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.
Sikeston is a city located mostly in southern Scott County but also extends into parts of northern New Madrid County in Southeast Missouri in the United States. It is situated just above the Bootheel although many locals consider it to be an actual part of the region. By way of Interstate 55, Sikeston is close to the halfway point between St. Louis and Memphis. The city is named after John Sikes who founded it in 1860. It is the principal city of the Sikeston Micropolitan Stastistical Area, which consists of all of Scott County and has a total population of 41,143. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 16,992, making it the second most populous city in Missouri's 8th Congressional district behind Cape Girardeau (population 35,349).