Ict in Supermarkets
IT in the Supermarket
Information systems are used widely in shops and in the distribution of goods and one area in which their use is particularly important is supermarkets. Computer systems are used in a variety of ways in the modern, large supermarket, from stock control to maintaining temperatures in fridges and freezers. In this section we will look in more detail at these systems in one particular large supermarket, which is part of a national chain.
The supermarket uses several computers which are located in a room known as the system office and form the supermarkets own Local Area Network. These computers are used to control the stock and are connected to the checkouts.
These are the 'branch computers'. The computers are multifunctional, and each can access the data, which gives the management a number of access points.
Admin and stock control staff now have access to hand held computers, SEC (Shelf Edge Computers). These are used for price changes, creating stock pictures (information on stock totals) and for forecasting deliveries.
Like many companies, they have experimented with giving customers hand held scanners to enter their own shopping.
The experiment has been discontinued due to huge stock losses, staff called them ‘Shop and Rob’ rather than ‘Shop and Go’. The company is currently looking at developing a better system to get round these problems.
Each product to be sold must have an identifying code number which is different from that of every other product.
Different sizes of the same product even need different code numbers. These code numbers are printed onto the labels or packaging of the product in the form of bar codes.
Located at each checkout is an ELECTRONIC POINT OF
SALE ( EPOS ) till. This
EPOS till comprises a keyboard, a digital display, a scanner which reads bar codes, a set of scales, a printer, a credit / debit card reader and a till drawer. Each till also has its own base to which all
Information systems are used widely in shops and in the distribution of goods and one area in which their use is particularly important is supermarkets. Computer systems are used in a variety of ways in the modern, large supermarket, from stock control to maintaining temperatures in fridges and freezers. In this section we will look in more detail at these systems in one particular large supermarket, which is part of a national chain.
The supermarket uses several computers which are located in a room known as the system office and form the supermarkets own Local Area Network. These computers are used to control the stock and are connected to the checkouts.
These are the 'branch computers'. The computers are multifunctional, and each can access the data, which gives the management a number of access points.
Admin and stock control staff now have access to hand held computers, SEC (Shelf Edge Computers). These are used for price changes, creating stock pictures (information on stock totals) and for forecasting deliveries.
Like many companies, they have experimented with giving customers hand held scanners to enter their own shopping.
The experiment has been discontinued due to huge stock losses, staff called them ‘Shop and Rob’ rather than ‘Shop and Go’. The company is currently looking at developing a better system to get round these problems.
Each product to be sold must have an identifying code number which is different from that of every other product.
Different sizes of the same product even need different code numbers. These code numbers are printed onto the labels or packaging of the product in the form of bar codes.
Located at each checkout is an ELECTRONIC POINT OF
SALE ( EPOS ) till. This
EPOS till comprises a keyboard, a digital display, a scanner which reads bar codes, a set of scales, a printer, a credit / debit card reader and a till drawer. Each till also has its own base to which all