Kimbal Tags (?)

[duncanlowe]

So who remembers Kimbal tags (not sure if I've spelled this correctly. I remember being taught about them in computer science, and then realising that they were used where I worked, Woolies. I'd heard people talking about 'the Kimbal gun' which was the term used for the machine that attached the tags to the garments via those little plastic strips that are still used today.

Anyhow, as I remember them they wer about the size of two standard postage stamps, and if we were on the till we had to remove the main part of the tag with the punch code to be sent off for stock control.

Now what has caused me particularly to think about this, is something I came across recently while clearing a house. A brand new sealed pack with some clothing in. But not from Woolies. This was C&A. Tag was attached to the pack with sellotape. I removed it before sending for recycling at a charity shop.

It's much large than the Woolies tags, but still has a punched code. Is this also a Kimbal tag, or something else?

Sorry if this is the wrong section, but the punch code made me think of vintage computing.

[TowerRadio]

I can remember working on a 96 column card punch that produced such cards( a pair at a time) for a famous N.London coat maker..One card fixed to the garment,the other kept for stock control. I guess a lot of these woollen coats could be in great demand soon.Les

[Richard_FM]

I remember Marks & Spencer used Kimbal tags on their clothes in the 1980s. I think Mothercare also used them.

I presume once barcodes became standard on products along with computerised stock control, Kimbal tags were no longer needed.