Abstract: A system and method for alloying a customer to purchase or rent items from a locked cabinet without the intervention of store personnel. The authorized customer first inputs a membership card and a secret number. If these are correct, the system unlocks the locked cabinets, and the customer is allowed to examine all of the contents in the unlocked cabinet at his or her leisure. The computer continuously monitors the removal of all items from the unlocked cabinet. The customer reads in identifying information from each of the selected items. When the number of items that have been removed equals the number of items that have been read in by the customer, the computer allows the doors of the cabinet to be relocked, and the customer is provided with a customer slip indicating the items that have been selected. The system utilizes a similar method for the return of previously rented items. In the rental context, return of rental items can be performed in parallel with rental of items.