Wal-Mart Wants Its Top 100 Suppliers To Install RFID

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Wal-Mart wants its top 100 suppliers to slap tiny radio transmitters on all products they provide to the retail giant in an effort to better track merchandise while driving costs down.

The technology is intended to provide automatic coordination of goods going into and out of Wal-Mart's 103 distribution centers, replacing what Wal-Mart uses now - bar codes that are scanned.

As products tagged with radio transmitters get within range of a reader, the distribution center's system automatically picks up the location of the product and details about what's on the pallet, Wal-Mart spokesman Tom Williams said.

"It's almost like a voice coming into range of a microphone," Williams said. "It's a unique, quick and efficient way to gather information on a pallet of goods as it comes into a distribution center."

If the technology moves to the shelves, shoppers could see some significant changes. The labels could allow customers to breeze through a checkout line with all their items being read via radio frequency at once.

Williams said Wednesday the company wants its top 100 manufacturers to have the system in place by 2005 on all Wal-Mart products. By 2006, the company wants all its other suppliers to use the technology.

Radio transmitters have promise for retail shelves, as well. With the transmitters on individual products, stores can get signals from areas that need restocking, protect against theft, and determine other product movement.

www.rense.com...

Diva, I think WalMart is afraid to implement this 'project' themselves for fear of monatary backlash and therefore is going to have their Top 100 Suppliers do it so as that 'they' will catch the heat more so than WalMart will.

Very devious on WalMarts doings IMHO.
Good read though.

regards
seekerof

Seeker,

I agree with you. Those are my sentiments exactly!

Well Seekerof, if people like us who think this will lead to intrusions on consumers privacy keep harping, maybe media will get wind........

I don't know about the media but I do believe that WalMart somehow 'got wind' that there was alot of 'uproar' when they had originally announced that they were going to institute a "elctronic inventory control system" or "RFID" on Gillette items.

This 'uproar' then caused them to back off of this and say that they would not implement this 'system'.....then this comes out, where they say they are going to have their Top 100 suppliers do this......doesn't add up but to one thing.......

regards
seekerof

[Edited on 12-7-2003 by Seekerof]

Skullduggery!!

Once more, Joe Six Pack has no say in the matter.

The machine inches inexorably along.