The Virginian-Pilot reports that the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology by retailers other than Wal-Mart has been slower than expected – derailed by the fact that each RFID tag costs a couple US cents, which adds up to real money in the long run.
The paper reports: “Even as Wal-Mart makes the transition to RFID tags, the retail giant is hearing a very unfamiliar word from its suppliers: ‘No.’ Or at least ‘not yet.’ Adding more inertia to the movement, other retailers, including Farm Fresh and Dollar Tree, aren't following Wal-Mart's lead.”
And, in some quarters, concerns about consumer privacy continue to emerge. “If stores can track what you buy, it should be relatively easy for criminals to do the same, though it's not clear what use the information -- how many bottles of soda you just bought, for instance -- would be to them,” the Virginian-Pilot writes.
The paper reports: “Even as Wal-Mart makes the transition to RFID tags, the retail giant is hearing a very unfamiliar word from its suppliers: ‘No.’ Or at least ‘not yet.’ Adding more inertia to the movement, other retailers, including Farm Fresh and Dollar Tree, aren't following Wal-Mart's lead.”
And, in some quarters, concerns about consumer privacy continue to emerge. “If stores can track what you buy, it should be relatively easy for criminals to do the same, though it's not clear what use the information -- how many bottles of soda you just bought, for instance -- would be to them,” the Virginian-Pilot writes.
- KC's View:
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We’re actually not surprised by the fact that there isn’t a headlong, damn-the-expense rush to jump into the RFID pool. We’ve long joked that RFID really is Wal-Mart’s plan to bankrupt every other retailer in the country…but not everyone we’ve spoken to has thought that we were joking.
