Today$$s grocery store checkout process has become complex and loaded with technology. Customers, however, do not think about information systems used at a grocery store because problems are infrequent.

When a customer enters the checkout lane and goes through the checkout process, there are several systems in use $$ a scanning system, a pricing and inventory system, a point$-$of$-$sale system $($cash register$),$ a CRM $($Customer Relationship Management$)$ system that captures purchase data and data about the customer, and a payment processing system.

A grocery store chain, Lucille$$s$,$ has only $5$ stores located in Louisiana. The owner of the chain, Lucille Harrison, has decided Lucille$$s must make the investment to upgrade their checkout process to be more like the large chains they compete with. Currently, Lucille$$s checkout process includes only a point$-$of$-$sale system and the payment processing system provided by a vendor