A barcode scanning system for aiding a consumer in creating a new shopping list to which products are automatically added based in part on previously entered shopping lists, said automatically added products not having been considered by said consumer at a date and time of creating said new shopping list, said barcode scanning system comprising:
- (a) a portable barcode scanner with a means to scan a product's barcode prior to entering a store;
- (b) one or more consumer's first computers connected to said portable barcode scanner over a first network means, wherein said first computer includes a means to store in a memory means one or more barcodes and one or more dates and times that said one or more barcodes were scanned, said barcodes and said dates and times received over said first network means from said barcode scanner in order to create said new shopping list, and wherein said first computer includes a means to store said received barcodes in said memory means comprising barcodes previously received from said barcode scanner;
- (c) a computer program in said first computer, wherein said computer program enables collecting and storing of a multiplicity of said dates and times that each said product barcode has been scanned by said barcode scanner and stored in said first computer memory means, received over said first network means;
- wherein said collecting and storing of said multiplicity of dates and times providing a means to learn programmatically said consumer's rate of consumption of each said product;
- wherein said means of programmatically learning said consumer's rate of consumption of each said product is a consumption tracking frequency of each said product;
- said consumption tracking frequency of each said product providing a means to predict programmatically when each said product needs to be replaced;
- (d) wherein said computer program providing a specific notification of previous shopping list information stored in said first computer's memory without needing a current scanned entry of one or more barcodes associated with said previous shopping list information, wherein said specific notification occurring at a date and time when said consumer creates said new shopping list;
- said notification provided by said means to predict programmatically when each said product needs to be replaced;
- (e) wherein said computer program enables automatically adding a list of one or more products stored in said previous shopping list information to said new shopping list commensurate with said means to predict programmatically when each said product needs to be replaced at said date and time of creating said new shopping list;
- (f) one or more second computers connected to said first computer over a second network means, wherein said second computer includes a means to receive said barcodes from said first computer over said second network means, as well as wherein said second computer includes a means to send product information about said barcodes to said first computer;
- (g) a printer attached to said consumer's first computer, wherein said printer prints said new shopping list for said consumer;
- and
- (h) a portable computing device with a means to receive said new shopping list from said first computer and a means to store said new shopping list in a memory means,
- (i) wherein said first computer includes an optional means of either:
- (a) sending said new shopping list from said first computer to a second store connected to said second network infrastructure, said second store shipping products listed on said new shopping list to said consumer, thereby not requiring said consumer to shop in-store for said products;
- or
- (b) sending said new shopping list from said first computer to a second store connected to said second network infrastructure, said second store making said products listed on said new shopping list available to said consumer for pick up, thereby not requiring said consumer to shop in-store for said products.