Consumer protection refers to the laws designed to aid retail consumers of goods and services that have been improperly manufactured, delivered, performed, handled, or described. Such laws provide the retail consumer with additional protections and remedies not generally provided to merchants and others who engage in business transactions, on the premise that the consumers do not enjoy a sufficient bargaining position with respect to the businessmen with whom they deal and therefore should not be strictly limited by the legal rules that govern recovery for damages among businessmen. The overarching goal is to protect individuals and the interest of the public in general from unfair and misleading activity in business and commerce (such as false advertising and deceptive trade practices) and scams perpetrated by criminals (such as identity theft and pyramid schemes) that harm a substantial number of consumers.
Earth City, Missouri is an unincorporated community located in St. Louis County, along Interstate 70 near the Missouri River. It is bounded by the city of Bridgeton on the east and north, the city of Maryland Heights to the south, and the Missouri River to the west. It is also in proximity to Lambert International Airport. The town is notable as being home to the headquarters of the Save-A-Lot grocery chain and a major UPS shipping hub. It is a major business park bounded by I-70 on the south, I-270 on the east, and MO 370 to the north. It is also within 3 miles of 3 of the 4 major river crossing bridges over the Missouri River. At one time Express Scripts had its headquarters in Maryland Heights, near Earth City. Express Scripts announced in 2005 that it will build a new headquarters on the grounds of the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The company planned to break ground for the facility in late 2005 and move into the facility in March 2007. On June 8, 2007, Express Scripts opened its new world headquarters.