Vintage Fashion for Women

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Vintage fashion refers to styles which have been recycled from previous eras, and there are vintage outfits to suit any interests, from the 20’s through to the 80’s. Vintage has seen a major revival over the last few years, and is a trend which will keep your style unique and timeless. Many of the recent catwalk shows have showcased vintage trends, with top designers creating wondrous replica designs.

Some tips to remember before you go looking for any vintage items of clothing, is to consider what exactly you are looking for. Are you interested in a classic piece from the 1920’s, or maybe the hippy style from the 1960’s is more up your street. You also want to think about why you are buying your vintage clothing, whether it be for a special occasion or just for the sake of collecting a unique piece of clothing. Knowing exactly what you want is half the battle to finding the perfect vintage outfit, and there are looks to cater for all needs.

The next thing to think about is where you are going to find your vintage clothing. As vintage has become so popular lately, you will often find a lot of niche vintage markets, where you can pick up a piece of unique clothing at an inexpensive price. There are many shops on the high street which also have a collection of vintage pieces, although you may have to pay a bit extra for these.

When shopping for vintage, you really have to be patient, as it may take some time before you find the perfect item, and it can be a lot more complex than the clothes shopping you are used to. The beauty of vintage clothing is that it is a trend which is timelessly fashionable. The fabrics and patterns are unique, so have a good feel of these in order to determine which clothes will make you feel most comfortable.

Always try the clothing on before you purchase it and be aware of it’s condition. It can range from being in mint condition (just like new) or good condition (some repairs needed.) If you feel a bit weary of trying second hand vintage clothes on, then wear your other clothes under it, to get a feel of what it looks like and if it suits you. It may also be an idea to take someone along with you when you’re out shopping for your vintage clothes. As long as it’s someone who will give you an honest opinion. If you are working from a tight budget, then it’s a good idea to look at replica designs, as these are usually a lot more affordable.

Current fashion trends tend to mix up vintage with a more modern look, which will streamline your look, and make it more wearable for all different occasions. You may want to wear vintage with a popular key trend for the season, as this will keep you looking stylish, but will also give your look a unique edge.

How to Price Costume Jewelry in a Flea Market

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Flea markets are a great place to sell inexpensive costume jewelry. If you own vintage costume jewelry, you are probably better off selling them through other channels. Most shoppers in flea markets are not aiming to spend a lot of money on individual items. More often than not shoppers have a general idea of how much they intend to spend in a flea market and that doesn’t include spending on high end vintage costume jewelry. You can probably maximize your margins selling them in other locations.

However, flea markets are still great locations to sell your jewelry pieces. If you set up a jewelry booth, you are likely to sell more volume on good quality and fairly priced items.

Below are a few tips setting up a costume jewelry booth in a flea market:

Sourcing

Almost all types of costume jewelry can be sold in a flea market. You may come across items that you can sell from discount stores, clearance sales, thrift stores and even garage sales. While these don’t provide a steady or reliable source of products to sell, you can also purchase directly from wholesalers and importers of costume jewelry. A few advantages of purchasing your pieces from an importer or wholesaler is their reliability in providing you with jewelry that have generally passed through quality control and can provide pieces in bulk.

Pricing and Tagging

Make sure that you don’t over-price your pieces. You can do this by checking the price of the same or similar pieces in the same flea market or surrounding areas. Meanwhile don’t under-price your items as well. Make sure you cover your fixed costs such as booth rental, electricity, hired help and even your time. This should give you an idea of your volume break-even point and the mark-up that you place on each piece.

Make sure all your jewelry pieces are in good condition and clean. You can attach the piece to a card and stick on your price. Another way to tag your piece is by attaching a sting through the loop of the jewelry. Either way, make sure that the pieces are secure in a presentable manner.

Setting Up

Trays are great for displaying your jewelry pieces. The downside to using just trays is the amount of space that it takes up on your table. Whenever possible, use stand or hook larger pieces like bib necklaces on walls. Jewelry stands are available on-line or through display companies.

You also don’t want to scare away customers by over decorating. It is always a good idea to have your booth decorated neatly. Having some color helps as it differentiates your booth among the other others.

Another tip is to have, when possible, a sign board. The sign should state exactly what you are selling, in this case costume jewelry. The sign always attracts attention in a sea of many other booths without signs.

Hired Guns in Iraq by Shaun Schutte

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From Personal Struggle, to the Conflict of Battle, to a Changed Life

“Hired Guns in Iraq” is an eye-opening revelation of the aftermath of war. Brogan Kessler, an ex-military family man, found himself failing in a dream to build his own business in South Africa. In desperation he realized that he could no longer justify the sacrifice and hardship he was putting on his family. A former friend from military days, Peter, enticed Brogan to take a job with a security detail contractor working to rebuild Iraq. The job offered high pay which provided Brogan with the opportunity to be able to resume his dream and get out of debt in a very short time.

Shaun Schutte graphically articulates the carnage of war in Baghdad, Iraq. He describes how ignorance of the local language and culture, and the difficulty in differentiating between combatants and non combatants often leads to offensive behavior by multinational forces, security contractors, as well as mercenaries. The tragic deaths of innocents oblige insurgents to attack coalition forces to avenge the deaths of their relatives. Through incidents of irrational decisions and careless actions, Brogan and his team learn the critical need for teamwork as the key survival tactic in a country where religious zealots and avenging family members wage a holy war against infidels and occupational forces.

Brogan miraculously escaped from an exploding vehicle only to be taken hostage by insurgents. As a result of these circumstances he learns to listen to the voice of God through life or death struggles as a target of insurgents who are intent on his destruction.

Schutte incorporates the essence of his personal faith throughout the story as he relates the message of God’s love for sinful man, His redemptive plan of love and grace in sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for those sins.

Schutte’s writing is riveting, packed with suspense right up to a surprising climatic finish. Striking word pictures left me with an ineradicable glimpse into the frailties of man. Schutte powerfully describes the repercussions of war, the fear, courage, and anger. He understands, from personal experience, the drive for survival in the life and death struggles of an environment where little value is placed on the life of an individual by opposing ideologies. “Hired Guns in Iraq” exposes the cost and sacrifice of rebuilding a country destroyed by bloodshed and war. The book is timely and relevant.

Pleasant Word, A division of Winepress Publishing Group, 978-1414111360

As reviewed for Midwest Book Review

Jazz Theory: History of Jazz Harmony

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Harmony and Jazz Theory

Music scholars view jazz as a style of Western Art Music (read classical music–classical, however, is really the style of a given a period). All jazz harmony comes from that tradition, while the rhythms come from Africa. The vast bulk of the jazz repertoire employs European harmonic progressions and forms. What is unique about jazz is the marriage of these European characteristics with African rhythm, and a unique Afro-American style of inflections, articulations and vibratos. The only pitch collection used in jazz that is unique to Western Art Music is the blues scale (on C it would be as follows: C, D#, F, F#, G, Bb, C), which is the result of African Americans fusing of slurs and sliding pitches (a characteristic also of African music) onto the tempered major/minor European tonal system.

Since jazz has traditionally been characterized by the fusion of the salient characteristics of the two cultures, and the harmony comes from Europe, it is therefore misleading to describe anything as jazz theory or jazz harmony. Even the 12 bar blues is comprised of a tonal European chord progression (I, IV, and V, however it may be dressed up with other European harmonies. Call it what you like, it’s still all European harmony.

Jazz texts merely codify what jazz composers stylistically choose to use from the entirety of the European pallet–and much has unfortunately been left out, or rather not yet assimilated, such as most of the music of the Twentieth century.

Therefore, you are better off going to the source, which is to classical harmony texts. French composer and theorist Jean-Philippe Rameau published the first definitive text on harmony in 1722. Books will only, by the way, prepare you for the real business of score analysis, which is where you will find the real pertinent information: in practice, where it is the most revealing.

As stated above, the blues scale is the only pitch collection unique to Western Art Music. While it is true, for example, that the added minor seventh to the tonic chord in a 12-bar blues constitutes a harmonic inclusion of a blue note, it nonetheless does not change the function of that chord in the progression, or change the fact that it is a European progression. While jazz is unique from European music due to its use of African rhythm, the rhythm does not alter how progressions behave.

In the Twentieth century, many European composers began to write chord successions that did not necessarily have a primary key (atonality), but this has not been incorporated into the jazz style very much as yet. Jazz musicians and their audiences are unfortunately mired in old European harmonic practices and forms. Indeed, most have not even fully digested the music of French Impressionist composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.

It is helpful to understand a little music history in order to better understand the various styles that emerged. In a nutshell, it goes like this: In the West, the music was modal until the late Sixteenth century, at which time the music became tonal (based on chord progressions aimed at culminating in a cadence to the tonic chord). The tonal system prevailed until the Twentieth century, when much of the music tended towards atonalism (no primary key). In atonalism, chords are arranged in successions that have no functionality in a tonal sense, but are used for their color and interest alone. Jazz, however, is basically still rooted in the harmonic practices of the classical and romantic periods (18th and 19th century harmony).

Mark Levine’s popular book, Jazz Theory, is a good illustration of jazz pedagogists’ very limited understanding of music history. It basically runs down the Berklee College system of applying chord scales and modes to chord progressions. This makes it necessary to theorize in order to arrive at which of these (arbitrary at best) scales are to be applied. In this way, Greek modal names are applied to a tonal chord system that is in no way modal. Indeed, the European composers, whom jazz musicians emulate, did not employ modes in tonal music: they used non-harmonic tones to propel their lines forward.

This is, I hope, an interesting tidbit of history: A few years ago, while writing my doctoral dissertation, I interviewed Jerry Coker, who was one of the very first to hold a full-time positon as Jazz Professor in a college or university. He admitted to me that he used this modal system–with its Greek names–to impress the classical administrators that dominated the music department–so that they might take jazz education seriously. (They have been in the colleges for well over 100 years, while jazz education was only begrudgedly admitted fewer than 50 years ago.)

Coker explained that had he taught a more direct, common sense traditional approach to this extemporaneous art form, it would have gone right over their heads. They don’t like us. The only reason jazz exists in higher education is because of enrollment: Students demand jazz courses.

Here Is Why Fashion Is Important In Your Life

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We all need to dress appropriately because people judge us based on what we wear. They won’t judge us based on what you say or think. This is the reason fashion is of paramount importance. Today, the society is putting a lot of stress on the idea that looks does not matter. In a specific scenario, this can be true. For example, as far as our values are concerned, the way we look does not matter. However, it is quite important in other aspects of our life. In this article, we are going to take a look at the importance of fashion.

Others’ Perception

We are humans and it is part of our Instinct to sense danger in an instant. You don’t judge people who are walking on the street. Judging others is part of our subconscious. For example, if someone is wearing sharp and bold colors, they will look more confident successful and professional.

On the other hand, if you put on soft fabrics, you will appear more open and delicate. This can be a great thing if you want to make new friends. However if you are a business owner, this type of outfit cannot be a great choice.

Your Perception

When you are alone at home, you are wearing casual outfits. If you put on sweatpants, you cannot be more productive. As a matter of fact, casual outfits make you less confident and less energetic. Each time you look at yourself in the mirror, your brain saves a certain image of yourself. And this can have a great impact on your actions and self-confidence.

You may want to dress well if you want to be confident. As a matter of fact, if you dress well, it can do wonders. You cannot deny the importance of fashion if you want to make your dreams come true.

Self-Care

Fashion is a form of self-care. For example, if you are a dog owner, you spend plenty of time washing and brushing him. You do all of this because you value him. Similarly, you take care of yourself because you value yourself. If you ignore your style choices, you give yourself a message that you are not valuable. Therefore, following the latest fashion trends means you appreciate yourself.

Purpose and Communication

If you think your style choices have no importance, you need to think again. There was a time when hood was used to express dissatisfaction and disagreement with the current system. Besides, it was a way to prevent you from getting engaged in illegal activities. The latest fashion has a great impact on you whether you accept it or ignore it.

Art

We love to look at beautiful things. We feel much better when we are around things that look beautiful. Similarly, fashion adds a layer of fun and joy to your routine life.

Long story short, this is a description of why fashion is important in our lives. If you want to keep up to date with the latest fashion trends, you may want to stay tuned to fashion magazines and websites.

Essential Renovation Strategies for Retail Shopping Centres

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Renovating a shopping centre is a frequent and planned event to keep the tenants happy, the customers coming back, and the property looking good. This underpins the rental so that the property can compete with other properties in the local area. Failure to renovate or refurbish puts you on the path to poor property performance and rents; this can happen all too quickly. Tenants and rent are a critical part of property strategy.

Renovation plans should incorporate your major tenants, specialty tenant mix, landlord investment plans, and the community needs. It is a fine balance. Give due regard to the terms of all leases in the property before you start, as some may have clauses that will impact the project planning or staging. Local property legislation relative to retail property could also have allowances and procedures for property renovation and or demolition.

Renovation therefore becomes part of retail property business plan and you must know what you are doing before you start; the lead time can be months if not years. Minor renovation is something that happens in one form or other each 5 years or so in a retail property, and with a larger renovations happening on average every 8 to 10 years.

Property renovation is a strategy that needs careful planning when it comes to shopping centres. The property should not be renovated at the peak shopping times of the year, and the renovation should be kept to a strict time schedule and outcomes. The builder or developer you use for the project is the first critical decision that you will make; they should give evidence of other renovation projects in similar high impact retail properties. They should be able to tell you exactly how they managed critical daily issues at the property such as noise, dust, storage, lighting, foot traffic, and tenant relationships; they should show how they completed other similar complex retail projects on time and within budget.

Make your property renovation a community event and build excitement around it. Make big statements about the renovation before and during the process so that the community knows what is going on and has an air of expectation with the outcome.

Get the community involved in the future of the property by undertaking surveys about needs and concerns. The survey outcomes can be built into the project if they are warranted and will build better community interaction with the final property release.

Informative signage should be placed on all the safety barriers and renovation hoardings around the property clearly telling the community what is going on. The more they know about what you are doing, the more likely they will come back when the works are finished. Shopper tolerance is what you need from the outset.

Always keep the tenants abreast of stages and progress in the renovation. It is their income and business that is affected. They want your renovation to be successful so that their business will be successful. The communication links in a shopping centre renovation are critical to the process and outcome.

When nearing the completion of the shopping centre renovation, a shopping centre should undertake a series of community events and special trading days staged over a period of 2 to 3 months. It can begin with a major coordinated, two-month grand-reopening campaign. It should be many fold and broad to attract as many shoppers as possible. The local area community needs to get involved and visit the property to see exactly what all the changes are and see what the property now offers. Build a degree of expectation in as many media outlets as possible as you lead up to the completion of the renovation.

Local service groups and sporting organisations will likely seize the opportunity to have space in the shopping centre mall to raise money and their profile. This can be integrated into the busiest shopping days of the week.

The promotional campaign at the end of a shopping centre renovation should have key objectives such as:

  • Creating a new identity for the shopping centre in the retail and business community as a viable centre offering fresh new shopping options suited to the community’s needs.
  • Giving the property a name that means something positive to the local shoppers. If in doubt create a competition for shoppers as part of the process.
  • Creating a program to increase awareness and use of the new tenants – cinemas, an anchor and a sandwich shop – through the participation of as many tenants as possible
  • Provide valuable community services to the children and families of the area in ways that strengthen community bonds an interaction.
  • Connect with the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Local Hospital, Jaycees, Police and Fire Departments, Rescue Organisations, and the media. Give them ways to interact with your shoppers on busy shopping days but ask for some benefit in return.
  • Improve customer perceptions of the property by introducing customers to new tenants and services that are new to the property.
  • Promote all the attractive and convenient new shopping at the centre. Show your customers how the property is easy to visit and use.
  • Upgrade all common areas and amenities so that the shopper feels and experiences the real benefit of the property upgrade.
  • Provide a mechanism that would stimulate cross tenant shopping, increasing customer awareness of new and existing tenants.
  • Build relationships with the media to generate free publicity where ever possible as the renovation proceeds.
  • Provide press clippings and collateral materials that would support leasing efforts as you seek to fill any remaining or upcoming vacant areas.

5 Great Martial Art Styles You May Not Know About

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A “martial art” is known typically as a fighting style that emphasizes certain techniques, training methods, and philosophies. That means that there are a lot of different types of martial arts in the world, since virtually every country has developed at least one form of combat throughout history. Some martial arts are thousands of years old, and others were created in many of our lifetimes. Here’s a short list of fighting styles that aren’t as well known as karate or boxing, but are worth knowing just as much. Whether you’re just getting into martial arts or been at it for years, it’s good to brush up on all the styles out there.

You’ve probably heard of a more popular variant of Tang Soo Do. Tae Kwon Do sprung from Korean Tang Soo Do in 1964. Lots of Tang Soo Do masters frown upon that because they believe a lot of modern Tae Kwon Do is too sport oriented. Tang Soo Do’s history stretches back as far as two millennia, and there were many, many different types of it before it was unified under one name. The art is influenced by some dance-like forms, and you can think of it as a Tae Kwon Do that’s focused on more damaging forms of combat, and less oriented towards competition.

Russia’s military has a reputation for having some of the toughest, iron-skinned soldiers in the world. Due in part to what is now Russia’s national sport, Sambo. Like many martial arts styles, Sambo has branched into the sports world since its founding in the 1920s, created as a very lethal system of hand-to-hand combat for the Red Army. The sport version is very similar to MMA, emphasizing grappling, locks, and chokes, as well as many types of striking. Fedor Emelianenko is a Sambo fighter who until recently was undefeated in his professional career, and to this day is considered by many to be the top martial artist in the world.

Silat is the primary martial art of Malaysia. It’s also an older art and branches off into forms that are too many to count. Silat was developed from military styles and hunting methods, and has remained a very lethal and self-defense oriented martial art. Throws and take-downs are among the most common techniques, and are always followed up by strikes to sensitive areas and pressure points, like the throat or gut. The idea is to always have your next move planned, until your opponent is dispatched.

As fun as it looks, Hapkido does not teach you how to jump upside down. Well, maybe advanced students do. Those guys aren’t jumping, though. They are being thrown to the ground by a Hapkido master. This is another Korean martial art, and it focuses heavily on self-defense and varies in techniques from strikes and jump kicks to joint locks and throws. A main principle of Hapkido is effectively taking control of your opponent and using circular, efficient motions. This is a good art for people who want to learn a good variety of martial arts techniques.

Everyone knows a bit about ninjas, but a lot of people are surprised when they find out there’s actually a martial art called “ninjutsu.” As the name implies, it’s the martial arts system created by ninjas. Today, it is no longer taught as a style in which to sneak around assassinating people, and has evolved into a self-defense system. It stays true to the unconventional techniques used by ninjas, and weapons skills are still passed down to students. The man you see in the picture is Dr. Masaaki Hatsumi, the 79 year old last living Grand Master of Ninjutsu who is the founder of the Bujinkan dojo in Japan, where martial artists from around the world train. The art itself is as mystical as ninja legends, with a focus on drawing power from your spirit ( also known as “chi”) and the Earth.

All Summer Long Ringtone

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The All Summer Long Ringtone by Kid Rock has quickly become one of the most popular ringtones in the world. It has peaked near the top of several popular mobile charts and is currently in the top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart. Based on its popularity, the it might soon become one of the most popular mobile phone ringtones ever released!

All Summer Long is the 3rd single from Rock N Roll Jesus, the 9th studio album by Kid Rock. The song is now available in every country on iTunes except for the U.S. store. This song samples Warren Zevon’s Werewolves of London and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama. The mash up was created by Mike E Clark. The song was the official theme song for WWE’s Backlash 2008 and has charted on Billboard’s Hot 100, Adult Top 40, Adult Contemporary, Mainstream Rock, Modern Rock, and Country formats. It also has charted worldwide going to #1 in Austria and Germany and #79 in Canada.

The popularity of the song has helped make All Summer Long such a popular phone ringtone. The track has also topped Canadian and Australian music charts, making the ringtone very popular in those nations as well as in the United States. Several mobile content providers have placed the ringtone near the top of their ringtone charts already.

There is no doubt that Kid Rock’ incredible new hit single will end up being one of the most popular ringtones of 2008 in America. If you’re looking for a hot new ringtone for your mobile phone – the All Summer Long Ringtone is an awesome choice!

Fashion Trend Forecasting – Get Familiar With the Latest Fashion Trends

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The fashion industry always has a shake-up of new trends, and it is not easy to predict future trends. Professionals working in the fashion industries like manufacturers and fashion designers work hard to know the latest fashion trends so that they can rock and create a buzz with their upcoming fashion collections.

What is trend forecasting, and how is it helpful?

Fashion trend predictions can be complicated as there are several categories of fashion for different people all over the world. Some of the most popular fashion categories include

  • Activewear
  • Kidswear
  • Womenswear
  • Menswear
  • Footwear
  • Jewelry and Accessories

In addition to this, fashion styles also keep changing with the seasons, and this is the reason for the evolution of the terms “Summer Collection” and “Winter Collection.” Therefore, it is important to analyze the trend-spotters to recognize what is popular and design products accordingly.

To get rid of the complications, trend forecasting fashion is an effective and helpful technique. This technique is used by professional forecasters who conduct market research and analyze the purchasing pattern of various customers. This research is conducted to get an idea about the stuff that would trend in the future.

When the technique of forecasting was initially evolved, forecasters did not have access to a large number of resources for conducting their research. As a result, fashion weeks or shows and purchasing patterns of customers were the only reliable sources through which trends were predicted. However, with the advancement of technology, deeper market research can be conducted by considering various factors affecting fashion changes. Therefore, better meaningful results can be obtained when compared to the traditional methods.

The need for fashion forecasting is increased compared to the past because celebrities and social media highly influence today’s fashion trends. Customers do not spend much time selecting the right kind of fashion, and their preference is usually based on the fashion trends followed by famous personalities. The most influenced category here is women’s clothing trends that keep changing quickly, and therefore predicting the trends becomes a little difficult. Therefore, the fashion industry keeps facing rapid changes and complicates the process of trend predictions.

Kinds of fashion trend forecasting:

As there is a strong need for fashion forecasting for today’s market, this technique is classified into two types. Fashion forecasters can use either of these techniques to predict the fashion trends based on the category of fashion.

  • Short-term forecasting: Also known as fad forecasting, this type of fashion forecasting analyzes or predicts fashion trends for the next two years.
  • Long-term forecasting: This type of fashion forecasting technique predicts fashion trends for a long period ranging from 5 to 10 years.

It is important for professionals working in the fashion industry to understand the significance of fashion trend forecasting and use the data effectively to derive meaningful insights. These insights would be very useful for fashion designers to customize their future collections.

3 Facts About Why You Should Use Product Comparison Shopping

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In business, product comparison shopping refers to the comparison of various prices of specific products sold by different business traders. In the past, it was very easy for an individual to compare prices of products. This can be attributed to the lack of competition on the trading market and particularly because very few stores were involved in the sale of the same products. Today, the story is very different because there are many stores which are involved in the sale of the same products. Therefore, the need to compare prices has become more important than before. If you are not sure about the facts that are associated with price comparison shopping, the following facts about it may prove to be helpful.

One of the most notable facts about product comparison shopping is that it is usually provided by a second party, who is usually not even involved in the trading business. If the list of the products is published on a frequent basis, the retailers who are interested in having their products published will be required to submit their list of products to the publisher. The list will also include the prices corresponding to each product that the retailer has submitted. If the reader is interested in any of the products that are present on the list, one can use the guide for purchasing the product directly from the source.

Another notable fact about product comparison shopping is that it may not always be free. In the past, the providers of this service had been able to earn a lot of money by charging retailers whose products were on the list. However, the story has changed today due to the coming of free platforms for comparing the prices of products. For most people, comparing prices of specific products is done for free. The coming of the internet has also had a huge bearing on the availability of this service. For example, there are certain web browsers that have inbuilt product comparison platforms. These are accessible to any person who has a web browser installed on their computer. Nowadays, there is even software for comparing prices of specific products. Some of these computer programs can go as far as retrieving data directly from the site of every retailer. In this case, the retailer is expected to make changes to the product list as well as to the prices of the products on the list after a specific period of time has elapsed.

The main goal of product comparison shopping is to enable the customer to buy goods at much lower prices. Being able to compare the prices of various goods makes it easy for a customer to buy the products whose prices they are comfortable with. Sometimes it is even possible to deduce whether some products are genuine or not, by simply looking at their price tags. This is because all products are expected to be tagged with prices that fall within a certain price range. Therefore, products with a price that is not consistent with the expected price range can be considered as not being genuine.