Posted on: Sunday, November 30, 2008
Brown bag that lunch and save money
By John MacIntyre
Average amount of daily money that can be saved per person by brown-bagging a lunch, according to Oscar Mayer's Brown Bag Barometer: $3
Estimated amount that can be saved per month by a family of four: $260
Rank of sandwiches (41 percent) and leftovers (32 percent) as the most popular items in the bag: 1, 2
SUBLIMINAL GIFT GIVING
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 conducted by Zoomerang for Remington products: 68%
Percentage who admit that's why they've picked particular products: 41%
ONLINE SHOPPING
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%
FEELING LEFT OUT
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%
A GREEN CHRISTMAS
Percentage of consumers who plan to 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, to conserve paper: 21%
ENGAGING EMPLOYEES
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 — in comparison 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 earnings-per-share growth in companies with high employee engagement: 28%
PLAYING GAMES
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 video games in the past two years: 32
SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP
Percentage of holiday shoppers who say they begin shopping before Thanksgiving, according to 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%
GIFT CARD HEAVEN
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 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%
ETHANOL ISSUES
Percentage of Americans who initially say they support existing policies 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
IDLE THOUGHT
"Alas, after a certain age every man is responsible for his face."
— Albert Camus, writer and philosopher
