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ABC12
Posted [1] : 2007-09-10 11:35:29

HOWELL (WJRT) - (09/09/07)--A local high school is the first in the nation with a high-tech purchase and inventory system in its school store.
Students are using equipment now that we all might all become familiar with in the future.

Like many schools, Howell High and the Howell campus of Lansing Community College have a room set aside where students can buy pop, chips and candy. But this one is different. There's no checkout clerk.

Every item in the store has an electronic device on it called a Radio Frequency Identification tag, or RFID.

"With a normal check out, you have to read the UPC. With the RFID tag, you just present it to the reader and it automatically picks it up," said Ray Friedrich, general manager of Sterling Services in Canton.

Customers can pay for purchase by cash, credit card or thumb print. The RFID tag helps keep track of inventory and product freshness. If you walk out of the store without paying, sensors will pick up the signal and alert authorities of the theft. In-store cameras take pictures.

As you might expect, the kids have no trouble adapting to the new technology. They say they like working with the new machine.

"I think it's neat. I don't have to deal with people. I'm in. I'm out. I put money in. It's actually pretty awesome," said student Kellie McMillan.

"Makes it quicker and easier. You don't have to deal with people, so people don't give you problems," said Robert Lewis, a student at Howell High School.

The store is managed by marketing students. Their teacher, Tim Olszewski, thinks working with the RFID technology provides great experience. "To me, it's cutting edge. It's very exciting for all of us, and I think it's a wonderful opportunity."

All those involved in the project think the number of stores equipped with RFID technology will grow dramatically.