Mobile cart reconciliation
Disclosed herein is a method where a consumer employs a device associated with the user to scans tags associated with items for purchase. The consumer can pay for the items using the device associated with the user. A point of sale (“POS”) terminal or other such device associated with the merchant scans tags associated with items associated with the user and reconciles the items scanned by the device associated with the user with the items scanned by the device associated with the merchant.
1. A method for the self-checkout from a merchant retail location by a customer purchasing a plurality of items from the merchant, wherein a mobile cart of the customer is reconciled with a physical cart of the merchant, the method, comprising:
obtaining first data representative of the plurality of items by individually scanning each of the plurality of items for a first time, by an optical scanner associated with a mobile device associated with a customer, a first tag associated with each of the plurality of items, wherein the first tag comprises an optical tag and wherein each item of the plurality of items comprises a second tag comprising a wireless, non-optical tag, wherein the first data comprises a first total price for purchasing the plurality of items;
obtaining, based on the first data, an offer of payment for the plurality of items by the mobile device associated with the customer prior to approaching a predefined checkout area of the merchant, the plurality of items comprising the mobile cart of the customer;
detecting when the customer is within the predefined checkout area of a point of sale device associated with the merchant, wherein a wireless, non-optical scanner is coupled to the point of sale device;
obtaining, by the wireless, non-optical scanner, second data representative of the plurality of items by automatically scanning a physical cart containing the plurality of items scanned for the first time by the customer, the automatic scanning being responsive to detecting that the customer is within the predefined checkout area and comprising a second collective scan of the plurality of items in the physical cart in a single scan, the second collective scan obtaining the second data by scanning the second tag on each item of the plurality of items, the second data comprising a second total price for purchasing the plurality of items;
obtaining, by the point of sale device, the first data representative of the plurality of items scanned for the first time by the optical scanner associated with the mobile device from the mobile device, wherein the obtaining comprises obtaining the mobile cart of the customer;
verifying by the point of sale device that the first data representative of the plurality of items scanned the first time by the mobile device associated with the customer matches the second data representative of the plurality of items scanned the second time by the point of sale device associated with the merchant, wherein the verifying comprises comparing the mobile cart to the physical cart;
accepting the payment from the mobile device associated with the customer by the point of sale device associated with the merchant responsive to verifying that the first data representative of the plurality of items scanned the first time by the mobile device associated with the customer matches the second data representative of the plurality of items scanned the second time by the point of sale device associated with the merchant;
reconciling, responsive to determining that the first data does not match the second data, the first data and the second data, wherein the reconciling comprises:
rejecting the offer of payment from the customer for the plurality of items;
displaying to the customer a graphical user interface on the mobile device associated with the customer comparing the list of items in the mobile cart with the list of items in the physical cart; and
allowing corrective action to be taken by the customer on the graphical user interface to adjust the list of items in the mobile cart until it matches the list of items in the physical cart;
re-scanning for a third time the plurality of items in the physical cart;
verifying that the mobile cart matches the physical cart; and
accepting payment from the customer for the plurality of items.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein tags for like items selected from the plurality of items are the same.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein each tag of the plurality of tags has a unique code.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the optical tag comprises a Universal Product Code.
5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the mobile device, that the customer is entitled to a discount for being a member of a loyalty program;
determining, by the point of sale device, that the customer is entitled to the discount; and
verifying by the point of sale device that the first data representative of the item scanned the first time by the mobile device associated with the customer matches the second data representative of the item scanned the second time by the point of sale device associated with the merchant further includes the discount.