How Google and goofy barcodes will save you money

Not content with revolutionizing how you search for information online, Google is planning to change how you interact with local shops and restaurants. As part of the company's bid to become more relevant in local search and provide searchers with more means of finding what they want, when they want it -- no matter where they are, Google has sent barcodes to 100,000 stores in 9,000 towns in all 50 states to make searching on the go as simple as taking a picture.

Google is calling the new feature "Favorite Places on Google" and marking a business as a favorite is just one of the many things you can do after scanning the QR barcode on a local shop window.

On the Official Google Blog, they envision shoppers being able to scan the QR code (a weird looking barcode pictured below) and instantly see important information about a business, including reviews and coupons to save money and make smarter decisions.