PURPOSE: To easily and securely delete an unnecessary symbol table for article control by predetermining the deletion period of a symbol table for article control and deleting the symbol table for article control when the period from the date of its final use exceeds the deletion period.

CONSTITUTION: When the article control symbol of one article is read out by a scanner 4, a central processing unit 1 retrieves a corresponding article control symbol table in an article control symbol file on a magnetic disk device 7 and takes it out. Then the final sale date is updated into the present date and the table is put back in the article control symbol file. The deletion period value is previously inputted and when the deleting process of the symbol for article control is indicated, the deletion period value is inputted, the article control symbol table is taken out of the article control symbol file, and its date of final sale is checked. Then the final sale date is compared with the current date and when the period wherein there is no sale exceeds the predetermined period, this article control table is deleted.