At least, that's what Wal-Mart has to say three weeks into the first live test of radio frequency identification (RFID) at a regional distribution center in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Eight suppliers are participating: Gillette, Hewlett Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly Clark, Kraft Foods, Nestle Purina Petcare, Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

A total of 21 products are included in the test. Cases and pallets carry RFID tags that are read automatically at Wal-Mart's Sanger, TX distribution center. Those tagged products are then shipped to seven North Texas stores where the tags are again read, confirming that product is in the store's back room. The pilot is expected to be expanded soon to include stores in South Central Oklahoma.