Scale with automatic identification of specials and other price and product changes

In a perishables department of a store, a self-service scale for weighing food products and printing labels, comprising:

• a weighing station for receiving food products to be weighed;
• a user interface including a display screen for communicating information to users;
• a controller operatively connected with the weighing station to receive weight indication and operatively connected with the display screen for controlling information displayed thereon, the controller having access to memory storing existing product information for multiple products available in the store, when updated product information is provided to the memory the controller automatically compares the updated product information to the existing product information to identify whether the updated product information includes a certain change.

A method for marketing special price information to consumers in a store using a scale including a display for displaying information to consumers, the scale including a controller with access to memory storing existing product information, including price information, for products to be weighed by the scale, the method comprising:

• receiving at the memory updated product information;
• the scale controller compares the updated product information with the existing product information to identify whether the updated product information includes a price reduction for a product and, if so, the scale controller automatically effects display of a special price alert on the display to communicate the price reduction to consumers.

A scale for weighing food products, comprising:

• a weighing station for receiving food products to be weighed;
• a user interface including a display screen for communicating information to users;
• a controller operatively connected with the weighing station to receive weight indication and operatively connected with the display screen for controlling information displayed thereon, the controller having memory storing product information records for products to be weighed by the scale, the product information records including multiple fields including at least a price field and an alert field, in connection with each product record for which the alert field contains a special price indicator, the controller operates to display a special price alert for the product associated with each such product record.

A method for marketing special price information to consumers in a store using a scale including a display for displaying information to consumers, the scale including a controller with access to memory storing product information records, including at least a price field and an alert field, for products to be weighed by the scale, the method comprising:

• setting an alert field of a product information record of a specific product with a special price indicator;
• communicating the product information record to the scale;
• responsive to the special price indicator in the alert field the scale controller operates to display a special price alert for the specific product.