Supermarket costumers routes-and-times identifier

To optimize any process it is important to examine it, identify problems, analyze them, and, finally, propose solutions. A specific situation where optimization can be useful is the daily activity of grocery shopping in a supermarket. This document describes the process of designing and developing an electronic system that helps to visualize the shopping process in a supermarket. The system proposed monitors the route taken by customers inside the store using the technology of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This technology is used to identify the shopping carts as they move around the store. Costumer route information is sent to a central computer wirelessly so it can be processed, stored, and displayed on a screen. The system also processes and stores the time taken by a customer while following his/her path through the store. Having this information could allow the store manager to develop strategies that help to improve the shopping process in the supermarket.