Patent ID: 8260671

Claim:
A method of processing a retail sales transaction, the method comprising: processing a plurality of items for purchase using a point-of-sale terminal, wherein: the point-of-sale terminal is part of a transaction approval system at a point of sale in a retail store; processing the plurality of items for purchase includes determining associated price and quantity information for each item included in the plurality of items for purchase based on identifiers associated with the plurality of items for purchase, processing the plurality of items for purchase begins when an identifier of a first one of the plurality of items for purchase is entered into the point-of-sale terminal, and processing the plurality of items for purchase is completed when the identifiers associated with all of the plurality of items for purchase have been entered into the point-of-sale terminal and all the associated price and quantity information for each item included in the plurality of items for purchase has been determined; before completing processing the plurality of items for purchase, receiving via the transaction approval system an identification of a financial account that will be used by a consumer to pay for the plurality of items for purchase; during processing of the plurality of items for purchase, providing the consumer with an option to provide a signature for electronic capturing by the transaction approval system, wherein the signature serves as consumer approval to apply payment from the financial account toward a total cost of the plurality of items for purchase; and after processing the plurality of items for purchase ends and the consumer has been provided the option to provide the signature, determining the total cost of the plurality of items for purchase.