One hundred and thir million Americans have at least one bank issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotel, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon—it’s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This informa tion allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving.
Decisions to record return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customers for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer-yzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future, and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
The computers can ______ for manufacturers.