If barcoding costs virtually nothing being printed on the packaging, why should there be an interest in using RF tags for retailing?
The overhead costs of getting manufactured goods into the hands of the consumer is not directly related to whether or not the labelling system is free. By putting RF tags into their products, benefits are achievable throughout the entire logistics and distribution chain. Just for the retailer with the ability of tags to be read at high rates, 4 meter reading ranges, volumes of multiple articles in excess of 400 items at a time,with RF penetration properties; his goods receiving is simplified and sped up, his stock taking of products in the store and display area are simplified to passing scanners past shelves, his checkout staffing and equipment is drastically reduced (some retaillers believe 70 checkouts can reduce to 5 with the increased throughput), and the retailer gets an advances Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) system thrown in. In fact recent designs are now becoming available for a self service checkout with integrated credit card processing facilities and EAS for securit
