Methods and systems for prioritizing retrieval of products from stock room bins

A system of prioritizing retrieval of products from a plurality of bins at a retail sales facility, the system comprising:

• an inventory management database that stores electronic information associated with the products located at the retail sales facility, the electronic information associated with the products located at the retail sales facility including at least one of bin identifier data uniquely identifying each one of the bins, bin size data, product identity data, product physical attribute data, and product shelf life data;
• an electronic scanning device of a worker at the retail sales facility, the electronic scanning device of the worker including a reader that scans at least one product being placed into at least one of the bins at the retail sales facility to obtain identification data associated with the at least one product, wherein, in response to a scan of the at least one product by the electronic scanning device, the electronic scanning device generates at least one electronic time stamp indicating a time when the at least one product was scanned by the electronic scanning device during placement of the at least one product into the at least one of the bins;
• an electronic inventory management device including a programmable processor and configured to:
• receive, from the electronic scanning device, a signal including the identification data associated with the at least one product obtained by the electronic scanning device and the at least one electronic time stamp indicating the time when the at least one product was scanned by the electronic scanning device during placement of the at least one product into the at least one of the bins;
• obtain, from the inventory management database, the product identity data and the product physical attribute data and the bin size data;
• determine, via the processor of the electronic inventory management device and based on the at least one electronic time stamp, the product identity data, the product physical attribute data, and the bin size data, a physical location of the at least one product in the at least one of the bins relative to a physical location of other products stored in the at least one of the bins;
• based on a determination by the processor of the electronic inventory management device that the physical location of the at least one product in the at least one of the bins is higher than a physical location of at least one identical product in at least another one of the bins, generate, via the processor of the electronic inventory management device, a pick instruction indicating that the at least one product is to be picked from the at least one of the bins;
• and
• transmit an electronic signal including the pick instruction from the electronic inventory management device to the electronic scanning device of the worker at the retail sales facility;
• wherein, in response to receipt of the electronic signal from the electronic inventory management device, the electronic scanning device of the worker generates, on a display or via a speaker of the electronic scanning device of the worker, a visible or audible output, the visible or audible output, the visible or audible output indicating to the worker:
• the pick instruction to the worker to pick, from the at least one bin, the at least one product for which the pick instruction was generated by the processor;
• and
• the bin identifier data uniquely identifying to the worker the at least one bin from which the at least one product is to be picked according to the pick instruction.