Figuratively Speaking

In 2019, percentage increase in the price index in the whimsical economic analysis by PNC Wealth Management based on the prices of gifts in the holiday classic "The Twelve Days of Christmas": 0.2

According to this year's survey, current price tag for these gifts: $38,993.59

Cost to a very thoughtful true love to buy the whole shebang from a single partridge to 12 drummers drumming for each verse (that's 364 separate pieces of Christmas joy): $170,298.03

Cost for nine ladies dancing: $7,552.84

Cost for 10 lords a-leaping: $10,000

Source: PNC Wealth Management.

Ranks of different environment, unfamiliar noises and working late on the list of the biggest causes of a restless night's sleep for those traveling, according to a global study commissioned by IHG Hotels and Resorts: 1, 2, 3

Percentage who stated they feel more tired when they are away from home: 67

To aid sleep, percentage who try listening to music: 48

Percentage who watch TV: 45

Source: IHG Hotels and Resorts.

Percentage of Americans who said they'd rather pay someone else to do jobs that cause them grief than do them themselves -- tasks like last-minute gift shopping -- according to the results of a survey by TaskRabbit, conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research: 29

Percentage who would hire somebody to untangle Christmas lights or jewelry: 27

Percentage who would hire somebody to wait in a long line, such as for a table at a popular restaurant: 35

Source: TaskRabbit.

Amount that shoppers expect to spend per household this holiday season, with the bulk of that going toward experiences and celebrations, according to Deloitte's 34th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends: $1,496

Average amount per household that will go to experiences and celebrations -- including entertaining at home, traveling and eating at restaurants: $596

Amount that will go to gifts: $511

Source: Deloitte.

Number of Americans who still have debt from last holiday season, according to a study by WalletHub: 35 million

Percentage of consumers who say they will spend less on holiday shopping this year than last year: 27

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of Americans who say they are willing to regift this holiday season, according to a survey by Bankrate.com: 24

Percentage who would buy used or secondhand items: 19

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage who have toys or games on their holiday shopping lists, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit Payments Ltd: 39

Percentage who will stuff their stockings with small electronics or gadgets: 38

When asked how they prefer to do their holiday shopping, percentage of consumers who said they prefer to shop both online and in-store: 63

Source: Splitit.

Percentage of Americans who say they begin their holiday shopping in September or earlier, according to research by RetailMeNot: 20

Percentage who say they have more budget for holiday season promotions than they did in 2018: 73

Ranks of big-box stores (e.g., Target, Walmart), e-commerce-focused retailers and department stores (e.g., Macy's, Kohl's) on the list of the top three places consumers plan to make a purchase this season: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.

When asked about preferences, should an airline offer a one-time loyal customer perk, percentage of travelers who selected an upgrade to first class as their first choice, according to research by GO Group LLC: 35

Percentage who selected the option for a discount on a future flight: 33

Ranks of more legroom, priority boarding and access to the airport lounge on the list of choices: 3, 4, 5

Source: GO Group LLC.

Percentage of consumers who want store associates to carry handheld mobile devices to provide customer service, according to iVend Retail: 84

Percentage increase over last year in "buy online, pickup in store" as a shipping selection: 30

Ranks of saving money on shipping charges and saving time on the list of the main motivators for this trend: 1, 2

Source: iVend Retail.

Percentage of online shoppers who often or always compare what they find on a brand or retail website to what's available on Amazon, according to Episerver: 68

Source: Episerver.

Idle Thought

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." -- J.R.R. Tolkien

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

This year, number of days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, compared to 32 days in 2018, making the peak shopping season almost a full week shorter year-over-year, according to research by RetailMeNot: 26

Percentage of shoppers who say the shortened time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas will impact their holiday shopping: 68

Ranks of earlier deal-seeking, product research and more stress about completing shopping on time on the list of the results of this shortened time frame: 1, 2, 3

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Number of U.S. adults who are planning holiday air travel and/or a hotel stay, according to a CreditCards.com report: 60 million

Percentage of holiday air travelers who will incur credit card debt as a result: 39

Amount the average Thanksgiving traveler will spend: $822

Among those planning to stay in hotels or short-term rentals, average expected expense for Thanksgiving: $536

Source: CreditCards.com.

Percentage of Americans who admit they have no idea how much 10,000 rewards points/miles are worth, according to a Bankrate.com report: 53

The correct range, which generally works out to between one or two cents per mile: $100 to $199

Percentage of Americans who know that: 18

Source: Bankrate.com.

Number of years ago that Apollo 11 carried NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon: 50

Percentage of people who can identify Neil Armstrong as the first person to walk on the moon (88% in the U.S., 87% in the U.K., 79% in China), according to a Harris Poll/LEGO survey conducted in the U.S., the U.K. and China: 85

Percentage of children ages 8 to 12 (from China 97%, the U.S. 88% and the U.K. 87%) who can envision a human going to Mars in the future: 91

Source: The LEGO Group.

Percentage of people responding to a survey conducted for Vrbo who cited stuffed animals as the most important thing their child brings with them on vacation: 55

Percentage who said their child has left a toy or stuffed animal behind while away from home: 69

If that happened, percentage of respondents who said they'd buy a duplicate and pretend it was the original: 48

Source: Vrbo.

Percentage of Americans who said they will be doing their holiday shopping around Christmas, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit Payments Ltd.: 33

Percentage who said Black Friday: 32

Percentage who said Cyber Monday: 26

Source: Splitit.

Percentage of consumers who turn to a retailer's website first for apparel shopping rather than Amazon (30%) or Google (29%) due to more complete content via the brand versus a marketplace or search engine, according to Episerver: 43

Rank of apparel on the list of categories most often researched in-store (25%) before making a purchase online: 1

Source: Episerver.

Ranks of promotions, discounts and free shipping on the list of ways consumers expect they'll be influenced this holiday season, according to Deloitte's annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of shoppers who prefer free shipping to fast shipping: 85

When defining "fast" shipping, percentage who said they expect to receive their item within two days: 67

Source: Deloitte.

Percentage of U.S. adults age 50 or older with a household income of $150,000 who say that they would like to have the option of relying on a family member if they needed long-term care, according to a Retirement Institute survey: 71

Percentage who said they would not expect help from a family member unless they were able to pay them: 70

Percentage who currently have long-term care insurance for themselves or someone else: 27

Source: Nationwide.

Percentage of employers who said their organizations will not be providing additional base salary increases to employees as a result of recent U.S. tax legislation, which cuts the corporate tax rate from as high as 35% to a flat rate of 21%, according to a survey of senior executives by Korn/Ferry: 86

Percentage who will be passing on the savings to shareholders via increased dividends: 32

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Idle Thought

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." -- Charles M. Schulz

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

Percentage of male business travelers who have been hungover during a meeting or presentation while on a business trip, compared to 14% of female business travelers, according to a "La Quinta Means Business" survey: 28

Percentage of business travelers who say they've missed a special event, such as birthdays or holidays, due to business travel: 81

Source: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.

Percentage of consumers who decided to return nondefective electronics early on, citing frustration and/or confusion during product unpackaging, installation and first use, according to the results of a study on consumer return behavior for nondefective electronics products by TechSee: 65

Percentage of consumers who agreed that they would return a product if they found it difficult to install: 54

Percentage who said they would also return it if they found it difficult to operate, suggesting customer support is a critical component in lowering no-fault-found returns: 70

Source: TechSee.

When asked why people choose not to cook more, percentage of respondents who said the biggest factor was not having enough time, according to the Cooking at Home Report by June: 45

While 35% of respondents had a set dinnertime growing up, percentage who have a set dinnertime now: 22

Source: June.

Percentage of parents who give a regular allowance, according to a study by RoosterMoney: 73

Average amount given for birthdays: $42

The most entrepreneurial age -- as they are the most likely to sell their own toys and clothes to boost income: 11

Average amount made per sale: $32

Source: RoosterMoney.

Percentage of people in a relationship who don't know core financial facts about their partner, according to a survey from Policygenius: 16

Overall, percentage of people who manage money separately from their partner: 22

Percentage who don't know their partner's credit score: 50

Percentage who have a secret credit card: 12

Percentage who have a secret checking account: 13

Source: Policygenius.

Percentage of Americans who say the reason for not planning to go into physical stores on Black Friday 2019 is that the stores are too busy, according to a survey by Genesys: 37

Percentage who say the price reductions are not worth the inconvenience: 25

Percentage of American men who are more interested in brick-and-mortar shopping, vs. 33% of women: 45

Source: Genesys.

Percentage more likely that women are than men to say they hide their phone to avoid using it during a meal (39 percent to 24 percent), according to survey commissioned by OpenTable: 15

Source: OpenTable Inc.

Ranks of a nice meal out, clothes and electronics on the list of purchases that consumers feel most guilty about, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Slickdeals: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of Americans who feel guilty when purchasing health products: 16

Percentage who reported feeling a pang of guilt when they buy alcoholic drinks: 33

Source: Slickdeals.

Of the 67% of parents who say they practice mindfulness with their children at home, percentage who say it's been beneficial, according to a survey ClassDojo conducted in the U.S., U.K. and Australia: 96

Ranks of improved handling of emotions, increased calm, happier and greater focus on the list of specific benefits gained by teaching mindfulness in school: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: ClassDojo.

Percentage of older adults who would prefer to live in their current home, according to research from Home Instead Inc.: 68

Percentage who have thought about age-friendly modifications: 64

Percentage of older adults who have taken time to consider the age-friendly features they will want in a new home: 85

Source: Home Instead Senior Care.

Idle Thought

"I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars." -- Walt Whitman, poet

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