The article I choose to write about is one about Wal-Mart preparing to launch a innovative merchandise tracking system. The new technology is called Radio Frequency Identification or RFID for short. This network can track locations of everyday objects like shoes and razors by implanting them with a special microchip. So far 100 of Wal-Mart suppliers are willing to give this system a try. Of coarse setting up a large system like this comes with a price. Three billion dollars is to be spent on this project. Most of the money will be spent on buying the chips and readers and the rest to be spent on software to run this network.This project actually began five years ago and cost another twenty-three million to get started, but according to a annalyist Wal-Mart could saving about eight billion dollars annually because of having fewer logistical errors and reduced labor costs related to inventory processing.
Connection
This has a very close connection to our merchandise inventory unit because what Wal-Mart is trying to do is get rid of the tiny glitches in modern day mechandise systems.With this tracking system set up the money lost from stolen goods can be returned to the rightful owner and gross profits can go up with fewer things stolen and more things bought.More money for stores equals more money in employee's cheques and us teens need all the money we can get our hands on. Also if there is more of a certain product on shelves it becomes cheap for comsumers.
Reflection
I think this system should be used everywhere because if there are fewer stolen items in stores then people who buy things with the money they earned will not need to pay for more than they have to. I think its tough for store managers too because they have to bump up prices to make up for stolen goods and they have listen to people complain about higher prices or possibly just go to another store. Im not saying that we should moniter any transactions we make with microchips but people who are likly to steal things should be watched with a tracking device like an RFID.
