Wakefern Completes POS System Overhaul

MICHAEL GARRY

ELIZABETH, N. J. — Wakefern Food Corp. here last week completed the conversion of the POS checkout systems at its members’ 262 PriceRite and ShopRite stores, switching from the IBM 4690 SA system to the IBM ACE system, said Alan Aront, vice president for IT at Wakefern.

The conversion, which took 18 months, involved software, hardware and networking. “We revamped the entire front end,” he said.

Unlike other cooperatives and wholesalers, Aront said, Wakefern’s board approves standard POS system changes for all of its retail members. Wakefern has also approved as an optional technology the LaneHawk anti-shrink POS system aimed at curbing bottom-of-the-basket losses, deeming it “a certified tool for our members that Wakefern will support,” he said.

The LaneHawk system, from Evolution Robotics, Pasadena, Calif., is live in seven stores operated by five Wakefern members, and is being rolled out at 30 to 35 additional stores, he said.

Read More of Today's Headlines