At least some embodiments described herein relate to the field of product scanning systems and arrangements used within a retail venue. In an embodiment, the present invention is a system including: a barcode reader repository having docking stations each with a power connector and a lock; barcode readers docked at and locked by the docking stations, each receiving an electrical charge from the respective power connector; a data acquisition assembly configured to capture and decode a symbol associated with an operator profile, and forward the decoded data for further processing; and a server configured to: receive the decoded data; responsively select one of the plurality of barcode readers resulting in a selected barcode reader; transmit, an unlock signal to the lock locking the selected barcode reader to enable removal; and transmit a beacon signal to activate a beacon that is indicative of a physical location of the selected barcode reader.