Discuss the following:

1. The business practices of the rent-to-own industry.
   1. How are they able to avoid the restrictions on interest rates?
   2. Why are these operations so attractive to so many people compared to saving the money to buy the desired item or going to a thrift store to acquire the item?
2. What you found regarding the effective interest rates being charged and how much higher the rent-to-own stores cash price exceeded the price of the identical item at a reputable retail outlet.