1. A stocked product sensing system comprising: a plurality of conducting plates associated with a product display and including at least a first conducting plate having a first plate area and a second conducting plate having a second plate area, each conducting plate arranged in a generally parallel and spaced relationship with respect to at least one other conducting plate, wherein one or more product items are positioned with respect to at least one conducting plate of the plurality of conducting plates; a measuring circuit in communication with at least one conducting plate of the plurality of conducting plates for measuring a capacitance of the at least one conducting plate; a processor in communication with the measuring circuit for receiving the capacitance and analyzing the capacitance to derive a level of product availability on the product display; and a user interface providing an output of the capacitance.