Store monitoring system, store monitoring apparatus, and storage medium

A store monitoring apparatus comprising:

• an interface circuit connectable to:
• a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, the tag reader being configured to periodically transmit signals to the wireless tags and receive tag information stored in each of the wireless tags, respectively, and
• a point-of-sale (POS) terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information;
• a memory that stores a program;
• and
• a processor configured to execute the program to:
• acquire tag information from the tag reader,
• upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, store the first tag information in the memory,
• acquire tag information from the POS terminal, and
• upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, output an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores a program causing a computer to execute a method comprising:

• connecting to a tag reader disposed in or near a shelf on which items with wireless tags are displayed, the tag reader being configured to periodically transmit signals to the wireless tags and receive tag information stored in each of the wireless tags, respectively;
• acquiring the tag information from the tag reader, and upon determining that first tag information previously received by the tag reader at a particular time has not been received by the tag reader for a predetermined time period since the particular time, storing the first tag information in a memory;
• connecting to a point-of-sale (POS) terminal configured to acquire tag information from wireless tags attached to items and perform checkout processing on the items using the acquired tag information;
• and
• acquiring tag information from the POS terminal, and upon determining that the first tag information is not in the tag information acquired by the tag reader within the predetermined time period, outputting an alert indicating an item associated with the first tag information.