The IBM 3660 supermarket system was a family of data processing products designed to perform normal checkout operations and to meet the data collection and dissemination needs of the supermarket industry. Announced on October 11, 1973, the system featured the powerful IBM 3651 Model 60 store control unit containing the storage and logic required to supervise the IBM 3663 checkout terminals (seen here at right) and IBM 3666 checkout scanners (at left) that read Universal Product Code Symbol-marked items.
The IBM 3663 supermarket terminal contained logic and storage capability that extended the functions of existing supermarket cash registers. Its logic and storage capability provided for data checking and high-speed data transmission between the terminal and the 3651 controller. The 3663 featured an alphabetic and numeric receipt tape and customer display unit.
The 3663 Models 1 and 2 debuted in October 1973 and were withdrawn from marketing on December 20, 1983. The Model 3 was introduced on November 8, 1976 and also withdrawn in December 1983. The 3663 Models 1P and 3P rolled out on June 30, 1978 and were no longer offered after August 2, 1983. (VV4020)