Figuratively Speaking

Average amount of money that can be saved per person per day by brown-bagging a lunch, according to statistics from the Oscar Mayer "Brown Bag Barometer": $3

Estimated amount that can be saved per month for a family of four: $260

Rank of sandwiches (41 percent) and leftovers (32 percent) as the most popular items in the bag: 1, 2

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Percentage of Americans who think people give gifts as a way to make subtle suggestions about what someone wears or how they look, according to a survey by Remington products and conducted by Zoomerang: 68

Percentage who admit that's why they've picked particular products: 41

Source: Zoomerang.

Percentage of consumers who cite convenience as a reason to buy online, according to a Nielsen Online pre-holiday survey: 76

Percentage of consumers who cite price as a reason to buy online: 53

Source: Nielsen Online.

Percentage of employees who have felt excluded during annual holiday celebrations in the workplace, according to a national telephone survey by Novations Group: 10.7

Source: Novations Group Inc.

Percentage of consumers who will purchase more "eco-friendly" products this holiday season than in the past, according to the "23rd Annual Holiday Survey" of retail spending and trends commissioned by Deloitte: 20

Percentage who will shop at more "green" retailers: 18

Percentage of consumers who said they will use fewer plastic bags from supermarkets and other stores this holiday season: 38

Percentage who will consider not wrapping holiday gifts in order to conserve paper: 21

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage difference in the one-year performance improvement in operating income between companies with highly engaged employees -- those who believe in the values of their company, are proud of their work for the company, and are committed to their employer -- compared to companies with low engagement, according to a survey by ISR: 52

Percentage improvement in net income growth over a one-year period at companies with high employee engagement: 13

Percentage improvement in EPS (earnings per share) growth in companies with high employee engagement: 28

Source: Towers Perrin.

Percentage of video gamers who are married, according to research by IGN Entertainment and Ipsos MediaCT: 55

Percentage who have children: 48

Average age of new gamers -- those who have started playing videogames in the past two years: 32

Source: Ipsos Media.

Percentage of holiday shoppers who say they begin shopping before Thanksgiving, according to data from Mediamark Research and Intelligence: 35.1

Percentage of holiday shoppers who say they begin shopping between Thanksgiving and Dec. 15: 35.8

Percentage who start their shopping between Dec. 16 and Dec. 23: 25.6

Source: Mediamark Research.

Projected amount Americans will spend on gift cards this holiday season, according to an Archstone Consulting survey: $25 billion

Percentage of consumers who told the National Retail Federation they want to receive gift cards this holiday season -- more than any other type of gift: 55

Percentage of card recipients who tend to redeem them on necessities: 33

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of Americans who initially say that they support existing policies aimed at promoting the use of corn to produce ethanol, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for members of the "Food Before Fuel" campaign: 55

When informed of USDA data linking ethanol to food price increases, percentage who become less likely to support these policies: 49

Estimated annual tax subsidy to fuel blenders for adding ethanol into the fuel supply: $4 billion

Source: Ipsos North America.

Idle Thought

"Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face." -- Albert Camus, writer and philosopher

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

From January through August 2008, the number of new "functional candies" (products providing nutrients like calcium, protein, fiber, etc.) that were released, according to a survey by the National Confectioners Association: 159

Source: National Confectioners Association

Percentage of Americans who are uncomfortable when introducing themselves to strangers at a party, according to PrimaLoft's annual Comfort Zone survey, conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Media: 34

Percentage of men who are very or somewhat comfortable introducing themselves to strangers: 72

Percentage of women who are very or somewhat comfortable introducing themselves to strangers: 58

Source: PrimaLoft

On average, the number of seasonal workers that each American manager responsible for hiring hourly workers plans on hiring, according to a SnagAJob.com survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 3.7

Average number of seasonal workers who were hired during last year's holiday period: 5.6

Average pay per hour for a seasonal employee: $10

Source: SnagAJob.com

Estimated number of turkeys that will be eaten at Thanksgiving, according to "interesting facts" from the National Turkey Federation: 46 million

Average weight of a turkey purchased for Thanksgiving: 15 pounds

In order to have enough for the feast and leftovers, too, the recommended number of pounds of uncooked turkey per person to buy: 1

Source: National Turkey Federation (NTF

Percentage of Catholic Charities that reported an increase in requests for financial assistance, according to a national survey by Catholic Charities USA: 86

Percentage that saw more people requesting mortgage, rental or temporary housing assistance: 70

Percentage that recorded an increase in requests for food assistance: 76

Source: Catholic Charities USA.

Percentage of executives who cited better communication as the best remedy for low morale, according to a survey developed by Accountemps: 48

Percentage of respondents who said lack of open and honest communication with staff members tops the list of management missteps that can erode morale: 33

Percentage who said recognition programs, which acknowledge an employee's efforts and achievements, were a good way to remedy low morale: 19

Source: Accountemps.

Percentage of consumers who plan to cut back on holiday spending, according to a Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll: 76

Percentage of Americans who still carry debt from last year's holiday shopping: 6

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of online consumers who have some worry that they will fall victim to identity theft, according to the findings from the "2008 PayPal Trust and Safety Study," conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom on behalf of PayPal: 75

Estimated percentage of online consumers in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. who have been victims of identity theft: 10

Estimated percentage of online consumers in France, Germany and Spain who have been victims of identity theft: 5

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Amount of money the United States secured in settlements and judgments in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008, by pursuing allegations of fraud against the federal government, according to an announcement by the Justice Department: $1.34 billion

Estimated total recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act: $21 billion

Percentage of this year's recoveries that are associated with suits initiated by private citizens (known as "relators") under the False Claims Act's qui tam provisions ("qui tam" is a writ whereby a private individual who assists a prosecution can receive all or part of any penalty imposed): 78

Source: U.S. Department of Justice.

Date of "Black Friday" this year, the day after Thanksgiving when Americans begin their Christmas shopping in earnest, according to a survey by Taubman Centers: Nov. 28

Percentage of Christmas shoppers who peruse the newspaper to find out about the in-store specials: 46

Percentage who peruse newspaper inserts: 59

Source: Taubman Centers Inc.

Idle Thought

"It is impossible to imagine Goethe or Beethoven being good at billiards or golf." -- H.L. Mencken, writer, editor and critic (1880-1956).

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of all data breaches in the U.S. that are caused by insiders, according to the results of a study commissioned by Compuware and conducted by the Ponemon Institute: 75

Percentage of breaches committed by external hackers: 1

Percentage of respondents who indicated that their organizations have had data breaches: 79

Source: Compuware Corp.

Average annual income of the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. households, as defined by net worth in the Federal Reserve Board study, according to the American Affluence Research Center: $256,000

Percentage of the income earned by all American households that this group represents: 36

Percentage of the total net worth of all U.S. households that they control: 70

Source: The American Affluence Research Center.

Ranks of L.L. Bean, Zappos and Lands' End among the top-rated e-tailers, according to a Consumer Reports survey: 1, 2, 3

Last year, estimated value of the merchandise ordered online in the apparel, accessories and shoes category (more than any other category of merchandise): $23 billion

Source: Consumer Reports.

Percentage of people who say they have trouble falling asleep at least one night per week, according to a survey conducted by research firm Ipsos for AmericInn Hotels: 62

Percentage who say they have a tough time sleeping every single night: 10

Percentage of Americans who say they just accept their daily sleepiness and keep going, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation: 84

Source: AmericInn.

Approximate number of moms in the United States, according to a Mom Central Consulting report: 75 million

Percentage of all household purchases influenced by moms: 85

Estimated number of dollars spent each year by mothers: $2 trillion

Source: Mom Central Consulting.

Percentage of shoppers who are satisfied (extremely/very satisfied) with an average wait time of about 4 minutes or less to check out, according to MARC RESEARCH: 79

Percentage of customers who stated they will forgo a purchase if the check-out line is too long: 10

Percentage of consumers who stated long lines will affect their decision to shop at a particular retailer in the future: 43

Source: MARC Research.

Percentage of workers who felt that they were frequently or occasionally micromanaged (managed with excessive control or attention to details) by their boss, according to a survey of Americans by global consultants BlessingWhite: 37.4

Percentage of those under 34 who felt micromanaged: 40

Percentage of those over 55 who made the same complaint: 27

Source: BlessingWhite.

Percentage of business leaders today who say they know someone who is searching for a new job, according to a worldwide survey of senior executives and managers conducted by NFI Research: 96

Percentage of senior executives and managers who know up to five people looking for a job: 65

Source: NFI Research.

Estimated number of households that are not ready for the upcoming transition to all-digital broadcasting and would be unable to receive any television programming at all if the transition occurred today, according to The Nielsen Co.: 9 million

Number of households that have at least one television set that will no longer work when the digital transition occurs: 12.6 million

Source: Nielsen Media Research.

Rank of "Max" on the list of most popular pet names in recent years, according to a study by Veterinary Pet Insurance: 1

Ranks of Rush Limbark, Sirius Lee Handsome, Rafikikadiki, Low Jack and Meatwad on the list of most unusual dog names as selected by VPI employees: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Veterinary Pet Insurance.

Idle Thought

"How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?" -- Paul Sweeney

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)