S&P's Financial Focus

Comparison Shopping

Whether you spend your money on purchases through the Internet or at the mall, businesses are competing for your dollars. Competition-the rivalry among sellers in the same market to win customers-is good for consumers. Sellers want you to buy from them, so it is to their advantage to offer quality merchandise at reasonable prices. When you comparison shop, you can sometimes find the same merchandise for less money. It pays to be a smart, informed consumer.

Make a Graph Use the Internet or a local store to obtain information on a new stereo. Write down the manufacture and style information. Contact three different sellers. One should be a discount seller, one an e-commerce business, and one a local retailer. Use the Internet, or contact the sellers by phone or in person. Provide the information on the stereo, and ask the price of the system. Create a graph that illustrates the difference in the price for the same system.

Standard and Poor’s publishes the globally recognized S&P 500® financial index and provides credit ratings. It also gathers financial statistics, information, and news, and analyzes this data to help individuals, companies, and governments make financial decisions. Go to www.standardandpoors.com to learn more about this company.