Usually, thanks to the cohesion of a tightly-organized family-run business, it works."But, now and then," Keith Heenan says, "we run out of something." At a retailer that specializes in large part on all kinds of chocolate, that's a potentially dangerous thing. "Most customers really like chocolate, and know exactly what kind they want," Heenan concedes.

At any retail store, running out of stock has always meant missing potential sales. But now, with gas prices nationwide averaging more than $4 a gallon and product recalls becoming increasingly common, the importance of inventory management systems has taken on whole new meaning.

Thanks to the massive tomato recall, grocers discovered just how critical it is to have efficient technology in place to avoid useless deliveries and keep shelves stocked. The US Food and Drug Administration issued a nationwide warning last week to avoid eating plum tomatoes, red Roma tomatoes, round red tomatoes and products containing these tomatoes. The tomatoes are linked to a salmonellosis outbreak.