DIERBERGS IS TESTING PC-BASED FRONT END

CHRIS O'LEARY

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Dierbergs Markets here is testing a personal computer-based front-end system this month, a move that follows recent upgrades for in-store processors, direct-store-delivery and corporate mainframe systems.

The retailer plans a chainwide rollout for the new PC system and will launch a number of point-of-sale initiatives, said Joe Holtgrewe, manager of management information services. Development of a wide-area network is also in the works.

Because Dierbergs' new POS system links up with client-server applications running on in-store processors, the retailer will be better equipped to launch programs like electronic funds transfer, Holtgrewe said.

"We feel we're limited only by our imagination on what we can do," Holtgrewe said. "It's a true open-systems architecture."

The PCs' enhanced compatibility with the new processors allows for better data flow and more flexible disk storage capabilities. "That was impossible with our 1970s-type vintage [POS] terminals," he said.

The PC pilot test directly follows the completion of an automated DSD program at all 14 stores, he said. By installing computers at the receiving dock, the retailer has improved scanning accuracy and greatly reduced manual processing and verification chores at the corporate level, he said.

Another benefit has been improved price accuracy because new products or price changes that have not been cleared at the corporate level are automatically rejected at the receiving dock.

"Any price discrepancies are kicked out immediately and resolved at the home office,

not the store's back door," Holtgrewe said. "We're only interested in receiving accurately at the back door."

Such direct links from receiving dock to corporate level were achieved after Dierbergs enhanced client-server capabilities in the main office last year, he added.

Dierbergs will extensively test the PC-based front-end system before expanding the technology to other stores or introducing new initiatives. The system was provided by ACR Systems, Jacksonville, Fla.

"We want to make sure we work out all the wrinkles before going on from there," Holtgrewe said. "We have an investment to protect, so we'll try to get as much usage as we can out of our current [front-end] equipment."