Individual display modules are located along a shelf containing items for sale. The display modules are loaded via a hand-held unit with data pertaining to the items. This data has previously been downloaded from a host computer into the hand-held unit. In order to minimize human error, the hand-held unit contains a reader for reading a code from either the item or the shelf upon which the item is located. This code is then used by the hand-held unit in order to determine what data is to be downloaded into the appropriate display module. The coupling between the hand-held unit and the display modules may be of the type requiring a direct electrical connection or the close-proximity type employing optical or electro-magnetic coupling.

In an electronic cash register including memory means containing a PLU file in which the fixed price data for a commodity item is previously stored, a keyboard including a PLU key which, when activated, recalls the fixed price data for the appropriate commodity item from the PLU file and a ten-key pad, and a printer for printing out the data on the receipt slip, whereby the entry operation is performed by operating the keys on the keyboard, it further comprises an identifying key provided on said keyboard and activated to identify the price data entered from said keyboard as the new price data, wherein a difference between the new price data as entered by using the ten-key pad on the keyboard and identified by activating said identifying key and the fixed price data for the appropriate item recalled from the PLU file is calculated, and said new price data and difference data as well as said fixed price data stored in the PLU file are printed out on the receipt slip.

A product selection system for advising a user whether or not to purchase a product such as a food product includes a product database (200) comprising data on a plurality of products, a hand-held barcode reader (106) for identifying a product, and processing means (206) for identifying whether the product has one or more user selected characteristics of the product. The characteristics may include the method of treatment or manufacture of the product, distance the product has travelled from origin, place of origin, politics of the region of origin, type of labour used in manufacture or production, details of the manufacturer or supplier, health risks, public health warnings associated with the product, special offers and the like.

The present invention provides a system and method for determining ingredients based upon scanning a label on a food container. Briefly described, one embodiment is a method comprising scanning a textual ingredients list on a label of the product, converting the scanned textual ingredients list into ingredients data using an optical character resolution program, comparing the ingredients data to preference data, the preference data corresponding to at least one preference for at least one consumer and generating a notification to a user when at least one ingredient in the ingredients data corresponds to at least one preference the consumer.

For a merchandise checkout system including an electronic cash register having a keyboard and a display, and which further includes a price look-up table in which is stored a plurality of records each including a first item number identifying the purchased merchandise item and a second item number identifying the merchandise item as one which is sold as part of a multi-item package in which the records are distinguished by the number of such merchandise items being purchased there is disclosed a method for processing the purchase of a multi-item merchandise item consisting of identifying the purchased item as one which is sold as part of a multi-item package, requesting that the operator insert the number of such merchandise items being purchased into the keyboard, combining the number inserted to the first item number associated with the purchased merchandise item to generate a second item number and looking up the price of the number of such merchandise items being purchased in the look-up table by comparing the second item number with the combined first and second item numbers in each of the second records.