It'seasy, right? But don't you ever wonder how Walmart gets all those millions ofproducts to you?

To helptrack and coordinate all those products, we use a technology called RFID.

RFIDstands for Radio Frequency Identification. RFID technology starts withelectronic tag. This tag can store and process all kinds of information. Toread the information of the RFID tag, it must pass by a RFID scanner.

Walmartuses RFID technology throughout its supply chain. Walmart's vendors like Kellogg's attaches RFIDtags to its pallets of goodscontaining information about that pallet. That pallet gets transported to oneof Walmart's distribution center. Walmart then scans the pallet and breaks itdown. The pallet then gets transported to the Walmart’s store. Once the palletreaches the store, the pallet is scanned again. The product is then placed on thestore shelves. As the pallet passes through the supply chain, information aboutthe pallet is added to a computer tracking system. The tracking system helpseliminate errors and ensures quality.

But whatdoes the future look like for RFID technology?

The sizeof RFID tags will decrease significantly, resembling a grain of sand on one'sfinger. Eventually, the size and price of RFID tags will get so low, they willbe incorporated into every product thus replacing bar codes. RFID tags havealso been incorporated into credit cards to expedite purchases. Eventually, RFID tags will be in everything,and systems will be developed around them to completely eliminate the checkout.No more lines, no more waiting, no more checkout.

With allof this technology, let's see what shopping might look like in the real world.

In thefuture, RFID technology will affect the shopping experience of everydayconsumer. When you shop, long lines and scannable bar codes will be eliminated.Instead, items are scanned by the RFID tags and they’re added up by theshopping card. When a shopper leaves, the scanner reads RFID tags at the doorand automatically charges the shopper's credit card read by the RFID scanner. RFIDwill make the shopping experience faster and better for everyone.