We get asked this a lot by shop owners setting up their first proper stock system, usually after they've already tried one and found it didn't quite fit. The honest answer is that it depends less on which technology is "better" and more on what you actually need the label to do.
Barcodes are built for speed at the till
A dedicated barcode scanner reads a 1D barcode almost instantly, which is exactly what you want at a busy checkout counter processing dozens of transactions an hour. That speed advantage is real and matters more than people expect once a queue starts forming.
QR codes carry more, but need a camera
A QR code can hold a product's full description, a link to a supplier page, or batch and expiry data — far more than a barcode's short numeric string. The trade-off is that scanning usually happens through a phone camera or a camera-based scanner, which is slightly slower for high-volume checkout.
Where each one tends to win
For till-side, high-volume scanning, barcodes stay the practical choice — they're what most POS hardware and staff already expect. For internal purposes like linking a shelf tag to a full product page, tracking a batch through a supply chain, or storing more detail than a number allows, QR codes pull ahead.
Using both isn't overkill
Plenty of businesses run a barcode for checkout and a QR code on the same packaging for customer-facing information, like ingredients or a warranty registration link. They're solving different problems, not competing for the same job.