Provide Flexibility and Straightforward Functionality

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Scale Man

Adam Equipment’s WBZ wash down approved weighing scales are perfect for price-computing purposes such as markets, preparing food, retail shops, agricultural facilities, and much more. The WBZ versions are National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) and Measurement Canada-approved, which makes them appropriate for legal for trade purposes and can be sealed for sales applications when approved scales are required.

Adam WBZ retail scales offer a big, easy-to-read and superbly backlit LCD on both front and back panels. The scale shows weight, unit price and total price in a choice of multiple currencies. Additional features include considerable sealing inside and out, supplying the WBZ an advanced level of protection for wet applications, making cleaning straightforward. WBZ is light-weight and easily transportable, taking up little desk space. It may be transported to different locations due to internal rechargeable battery pack, that provides fifty hours of operation before the need to be recharged. A low-battery indication lets end users know once the battery needs charging. An auto-sleep/power-down function helps to conserve battery life, and an AC power adaptor comes with the scale for those instances when electrical power is easily obtainable.

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Why should I Purchase a Scale That Is Legal-for-Trade?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Scale Man

To begin with, defining a commercial weighing application isn’t normally straightforward. Weighing scales move around and get employed for things beyond our control. Legally, a NTEP approved device is required whenever money changes hands based on a scale’s reading. Freight scales, for instance, should be NTEP approved and selling apples by the pound using the RS130 scale would be a legal for trade situation. Of these situations government mandates that a scale must pass tests put forth by the National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP). These regulations should protect us, the consumer. But here’s something to consider. The majority of us buckle our seat belts right? We all do so because it’s smart, not just because it’s what the law states. The same goes for scales.

When you get down to business, we make use of a scale because we want to know a precise weight and trust the information we receive. When selecting a scale to weigh your bananas, or packages, or dose of medicine, can you select one that’s been tested as accurate, or one that’s never been tested at all? There may be a market for all kinds of equipment. But think about why a scale hasn’t passed the test. It probably costs less, and Continue reading →

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Simple Way To Clean Produce

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Scale Man

We all need fresh produce.  It tastes good and it is good for you.  However with all the pesticides and other particles that are located on the outside of the fruits and vegetables, the benefits can be reduced or can even cause you more harm than good.  But there is an easy way to clean your produce.  Most people think running fruit under water for a few seconds gets the job done.  Not quite.

Frozen blueberries were found to have the highest organophosphate residue at 28%, with strawberries coming in at a close second at 25%.  Celery had a 19% contamination rate. How do we protect ourselves from pesticide contamination?  Here are some helpful hints.  If possible, buy local and organic.  Even if you do, make sure to still peal your fruit when you have the option. For fruits and vegetables that can’t be peeled (like strawberries and celery), make sure you wash them thoroughly.    See whole article here

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Selling fruits and vegetables by weight in Tennessee?

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Scale Man

The article linked below gives you a general idea of what many states expect you to do regarding using certified legal for trade class III scales when it comes to selling produce at a farmers market or produce stand.  Generally, in most states anyone selling fruits and vegetables by weight to customers must use a state inspected legal for trade certified scale which has a certificate of conformance number.  Complying with the rules takes two steps.  First, the seller needs to purchase a NTEP approved legal for trade scale (our site can help you with that).  Then the legal for trade scale must be inspected and approved by your individual state.  See more info below. 

Scales must conform to National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) standards. Scales that comply with NTEP guidelines typically will be marked with the NTEP logo and the associated accuracy class which is normally “III” with produce scales. Scales marked “not legal for trade” are not acceptable for retail use in Tennessee. Scales must also comply with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 44 (H44) which mandates tolerances, specifications and other technical requirements for all weighing and measuring devices. Both NTEP and H44 requirements are national standards utilized by the vast majority of all states. See article

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An Inside Look at Home Canning of Vegetables

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Scale Man

Below is a fantastic resource when it comes to preserving your fruits and vegetables. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning electronic version pdf file is split into eight smaller files for easier viewing and downloading. Below is just a taste of the info available.

Why can foods?
Canning can be a safe and economical way to preserve quality food at home. Disregarding the value of your labor, canning homegrown food may save you half the cost of buying commercially canned food. Canning favorite and special products to be enjoyed by family and friends is a fulfilling experience and a source of pride for many people.

 

Many vegetables begin losing some of their vitamins when harvested. Nearly half the vitamins may be lost within a few days unless the fresh produce is cooled or preserved. Continue reading →

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Price Per Ounce Scales

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Scale Man

There aren’t too many better ways to cool off from the intense summer heat than to stop at the local frozen yogurt shop for a cup of ice cold frozen yogurt. Whether your frozen yogurt choice is vanilla or chocolate, or some kind of a combination of flavors or toppings, frozen yogurt is a great way to cool off and relax for a few minutes on a hot day. However, for frozen yogurt shop owners there are are some discrepancies when it comes to charging customers for the frozen yogurt. Do you charge customers a flat rate based on the size frozen yogurt they order? If so, how do you determine what a “small” yogurt contains? How much yogurt is in a “large” cup? You could be giving away product using this practice. Or, you could charge for your frozen yogurt by the ounce using a frozen yogurt scale. The fair way and most profitable way is to weigh the frozen yogurt cup and charge customers by the ounce for their frozen yogurt purchase. The customer then pays you a certain dollar amount per ounce. Continue reading →

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Retail Scales With Dual Range Capacity Can Make You More Profit On Each Transaction

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Scale Man

Looking to make a little more money on each transaction at the farmers market or produce stand?   Then, take a look at our CAS S2000JR Price Computing scale with dual range capacity.   The dual range capacity of this legal for trade scale can make you a little extra cash on each transaction.  Lets see how.

In this case we will look at the traditional standard 30 x 0.01 lb scale versus the 0-15 x 0.005 lb / 15-30 lb x 0.01 lb dual range CAS Model.  We’ll weigh the same item and it will have the same price per pound.  See example below.

 

Standard ……………………………………… CAS S2000JR
0.01 scale……………………………………. 0.005 lb scale
$8.99 ……… Price Per Pound …………….. $8.99
0.90 lb …….. Weight registered ………….. 0.905 lb
$8.09 ….. Amount Your Customer Pays….. $8.14
——————————————————————————-
Result:  5 cents extra on this transaction

Now, multiply your 5 cents by 100 transactions a day = $5
Finally, multiply your $5 gain per day times 365 days = $1825

With this example, you can easily see how a dual range scale can provide you with higher accuracy and put a lot more money in your pocket.

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Overview of how to use the RS-130 retail scale

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Scale Man

The RS-130 retail price computing scale is a very nice digital scale for a candy shop or produce stand. The scale is great for an outdoor farmers market since the RS130 can also calculate change. The RS-130 retail scale offers practical solutions for a full range of point-of-sale weighing and price computing applications. It is also one of only a handful of legal for trade retail price computing scales that uses the ounces unit of measure. Its compact design makes it easy to transport and the customer display on the rear of the RS-130 offers extra convenience.

Standard features of the RS-130 include:
• NTEP-certified Legal-For-Trade
• Customer display on rear of unit
• Operates on 110 VAC or 6V internal battery
• Configurable for lb, kg or oz
• Calculates customer change

BUILT IN RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
The battery has 100+ hours of use before it needs recharging. When the battery is low, the TOTAL $ display shows -LO- and there is a continuous beep.
Press the CLEAR key to remove -LO- and end the beep. After the initial warning of low battery, the scale has aproximately two to three hours of battery life left. Allow eight to ten hours to fully charge.

AUTO-OFF FEATURE (helps save battery life)
1. Turn on the scale and press and hold the CHANGE key until 6.3 (version) shows in the WEIGHT display (approximately three seconds).
2. Press and hold the ZERO key until the WEIGHT display shows SEtUP (approx. three seconds).
3. Press the 3 key, WEIGHT display shows USUAL.
4. Press the 2 key to enter the Auto-Off mode. WEIGHT display shows -30- (minutes).
5. Use the CLEAR key to select -30-, -15-, -5-,-OFF-.
6. Press the CHANGE key to confirm setting.  Scale will automatically restart. Continue reading →

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