To assess how consumers can use the Internet to shop for various goods.

Shopbots are Internet sites for finding the best prices on goods you need. No shopbot searches the entire Internet, so it's a good idea to use more than one to get the best deals. Furthermore, not all shopbots quote shipping and handling costs. Here are some to try: MySimon.com, PriceGrabber.com, PriceSCAN.com, and Yahoo!Shopping.

1. Which of the shopbots offers the most goods and the most information? How helpful are the consumer reviews? The product descriptions?

2. Which shopbot is easiest to use? The hardest? Why?

3. Write down some of the prices you find on the Internet and then go to a local store, such as Wal-Mart or Target, and compare prices. Does either source (online or brick-and-mortar) consistently offer the best price?

4. Compare shopping on the Internet to shopping in stores. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? Which has the best total product offer?