Design and Performance Considerations for the Retail Store System

transactions in a retail system are a comprehensive set of store applications. These applications include point-of sale operations and back-room activities. Store performance is described by the throughput rate of transactions and the delay in the processing of any particular transaction. Two techniques of performance analysis are discussed: analytic evaluation atzd store simulation. A n important consideration is the annual operating cycle of the store that indicates the amount and types of demands on the system. The functional requirements and load demands placed on the Retail Store System vary widely not only across different retail establishments, but also within a given retail establishment. Variability across retail establishments is easily understood in terms of store size, type of merchandise sold, terminal placement (i.e., distributed throughout the store, centralized, or front-end checkout) , use of distributed functional capability (e.g., merchandise ticket preparation functions spread among the store, warehouse, and host processor locations), and the general business and operational philosophy implemented within each establishment. Seasonal variation within each retail establishment will cause variability of function and load on the system. Change in the importance of various functions is directly related to the regular merchandising cycle of ordering, receiving and marking, and sale of merchandise. Ordering in many cases occurs months ahead of receipt of merchandise. To minimize inventory, peak receiving precedes the spring and winter holiday sales periods. Thus, different elements of the cycle peak at different times of the year. Therefore, to predict the performance of the system, careful attention must be given to the general environment of the retail establishment and the anticipated load variability on the system due to seasonal variation. To provide adequate system performance with the variability anticipated, the basic system was designed flexibly to fit the fluctuating requirements of each installation , in particular by providing system generation options that