Sec. 1.
The legislature of the state of Michigan hereby finds: improper and misleading uses of the words "wholesale,""employee" and similar terms or phrases in connection with certain sales; and likewise improper and misleading uses of the words "manufacturer,""broker,""wholesaler," and similar terms or phrases denoting that the seller of a product is something other than a retailer thereof; and likewise the other practices hereinafter prohibited, are harmful to the welfare of the people of this state in the following ways, among others: consumers are misled into believing they are buying goods at a substantial discount from regular retail prices, when in fact they are not; trade is diverted from established retail outlets offering various customer services (such as free deliveries, exchange privileges, and credit facilities) to establishments not offering equal services but selling at substantially the same price, to the detriment of the consumer, who is deprived of the benefit of such services without receiving compensating advantages; purchases by business concerns, at discounts from current retail market prices, of goods, wares, and merchandise purchased not for business use but for the personal use of individuals, divert trade unfairly from established retail outlets, resulting in a loss of sales tax revenues and in a trend to higher retail prices. The legislature, acting in the exercise of the police power of the state, declares that the public policy of the state requires, and that the general welfare of the people of the state will be benefited by, the suppression of the trade practices hereinafter defined.
History: 1941, Act 271, Eff. Jan. 10, 1942 ;-- CL 1948, 445.101