Stationery Items Research Articles

Pencil and paper electronics: an accessible approach to teaching basic physics concepts

This teaching article describes a simple and low-cost methodology for studying electrical transport and constructing basic sensor devices using everyday stationery items, including pencils, paper, and a handheld multimeter. The approach is designed for high school and undergraduate teachers and offers an easy-to-implement, hands-on method for teaching fundamental concepts in physical electronics. The materials and experiments outlined in this article are widely accessible and can be easily replicated in various teaching labs, even with limited budgets.

Live Object Recognition Using YOLO

Abstract: Live object recognition refers to the real-time process of identifying and categorizing objects within a given visual input, such as images. This technology utilizes computer vision techniques and advanced algorithms to detect objects, determine their dimension, area and weight and often classify them into defined categories. Our system proposesR-CNN and YOLO to determine the dimensions of the objects in real time. YOLO takes a different approach by treating object detection as a single regression problem. A single neural network is trained to directly predict bounding boxes and class probabilities for multiple objects in an image. The input image is divided into a grid, and each grid cell is responsible for predicting the objects whose center fall within that cell. Live object recognition finds applications in various fields, including autonomous vehicles, surveillance systems, robotics,augmented reality, and more. By providing instantaneous and accurate insights into the surrounding environment, this technology contributes to enhanced decision-making,interaction, and automation across numerous domains. The objects which can be recognized are solid objects which we use daily such as electronic items, stationery items, culinary items and many more. Our system “Live Object Recognition using YOLO” is aimed to detect and determine the objects and dimensions in real time.

Stationery Management System

The Stationery Management System is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline and automate the processes involved in managing stationery inventory for organizations. This system aims to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance overall productivity by providing a centralized platform to track, control, and replenish stationery supplies. The system offers a user-friendly interface that allows authorized personnel, such as office administrators or procurement managers, to manage all aspects of stationery inventory effectively. It provides the following key features: Inventory Management: The system maintains a comprehensive database of stationery items, including details such as item name, description, quantity, and unit price. It allows users to easily add new items, update existing ones, and track stock levels in real-time. Purchase and Requisition: Users can generate purchase orders or requisitions directly from the system, ensuring a streamlined procurement process. The system can also integrate with external vendors or suppliers to automate order placement and tracking. Stock Monitoring: The system provides real-time visibility into the current stock levels of stationery items. Users can set up automated alerts to notify them when stock levels fall below a predefined threshold, ensuring timely reordering and preventing stock outs. Issue and Return Tracking: The system facilitates the tracking of stationery items issued to employees or departments. It enables users to record item issuances, monitor their usage, and manage returns efficiently. This feature helps prevent misuse and ensures accountability. Reporting and Analytics: The system generates comprehensive reports and analytics, offering valuable insights into stationery usage, expenditure, and inventory trends. These reports assist in making data-driven decisions, optimizing procurement processes, and identifying cost-saving opportunities. Integration and Accessibility: The system can integrate with other existing systems within the organization, such as accounting or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, to ensure seamless data flow and minimize manual data entry. It also provides accessibility across multiple devices, enabling users to manage stationery inventory remotely. Overall, the Stationery Management System provides organizations with a centralized and efficient solution to manage their stationery inventory effectively. By automating key processes and providing real-time visibility, the system optimizes procurement, reduces waste, and enhances productivity, leading to cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Doodlage: contributing to circular economy in fashion

Research methodology The case is written on the basis of published sources only. Case overview/synopsis Doodlage, a start-up incorporated in 2012 by Kriti Tula, Paras Arora and Vaibhav Kapoor, used discarded waste to create sustainable fashion products. It had a first-mover advantage in recycled fashion goods in the first 10 years of its existence. The company contributed to sustainable fashion by providing an alternative to fast fashion production, creating enormous clothing waste and environmental degradation. In the first quarter of 2022, it saved and reused 15,000 m of fabric waste. From 2018 to 2021, the company grew 150% annually, targeting the right customers and regions to expand its business. It ensured that postproduction industrial waste and postconsumption garments were used to produce clothes. It also confirmed that the waste generated in its fabric screening process was used to create stationery items and other valuable accessories. However, the sustainable fashion model that gave the company a competitive advantage became obsolete in 2022 due to increasing competition in the industry as various players using unique ideas entered the market. The company is encountering operational and logistical challenges that are affecting its performance. The demand for its products was also subdued due to high prices of upcycled and recycled clothes and less consumer spending post-COVID pandemic. The competitors of Doodlage offered multiple products produced using environmentally friendly farming and manufacturing techniques, attracting sustainable purchasers. What should be the new portfolio of products for the company to explore future growth opportunities? Considering their vast price, can consumers be encouraged to buy upcycled clothes? How should the company ride the winds of change in the industry? Complexity academic level The instructor should initiate the class discussion by asking questions such as how frequently do you shop for clothes? Do you care about the fabric of your apparel? After you discard your clothes, do you think about where these goods finally end up? Data on the amount of total waste generated in the fashion industry should be communicated to students to connect it with the importance of the concept of circular economy. Post this, the instructor should introduce the business model of Doodlage to bring the discussion into the context of the fashion industry before going ahead to discuss the company’s dilemma.

Analisis Strategi Penanganan Keluhan dan Kepuasan Konsumen pada Toko Lantikya Store Jombang

Complaint is a feedback or feedback given by consumers for the service they have received. Complaints given by consumers usually arise from dissatisfaction with the services provided by company or agency employees. Satisfaction is someone's pleasure or disappointment that occurs after a comparison of product performance is set based on expected performance. Lantikya store is a store engaged in the sale of office stationery items (ATK), galleries, accessories, baby shops, children's toys, and many more. Lantikya Store often finds consumer complaints in the form of unsatisfactory service and empty items that consumers are looking for. Sales assistants at the Lantikya store have their own way of dealing with consumer complaints, while this research was conducted to analyze the strategies employed by the Lantikya store employees when they received complaints, as well as benchmarks for consumer satisfaction. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative research method. The results of this research are data obtained from several strategies carried out by employees of the Lantikya store when they find consumer complaints, namely listening, apologizing and providing solutions to these consumers. As well as measuring consumer satisfaction can be seen from its loyalty.

Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Classification Through Material Recognition Using Deep Convolutional Neural Network With Focus on Metal

Foreign object debris (FOD) is any undesired and unintended object placed or found in the specific vicinity of an aircraft (runway/ taxiway) that can cause damage to aircraft or harm personnel on board such as twisted metal strips, screws, nuts, and bolts, depleted concrete runway pieces, stones, pebbles and stationery items. To avoid FOD damages, all airport/ aviation organizations have deployed some sort of FOD prevention procedure. However, automatic FOD detection systems are still scarce owing to the inevitable reliance on human experts that lead to unavoidable human errors. Around 60% of FOD consists of metal which is the most deteriorating for an aircraft. Therefore, the implementation of material recognition techniques for FOD classification through Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) is more important than FOD object detection as FOD could be of any shape, size or color. This paper developed a DCNN algorithm for FOD material classification with high accuracy for all included material classes (i.e., metal, concrete, plastic) in general and metal in particular. For this, a new dataset is introduced that consists of 2481 images taken on an operational airport runway in varying illumination and weather conditions. Through extensive testing, it was found that InceptionV3 is the best performing model with 18% improvement in metal recognition, and 11% improvement in average accuracy for all included classes.

Paediatric traumatic cataracts in Southwest China: epidemiological profile.

BackgroundPaediatric traumatic cataracts are an important but preventable cause of acquired blindness. Understanding the epidemiology of paediatric traumatic cataracts is a prerequisite for prevention. This study aimed to characterize the epidemiological profile of paediatric traumatic cataracts in southwest China.MethodsThe medical records of children (age range, 0–14 years old) who developed traumatic cataracts following open-globe injuries and were hospitalized at the Department of Ophthalmology at West China Hospital, between January 2011 and December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The demographic data, causes of injuries, posttraumatic complications, and visual acuity were recorded and analysed.ResultsA total of 716 eyes from 716 patients were analysed in this study, including 521 (72.8%) males and 195 females in a gender ratio of 2.67:1; 117 of the patients were of ethnic minorities. Paediatric traumatic cataracts occurred more frequently in winter (32.5%). Sharp metal objects (scissors/knives/needles/sheet metal/nails/darts) – induced ocular injuries accounted for the highest proportion, followed by botanical sticks (wooden sticks /bamboo sticks /bamboo skewers)-induced injuries, and then stationery items (pencils/pens/rulers/paper)-induced injuries. The majority (68.7%) of the patients were aged 2–8 years, and the peak range of age was 4 - 6 years. The injuries were a result of penetrating trauma in 64.9% of patients, and blunt force trauma in the remainder (35.1%). Additionally, 131 (18.3%) cases developed posttraumatic infectious endophthalmitis after injuries. Patients with eye injuries caused by needles (P < 0.001), wooden sticks (P = 0.016), and bamboo skewers (P = 0.002) were at a greater risk of developing infectious endophthalmitis. The most common identified foreign organism was Streptococcus, which accounted for 42% (21/50) of all culture-positive specimens and was sensitive to vancomycin. Among the children who were younger than 5 years, 44.4% (55/124) of those with traumatic cataracts presented a corrected distance visual acuity less than or equal to 0.1 after undergoing cataract surgery, but among the children who were older than 5 years, this proportion was significantly smaller, just 20.4% of children aged 6-10 years (P < 0.001) and 18.4% of children aged 11-14 years (P < 0.001).ConclusionThe main causative agents of paediatric traumatic cataracts in southwest China were sharp metal objects, botanical sticks, and stationery items. Specific preventive measures are essential to reduce the incidence of paediatric traumatic cataract.

A Study of Children’s Influence in Family Purchasing Decisions: Parents’ Perspective

Purpose: Child consumerism is a topic that has been given prominence and attention by the fields of marketing, psychology and sociology recently. Children are at the center of family decision-making. As a result of the socialization process, children have gained a depth of knowledge and are able to bargain with their parents for a variety of products. Thus, the main motive of this study is to explore the influence of children’s involvement in family purchasing decisions. Design/methodology/approach: The study established a qualitative design, with the participation of parents who have children aged between 5 years to 11 years. Accordingly, 20 parents who have shopping experiences in two leading supermarkets in the Anuradhapura District were selected based on convenience and purposive sampling techniques. Furthermore, throughout the store's opening hours, data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Then the findings were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. Findings: According to the findings of the survey, the children have been exposed to the field and become more aware of products and services through different agents of socialization. They used negotiation strategies like exchange tactics, coalition tactics, inspirational appeal, and consultation tactics to persuade their parents. But this persuasion can be varied in reference to the child’s age, gender, family income, and structure. Furthermore, children’s perspectives of selecting items are mostly formed on the extent of colorfulness and the physical shape of products rather than what is contained inside. Also, they mostly demanded sweets, toys, stationery items, and instant products. Notably, children’s preferences are given more consideration and priority in the matter of purchasing items. Moreover, the children hold a positive sense towards shopping tasks according to the parents’ point of view whereas the parents hold a negative attitude on children’s involvement. Originality: The study has contributed to the body of knowledge about Sri Lankan children as consumers. Furthermore, this study identifies the impact of the store environment as a socializing agent, which has received less attention in prior studies. The findings could aid businesses in better understanding the shopping habits of Sri Lankan children. Implications: Overall, it can be mentioned that the outcome of this study provided important implications for consumers, marketers, and policymakers. Keywords: Family buying behavior, child involvement, socialization agents, persuasion, negotiation strategies.

Items of Tributary Gifts (Pangmul 方物) Sent to the Ming Dynasty by Chosŏn and their Changing Trends

This paper examines changes and trends in tributary gifts (pangmul 方物) sent by Chosŏn regular envoys to the Ming Emperor during the 15th and 17th centuries. First, pangmul items sent by the Chosŏn to the Ming were partially inherited from the Koryŏ era. Second, it examines how King Sejong’s 1429 request that the Chosŏn court pay its tribute by means other than gold and silver led the court to offer specialty goods as tribute instead of precious metals. It then moves on to explore how economic scarcity resulting from the Imjin Wars of 1592 led Chosŏn pangmul to be composed mostly of folding fans and stationery items such as paper (kyŏngmyŏnji, paekmyŏnji, and oil paper), inkstones (hwayŏn), ink (chinmuk and yumaemuk) and writing brushes (hwangmopil)–the dynasty’s common, major export goods. After the war, the Chosŏn dynasty regained stability and returned to its pre-war pangmul practices. However, the pangmul were not completely fixed and showed tentative patterns, going back and forth between the practices of the 15th century and the new circumstances of the 17th century. In short, this paper explores how pangmul practices were not completely fixed, and how contingencies such as the war and the changing landscape of manufacturing in 16th-century Korea influenced the composition of Chosŏn pangmul.

Application of Antiviral Polyoxometalates to Living Environments—Antiviral Moist Hand Towels and Stationery Items

Safe, secure, and environmentally friendly active substances should be developed. VB (virus block) refers to an antibacterial/antiviral mixture of two kinds of polyoxometalates (PMs), i.e., K11H[(VO)3(SbW9O33)2]·27H2O (VB2) and α-Na2[SbW9O33]9− (VB3), and polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). VB was demonstrated to exert antiviral effects on cultured cells. The effects were maintained even in hygiene products or solids. The antiviral effects were analyzed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT–PCR), and the results were correlated with TCID50, potentially eliminating the need for handling infectious viruses. VB was demonstrated to be extremely effective (up to 99.99% inhibition) in cultured cells, with antibacterial/antiviral effects maintained in VB-containing hygiene products. VB was applied to solids, demonstrating their high applicability and versatility. VB withstands high temperatures regardless of materials because its effects are enhanced by more frequent contact with viruses and bacteria due to the increased surface area of the compound.

Extent of physician-pharmaceutical industry interactions in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

Pharmaceutical companies spend large amounts of money promoting their products to physicians. There is evidence that physicians' interactions with pharmaceutical companies negatively affect their prescribing patterns. The objective of this study was to systematically review the extent of the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical companies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Studies assessing the extent of any type of interaction between practicing physicians and pharmaceutical companies were eligible. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases in July 2016. Reviewers worked in duplicate and independently to complete study selection, data abstraction and assessment of methodological features. We summarized the findings narratively. We included 11 eligible studies (7 quantitative and 4 qualitative). Quantitative studies found that pharmaceutical company representatives visited at least 90% of physicians. Printed material, stationery items and drug samples were the most frequently received gifts. Two of the studies assessing direct payment found percentages of 16 and 5%, respectively. Findings of qualitative studies were consistent with those of quantitative studies. In addition, they revealed an increasing tendency for pharmaceutical companies to provide expensive personal gifts, sponsor social events and offer cash as inducements to physicians based on their demands. They also identified building personal relationships, creating a sense of indebtedness and emotional blackmailing as commonly used techniques to influence physicians. A relatively high percentage of physicians in LMICs interact with pharmaceutical companies. Findings have implications for policy and practice, given the current extent of interaction is likely affecting the prescribing habits and professional behaviour of physicians.

Gender Difference in Online Buying Behaviour: An Empirical Study in Punjab

Online buying is no more just a buzz word rather has become a helpful medium to transact and buy things while sitting at home. Shopping online not only provides the comfort of buying at home but also enjoying a wide and huge variety of products with few clicks. Online buying has been substantially increasing globally as well as in India. The rise of digital natives, better broadband facilities and lesser rate of the internet is fuelling the demand for online products and increasing the number of online consumers. The number of online consumers in India is expected to grow from 69 million in 2016 to 100 million online consumers by 2017(Assocham, 2016). These growing numbers have kindled great interest in this field and in understanding the consumer's decision of indulging in or refraining from online shopping these days. Different demographics play a vital role in consumer behaviour studies. Gender is one of the most significant demographic in studies of consumer behaviour. It becomes eminent to study that who buys online, for whom are they buying and what kind of products consumers prefer to buy. Therefore this research paper throws light on whether gender plays any significant role in online buying or not. The results of this study show that there is a significant difference in frequency of buying goods online as well as in the amount of money spent by male and female. Some of the products bought online also showed significant difference specially buying electronic items, apparels, and jewellery, etc. while no significant differences are found between males and females for other products like toys and games, books and stationery items and gifts and flowers etc.

A study on the interactions of doctors with medical representatives of pharmaceutical companies in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital of South India.

Background:The promotional activities by medical representatives (MRs) of the pharmaceutical companies can impact the prescribing pattern of doctors. Hence, the interaction between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry is coming under increasing scrutiny.Objective:The primary objective was to assess the attitude of the doctors toward the interaction with the MRs of the pharmaceutical company. The secondary objective was to assess the awareness of the doctors about regulations governing their interaction with the pharmaceutical company.Materials and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. This study was carried out using a pretested questionnaire containing 10 questions between June and September 2014. The doctors working in the Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Medical College and Hospital, Perambalur (Tamil Nadu) during the study period was included.Results:A total of 100 pretested questionnaires were distributed, and 81 doctors responded (response rate 81%). 37% doctors responded that they interacted with MR once a week whereas 25.9% told that they interact with MRs twice a month. About 69.1% doctors think that MR exaggerate the benefits of medicines and downplays the risks and contraindications of medicine(P = 0.000). 61.7% doctors think that MR has an impact on their prescribing (P = 0.000). 63% doctors stated that they had received promotional tools such as stationery items, drug sample, textbooks or journal reprints from MR in last 12 months (P = 0.0012). Unfortunately, 70.4% doctors have not read the guidelines about interacting with the pharmaceutical industry or its representative (P = 0.000).Conclusion:Rather than forbidding any connection between doctors and industry, it is better to establish ethical guidelines. The Medical Council of India code is a step in the right direction, but the majority of doctors in this study have not read the guidelines about interacting with the pharmaceutical industry or its representative.

Implementing an improved inventory management system in a wholesale distributor: a Canadian case study

The importance of inventory in running an efficient supply chain cannot be over-emphasised. Inventory is normally stored in warehouses or distribution centres. Therefore, the management of these distribution facilities essentially includes an effective inventory policy. The present paper explores the role of inventory management in distribution centres considering a case study approach. In particular, the present paper takes into account some key inventory control issues faced by a stationery items wholesale business (called ‘Scrapbook Eh!’) operating from its facility in Calgary. The paper strategically analyses the objectives of inventory, evaluates the stock levels and new technology option to provide some guidelines to efficiently run the facility.

Top down modulation of attention to food cues via working memory

Attentional biases towards food cues may be linked to the development of obesity. The present study investigated the mechanisms underlying attentional biases to food cues by assessing the role of top down influences, such as working memory (WM). We assessed whether attention in normal-weight, sated participants was drawn to food items specifically when that food item was held in WM. Twenty-three participants (15f/8m, age 23.4±5year, BMI 23.5±4kg/m2) took part in a laboratory based study assessing reaction times to food and non-food stimuli. Participants were presented with an initial cue stimulus to either hold in WM or to merely attend to, and then searched for the target (a circle) in a two-item display. On valid trials the target was flanked by a picture matching the cue, on neutral trials the display did not contain a picture matching the cue, and on invalid trials the distractor (a square) was flanked by a picture matching the cue. Cues were food, cars or stationery items. We observed that, relative to the effects with non-food stimuli, food items in WM strongly affected attention when the memorised cue re-appeared in the search display. In particular there was an enhanced response on valid trials, when the re-appearance of the memorised cue coincided with the search target. There were no effects of cue category on attentional guidance when the cues were merely attended to but not held in WM. These data point towards food having a strong effect on top-down guidance of search from working memory, and suggest a mechanism whereby individuals who are preoccupied with thoughts of food, for example obese individuals, show facilitated detection of food cues in the environment.

Stationery injuries in the upper aerodigestive system: Results from the Susy Safe Project

Rationale and aimForeign body (FB) injuries are a relatively frequent event in young children. Clinical picture can be evidently affected from different variables. Among those size, shape, type and FB location cover an important issue. Increased attempts have been made in order to encourage normative interventions for products devoted to children's care and entertainment, reaching acceptable safety level; on the contrary, fewer efforts have been devoted to investigate the risk associated to objects that – even if not expressly created for children – are easy accessed by children, like stationery.The aim of the present study is to characterize the risk of complications and prolonged hospitalization due to stationery items according to age and gender of patients, FB characteristics and FB location, circumstances of the accident, as emerging from the Susy Safe Registry. MethodsFrom 2005 to 2010 case were collected from 70 centers in 32 different countries. Details on the injuries, identified by means of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes listed on hospital discharge records, were gathered through a standardized case report form, that provides a full set of information on injuries, with specific details on age and gender of the child, location, shape, volume, consistency and ellipticity of the foreign body, behavioral aspects linked to the injury, like the supervision of the parents or the activity concomitant to the accident, any complication occurred, length of hospitalization. ResultsIn the years 2005–2010 a total of 17,205 FB injuries in children aged 0–14years were registered in Susy Safe Database. Among them 425 (2.5%) were due to a stationery item. The majority of FBs were retrieved in the nose (179, meaning 42.1%) and in the ears (176, 41.4%) only 5 cases were observed in children younger than 1year, while most of the cases, 80.6%, were recorded in children older than 3years. 193 patients (45.4%) were female, while 232 (54.6%) were male. Adult supervision was indicated in 212 cases. In 143 of these accidents the adult was present (33.6% of the whole group). The most frequent stationery retrieved was rubber, counting for 209 cases (49.2%). According to the FBs types, mostly all cases reported a 3D volume and a rigid or semirigid consistency (49.3%). Looking to the outcomes, 31 (7%) children needed hospitalization and complications were seen in 38 children (8.9%). No significant associations were seen between the outcomes and the FBs’ characteristics, excluded those between the consistency of the FB (rigid) and the necessity of hospitalization and the shape (2D) and the presence of complication. ConclusionsInjuries are events that in many cases can be prevented with appropriate strategies. Passive environmental strategies, including product modification by manufacturers, are the most effective. However, regulation regarding small parts of potentially dangerous objects covers products addressed to children use but objects not projected for children, such as stationary items, are excluded. Our study testifies that stationary is involved in a non-negligible percentage of FB injuries, mainly due to insertion in the ears. Frequently, injuries happen under adult supervision. These results confirm the fact that when passive preventive strategies are not practical, active strategies that promote behavior change are necessary and information about this issue should be included in all visits to family pediatricians.

Risk posed to children by stationery items in the upper airways: evidence emerging from the ESFBI study

Rationale and aimThe insertion, inhalation, aspiration or ingestion of a foreign body (FB) is a relatively frequent event in young children. Some classes of objects such as stationery items (including...

The Letterbox Club: the impact on looked-after children and their carers of a national project aimed at raising achievements in literacy for children aged 7 to 11 in foster care

This paper considers the initial impact of a national project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families which provides books, number activities and stationery items (once a month over a 6-month period) directly to children aged 7–11 in their foster homes. The context of the project, established against a background of low attainment in literacy among looked-after children in foster care in the UK, is explored. This paper focuses explicitly on the impact of the reading materials on the children who received them and on other people within the children's foster care environment. Particular reference is made to issues of ownership, textual preference and use of or engagement with the reading books, together with the implications that these findings may have for future work in this field both nationally and internationally.

Courier Corp.

AbstractPrinting (MIC: 13.4 SIC: 2732 NAIC: 323117)Courier and its subsidiaries are engaged in book manufacturing and specialty publishing. Co. has two business segments. Co.'s book manufacturing segment produces hard and softcover books, as well as related services involved in managing the process of creating and distributing these products. Co.'s specialty publishing segment publishes books in over 30 specialty categories, including fine and commercial arts, children's books, crafts, musical scores, graphic design, mathematics, physics and other areas of science, puzzles, games, social science, stationery items, and classics of literature for both juvenile and adult markets, including the Dover Thrift Editions.

Targowiska: Polish street markets today

Poles do much of their shopping outdoors. In any city with urban bus or tram service, and in many towns without, there are kiosks on important street corners that sell bus or tram tickets, magazines and newspapers, basic stationery items, cigarettes and candy, bottled water and soft drinks, and an amazing number of other small items. More important than the kiosks are the targowiska or “free and open markets” where Poles can buy clothing, stationery, food, small electronics, cosmetics, and a large variety of other goods. The targowiska are the descendents of the weekly market days that occurred in almost every Polish town and village up to World War II. These free and open markets appeared quickly with the liberalisation of the economy in the late 1980s, popping up at traditional market places and on other open spaces convenient for shoppers. While these markets appear to be unorganised and informal, in the past fifteen or twenty years their operations have become regulated and more formal. While these markets are less informal than they may first appear, they do still perform many of the functions of informal markets. These markets also have become an important source of revenue for local governments.