Patent ID: 7541928

Claim:
A method for use with a retail space, the method comprising the steps of: providing item tags on items of merchandise; providing one or more large antennas in respective locations within the retail space; providing intermediate tags, communicatively coupled with the large antennas and with the item tags, each intermediate tag associated with a respective area; offering a web site by which a customer may place an order for merchandise for later pickup at the retail space; receiving, by the web site, a customer order by a customer for a first stock-keeping unit of merchandise; transmitting, by means of the one or more large antennas, one or more first messages indicative of the first stock-keeping unit of merchandise to said item tags; receiving said one or more first messages by one or more item tags that correspond to the stock-keeping unit of merchandise; transmitting, by means of the one or more item tags that correspond to the stock-keeping unit of merchandise, one or more second messages to said intermediate tags; receiving, at at least one of the intermediate tags, the one or more second messages from said item tags indicative of the first stock-keeping unit of merchandise; by the at least one of the intermediate tags, confirming the presence of a first item of merchandise having a tag matching the first stock-keeping unit of merchandise, and thereby localizing the first item of merchandise to a respective location for the at least one of the intermediate tags; by store personnel, going to the respective location for the at least one of the intermediate tags, picking the first item of merchandise, and placing it at a secure location at the retail space; consummating a sale of the first item of merchandise; and after the consummation of the sale, permitting the customer to pick up the first item of merchandise.