Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of shoppers who say that finding gifts for everyone on their list is stressful, according to a survey commissioned by Staples: 66

Percentage of respondents who say there is at least one person on their list who, for at least a few moments, appears practically "ungiftable": 89

On average, number of difficult gift recipients who shoppers have on their lists -- typically includes significant others (59 percent), children (57 percent), mothers (56 percent) and fathers (42 percent): 4

Source: Staples Foundation For Learning.

Of the winter holiday gift givers who typically set a budget for presents, percentage who say they will go over it -- by an average of $148, according to a survey by Coinstar: 67

Percentage of Americans who can name at least one thing they'd be willing to do or give up in order to buy holiday gifts for everyone on their list this holiday: 76

Source: Coinstar.

Percentage of event planners who said that holiday parties help improve office friendships, according to a study by BizBash: 75

Percentage who cited improved team dynamics as a direct result of office holiday get-togethers: 67

Percentage who say they contribute to increased productivity: 18

Source: BizBash.

Whether trimming a Christmas tree, wrapping gifts or preparing a festive meal to share with friends, percentage of Americans who report that they can't celebrate the holiday season properly without the right music, according to a survey by Pandora: 90

In picking the perfect music to accompany their get-togethers, percentage of people who admit they prefer classic holiday tunes from artists such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole: 75

Source: Pandora.

Percentage of marketers who feel that their organization has the necessary customer intelligence systems to deliver relevant, real-time information to their sales department, according to a report from the CMO Council: 9

Source: CMO Council.

Ranks of children's apparel, accessories and toys on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend more on this year, according to a survey by Forest City Enterprises Inc.: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of fine jewelry, mobile phones and holiday decor on the list of items that shoppers say they expect to spend less on this year: 1, 2, 3

Source: Forest City Enterprises Inc.

Percentage of executives who say they are working in a field different than the one they anticipated when they began their undergraduate studies, according to a Korn/Ferry executive survey: 68

Percentage who believe a majority of the 2013 freshman class will end up in jobs that don't yet exist: 40

Percentage of executives who believe students would benefit more by learning leadership skills rather than focusing on specific academic disciplines: 66

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

When asked to rank the best features of in-store shopping, percentage of consumers who ranked immediate gratification and instant ownership as a top factor in influencing how they shop, according to a study by WD Partners: 79

Percentage of respondents who said stores offer a sensory experience and immersion into the product that online retailers cannot: 75

Source: Gallagher Consulting Group.

Most common value of gift cards, both given and received, according to Bankrate.com research: between $25 and $50.

Percentage that can be delivered electronically: 56

Percentage of gift card issuers who will replace the card and/or funds in the event of loss or theft: 69

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage more people who are planning to travel by plane during the 2013 holiday season compared with last year, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC: 58

Percentage of respondents who said they will fly out of town to celebrate at least one holiday this year, which compares to 36 percent last year: 57

Percentage who reported they will spend Christmas away from home, where just 23 percent did so last year: 33

Source: GO Group LLC.

Idle Thought

"Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself." -- Elie Wiesel, writer, Nobel laureate

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

Percentage of shoppers who feel retailers will offer better prices and discounts this year due to the current state of the economy, according to a Price Grabber survey: 66

Percentage of shoppers who said they started saving money before June to financially prepare for the gift-giving season: 21

Percentage who said it was acceptable to spend less on gifts because of the economy: 28

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Number of billionaires in the United States, according to the inaugural Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013: 515

Estimated net worth of these billionaires: $2 trillion

Ranks of New York (96 billionaires), Los Angeles (22), Chicago (21), San Francisco (20) and Houston (14) on the list of the super rich hotspots in the United States: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Wealth-X.

From 2007 to 2009 and 2010 to 2012, of the 50 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, number where median home values fell, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 39

Of the metro areas with the largest declines (in dollar terms), number that were in California: 6

Number that were in Florida: 2

Of the 11 metro areas where median home values actually increased, number that were in Texas: 4

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Percentage of consumers who admitted they have items in their closets that are still in shopping bags or have price tags, according to a poll by CreditDonkey.com: 24

Percentage who said they have frequent arguments over money: 18

Percentage who said their main reason for using credit cards is to pay for items when they don't have enough money: 19

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of American workers who would rather receive a great holiday gift than have an office party -- an increase of 12 percent from last year, according to a survey conducted by Lands' End Business Outfitters: 78

Of the employees who give their boss a gift, percentage who give a group gift: 36

Source: Lands' End.

Of the U.S. employers who are hiring seasonal workers, percentage who plan to transition some into full-time, permanent staff -- up 10 percentage points over last year, according to CareerBuilder's annual survey: 49

Ranks of retail, information technology, leisure and hospitality, and financial services on the list of employers who also plan to hire seasonal staff : 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of people in 24 countries who agree (give a rating of four or five on a five-point agreement scale) that they "care what efforts brands are making to help the environment," according to findings in a poll conducted by Ipsos OTX: 52

Ranks of Argentina (70 percent), Mexico (68 percent), Indonesia (66 percent), South Africa (62 percent) and Germany (60 percent) on the list of countries most likely to agree they care about the efforts of brands to help the environment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of the United States on the list (51 percent): 14

Source: Ipsos Open Thinking.

Percentage of brand-specific gift cards that charge purchase fees, versus 100 percent of general-purpose gift cards, according to research released by Bankrate.com: 11

Of the 55 widely held brand-specific cards that include retailers, restaurants, airlines and gas stations, number that charge a purchase fee to all customers: 3

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of households in America that have damaged a laptop, phone, camera or tablet during the holidays, according to SquareTrade's holiday survey: 12.5

Percentage of damages during the holiday season that are attributed to holiday activities -- traveling (22 percent), shopping (12 percent), cooking (10 percent) and decorating (7 percent): 51

Source: SquareTrade.

Percentage of Americans who will make traditional phone calls as the preferred way to communicate with family and friends this holiday season, according to a Cricket Wireless national survey: 46

Percentage who will use digital messaging: 45

Percentage of Americans who agree that electronic messaging has replaced traditional acknowledgments using pen and paper: 85

Source: Sentient.

Idle Thought

"Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm but the harm does not interest them." -- T.S. Eliot

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

Percentage of consumers who plan to spend more than half of their total holiday shopping budgets during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period, according to a study by CFI Group: 25

Source: CFI Group.

Amount of money Twitter co-founder Evan Williams added to his personal fortune after the company's frenzied trading debut at the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 7, boosting his net worth to approximately $2.5 billion, according to a Wealth-X estimate: $1.075 billion

Estimated number of Twitter shares owned by Williams: 57 million

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of consumers who define their style of shopping as taking it slow and always finishing with everything they need, according to the Alliance Data Retail Services Holiday Habits Survey: 28

Percentage who buy throughout the year and hide gifts until the holiday: 23

Percentage who say they methodically make lists and buy only the items on their lists, or browse online so they know what they are going to buy and get the best price when they go to the store: 12

Source: Alliance Data Retail Services.

Ranks of a portable music player, desktop computer, GPS device and a regular cellphone on the list of items holiday gift-givers plan to buy in the next five years, according to to RetailMeNot's Black Friday Tech Report: 1 (tie), 3, 4

Percentage of consumers who feel that children should have their own cellphone at age 13 or younger: 46

Percentage of consumers who feel that children should have their own tablet at age 13: 44

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Percentage of Americans who say they witnessed someone else leave a public restroom without washing their hands, according to a survey by the Bradley Corp.: 81

Percentage who said the same last year: 74

Source: Bradley Corp.

Projected total e-commerce spending for November and December 2013, an increase of 15 percent over 2012, according to Logicalis U.S.: $61.8 billion

Percentage of retailers that have dedicated resources to upgrade e-commerce platforms in anticipation of the holiday season: 81

Percentage of retailers that have significantly increased in-store data collection and analysis compared to two years ago: 60

Source: Logicalis U.S.

Expected percentage growth in high-wage occupations, according to a report by CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists: 5

Percentage of the 165 occupations expected to lose jobs nationally that are in the middle-wage category: 75

Projected percentage growth in associate degree and master's degree occupations: 8

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of college graduates who are gaining employment related to their major, according to a survey by Pipeliner: 27

Source: PMBC Group.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have no plan to shop on Black Friday this year, according to a poll conducted on behalf of Offers.com: 47

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of consumers who plan to shop at the same retailers as they did last year, according to the results of Price Grabber survey: 69

When asked why, percentage who said they would remain loyal to certain retailers because of good customer service: 70

Source: PriceGrabber.com.

Idle Thought

"A quiet conscience sleeps in thunder." -- English proverb

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