He expects RFID to have a bigger impact on the company than bar codes did when that technology was introduced in 1984. Bar codes enabled the company to improve inventory control and better track customer buying habits. By tracking bar code readings at the check out counter, Wal-Mart found that some people regularly purchased two or three packages of the same item. Wal-Mart took that data to the makers of such products and encouraged them to offer bigger packages of their items, so people didn't have to buy so many single items. In the end, that leads to savings for suppliers (less packaging) and customers (buying in bulk).

With RFID, Moser expects inventory accuracy to improve tremendously. He believes products will get to shelves faster, thereby reducing lost sales, and that lost or missing merchandise will nearly be a phenomenon of the past.

Going forward, the company plans to work more closely with suppliers on RFID. So far, 600 of its top suppliers have started using RFID tags at their own expense, in order to comply with Wal-Mart's initiative. Some of these suppliers have found their own inventory cost savings, but others haven't.

"We have seen suppliers that are getting no benefit out of RFID and use it only because we told them to," said Moser. "We've got to work with these suppliers" to help them find cost savings and other benefits from the technology, he said.