MEIJER UPGRADING SCALE-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

COLE CORBIN

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Meijer Inc. here is in the process of upgrading its existing in-store scale-management program with a new application designed to improve pricing consistency and reduce labor costs.

The new scale-management software will allow the retailer to combine different scales onto the same system and eliminate the need for manual price changes at store level. Meijer would not comment on when the rollout of the application would be complete.

The retailer installed the software in one Meijer supermarket here earlier this year, according to a source familiar with the situation. The scale-management system will eventually be installed in all 112 Meijer stores, the source said.

The application, which can also incorporate different scale systems and prices within a supermarket, will be linked to the retailer's headquarters here, where pricing is controlled, according to the source.

Because the application changes scale prices electronically, Meijer will be able to reduce errors associated with manual price changes. "Retailer losses due to human error can run as high as 3%, so cutting down on mispriced items can help a retailer's bottom line almost immediately," the source said, adding that a retailer can achieve a return on investment with such a system within six months.

The scale-management software, called Interscale, is provided by Applied Data Communications, Tampa, Fla. Earlier this year, Randall's Food Markets, Houston, completed a rollout of this scale-management software at all 120 of its supermarkets.