Intelligent shopping cart system having cart position determining and service queue position securing capability

A system for a prospective customer in a retail store to secure a position in a service queue from locations in the store remote from the queue, said system comprising:

• a queuing number dispenser for generating successive electronic queuing number signals corresponding to positions in a service queue in response to a queue number request signal,
• a shopping cart movable by a prospective customer about the retail store,
• means on said cart and operable by said prospective customer for generating an electronic queue number request signal from substantially any location in the store,
• electronic communications means providing electronic communication between said cart and said queuing number dispenser,
• means for applying said electronic queue number request signal by way of said electronic communications means to said queuing number dispenser,
• means for selectively addressing the cart from which a respective electronic queue request signal originated and applying the electronic queuing number signal currently generated by said queuing number dispenser to said cart by way of said electronic communications means, and
• indicator means at said cart for indicating to said prospective customer the position in the queue corresponding to said applied electronic queuing number signal.