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Easy Grocery List

Submitted by: jord
Created: Mar 26, 2007, 4:42 pm

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The Idea

My idea is to make an automated grocery list. The consumer would buy a package including a bluetooth reciever and a bluetooth barcode scanner. The reciever would be hooked up to the consumers computer and would work with a grocery listing software that would be included. The software would be connected to a network of diffrent grocery stores ( Main Ones) Safeway etc.

When a person wants to create a list of food items they already have in thier house all the would have to do is scan the barcode and it would be added to the list of things they need to buy. If some of the food does not have a bar code they can enter it maunuely. The software would give a list of where they can buy the items they have scanned and an option to print out the list. The software will give them information on how much the items cost at diffrent grocery stores and what isles the food is on.

The printed document could look like this:

My Grocery List

1. Peanut butter| In Stock | Safeway| Isle 5| $ 3.0
ETC

I thought of this idea when I was...

When I was shopping

Comments Posted

tormad Posted: March 26, 2007, 9:49 pm

I've considered doing this but I always came back to the same question:

Given that the list would display competing prices, what would be the motivation for a grocery chain to participate? Perhaps a coupon program or display of the weekly sales flyer?

I agree this is a great idea and I would definitely use it (four hungry kids? we are always looking to shave a few $$ from the bill).

The UPC data repository is probably available from a public source so the scanner may not be necessary. Ideally the system would print a shopping list for two competing chains that have the lowest cost for each item ie. Purchase milk, eggs and bread at Safeway and mustard and peanut butter at Albertsons. Differential (savings) = $3.12 ? compared to buying the entire product requirement at one store or the other. Imagine the savings for somebody like myself who purchases in excess of 70 products a week!

jord Posted: March 26, 2007, 11:07 pm

I didnt consider that..thats a really good point though. Mabye they could then order online when they got home or something from the cheapest retailer.

GordonMcDowell Posted: March 27, 2007, 6:14 pm

Practical idea, but hard to jump-start because of dependancy on cooperation of grocery store.

GordonMcDowell Posted: March 27, 2007, 6:15 pm

Err. Umm... Comments already covered my comment. Doh.

jord Posted: March 27, 2007, 6:46 pm

hahah yea but good point

Brenden Posted: April 17, 2007, 11:12 am

one of those smart fridges... they have been coming for years

E115 Posted: April 19, 2007, 1:03 pm

Over engineered, no blue tooth required. Regular old barcode reader would do.

Ae such they're already in some houses!

anathema Posted: April 20, 2007, 3:34 am

Cameraphone would do it.

Maurreen Posted: April 25, 2007, 1:08 pm

This has potential.

Here are some variations on the same theme. Maybe:
* Consumers might not need to scan individual items. They could scan the receipt, or if they have a story loyalty card, the info could be entered automatically.
* Consumers could pick a store, and then the list would be arranged in the same order that the store carries the items.
* The software could suggest menus and recipes, based on the pantry inventory, store specials or both.

Hello!

Ideas