Shopping cart detection

1. A system for monitoring cart activity in a shopping facility, the system comprising:

a cart, wherein the cart is configured to accumulate a ferrous material while the cart traverses the shopping facility, and wherein the material is distributed about the shopping facility;

a terminal, wherein the terminal includes,

a point-of-sale (POS) device, wherein the POS device is configured to collect sales data for a transaction associated with the cart;

a collection device including a magnet, wherein the collection device is configured to receive the material from the cart that was collected throughout the shopping facility;

a measurement device including a scale, wherein the measurement device is configured to measure an amount of the material that was received from the cart; and

a control circuit communicatively coupled to the terminal, the control circuit configured to;

receive, from the terminal, an indication of the amount of the material that was received from the cart;

receive, from the terminal, the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart; and

correlate the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart and the amount of the material that was received from the cart.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart includes an indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased, and wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

determine an approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility based, at least in part, on the indication of the amount of material that was received from the cart; and

determine that the cart was in the shopping facility for a greater time than expected based, at least in part, on the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased and the approximate time the cart was in the shopping facility.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

compare the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased with indications of items associated with other carts;

determine, based on the comparison, one or more common items between the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased and the indications of items associated with other carts.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the control circuit is further configured to:

determine, based on the one or more common items, a task to perform; and

transmit an indication of the task to perform.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility was collected at one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility, and wherein the amount of material that was received from the cart is negligible, the control circuit further configured to:

determine, based on the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart, an indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased;

determine, from the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased, that one item is located at a first location and a second location, wherein the first location is one of the one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility and the second location is a different location;

determine that the one item was retrieved from the second location based, at least in part, on the amount of material that was received from the cart being negligible; and

determine a task to perform based, at least in part, on the determination that the one item was retrieved from the second location.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility was collected at one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility, the control circuit further configured to:

determine, based on the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart, an indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased;

determine that items associated with the one or more predetermined locations are not included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased; and

determine a task to perform based, at least in part, on the determination that the items associated with the one or more predetermined locations are not included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased.

7. A method for monitoring cart activity in a shopping facility, the method comprising:

accumulating, by a cart while the cart traverses the shopping facility, a ferrous material, wherein the material is distributed about the shopping facility;

collecting, by a point-of-sale device of a terminal, sales data for a transaction associated with the cart;

receiving, at a collection device of the terminal, the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility by the cart;

measuring, by a measurement device including a scale, an amount of the material received from the cart;

determining, by a control circuit based on the sales data for the transaction associated with the cart, an indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased; and

correlating, by the control circuit, the items associated with the cart that were purchased and the amount of the material that was received from the cart.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

determining, by the control circuit, an approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility based, at least in part, on the amount of the material received from the cart; and

determining, by the control circuit, that the cart was in the shopping facility for a greater time than expected based, at least in part, on the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased and the approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

comparing, by the control circuit, the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased with indications of items associated with other carts; and

determining, by the control circuit, one or more common items between the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased and the indications of items associated with other carts.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

determining, by the control circuit based on the one or more common items, a task to perform; and

transmitting, by the control circuit via a communications network, an indication of the task to perform.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the collection device includes a magnet.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility was collected at one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility, and wherein the amount of material that was received from the cart is negligible, the method further comprising:

determining, by the control circuit based on the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased, that one item is located in a first location and a second location, wherein first location is one of the one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility and the second location is a different location;

determining, by the control circuit, that the one item was retrieved from the second location based, at least in part, on the amount of material that was received from the cart was negligible; and

determining, by the control circuit, a task to perform based, at least in part, on the determining that the one item was retrieved from the second location.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility was collected at one or more predetermined locations throughout the shopping facility, and further comprising:

determining, by the control circuit, that items associated with the one or more predetermined locations are not included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased; and

determining, by the control circuit, a task to perform based, at least in part, on the determining that the items associated with the one or more predetermined locations are not included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased.

14. A method for monitoring cart activity in a shopping facility, the method comprising:

accumulating, by a cart while the cart traverses the shopping facility, a ferrous material, wherein the material is distributed about the shopping facility;

collecting, by a point-of-sale device of a terminal, sales data for a transaction associated with the cart;

receiving, at a collection device of the terminal, the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility by a cart;

measuring, by a measurement device, an amount of the material that was received from the cart;

determining, by a control circuit, an approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility based, at least in part, on the amount of the material that was received from the cart; and

determining, by the control circuit based on the sales data for a transaction associated with the cart, an indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

determining that the approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility is longer than an anticipated time based, at least in part, on the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased; and

determining one or more items included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased that are common to other carts that were in the shopping facility longer than anticipated.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

determining a task to perform based, at least in part, on the one or more items included in the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased that are common to other carts that were in the shopping facility longer than anticipated.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the material is a ferrous material, the cart is magnetized, and the collection device includes a magnet.

18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

demagnetizing the cart electrically at the terminal to receive the material that was collected throughout the shopping facility.

19. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:

recording, in a database, the approximate time that the cart was in the shopping facility and the indication of items associated with the cart that were purchased.