In 2018, amount that Amazon paid in federal income taxes on profits of over $11 billion, according to the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy: 0
Percentage slash in the federal corporate tax as a result of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (35 percent to 21 percent): 14
Source: ITEP.
Grade level proficiency at which the average American reads, according to the National Adult Literacy Survey: 8
Number of the largest credit card providers that were analyzed in Visible Thread's report: 50
Percentage of the "terms and conditions" of these credit cards that require a college education to be understood: 90
Out of 50 sets of terms, number that is regarded as easier to read than "Moby Dick": 1
Source: VisibleThread.
Percentage of American adults who would rather wait all day at the DMV to renew their license than file their taxes, according to the survey by Toluna on behalf of TaxSlayer: 24
Percentage who would go without caffeine for a month: 24
Percentage of respondents who would take a road trip with their in-laws and no radio: 20
Percentage who would get a root canal instead of filing their taxes: 16
Source: TaxSlayer.
In 2018, national average cost of a wedding, according to findings from The Knot's 2018 Real Weddings study: $33,931.
Average cost of libations per wedding: $2,564
Average catering cost per guest: $70
Average wedding gown cost: $1,631
Average number of guests: 136
Source: The Knot.
Average monetary payout by the tooth fairy per tooth, according to the Original Tooth Fairy Poll sponsored by Delta Dental: $3.70
In homes that the Tooth Fairy visits, percentage of parents who say they give their child at least $5.00 or more: 37
Average payout for a first tooth ($1.26 above the average for subsequent teeth lost): $4.96
Source: Delta Dental.
Percentage of global shoppers who are using smartphones to research products while in a store, according to the 2019 Global Shopping Trends survey: 86
Percentage who browse online before going into a store to make a purchase: 93
Source: iVend Retail.
Amount lost by U.S. non-grocery retailers in revenues due to markdowns in 2018, equivalent to 12 percent of their total sales, according to the results of a U.S. retailer survey by Celect: $300 billion
Percentage of unplanned markdown costs that are caused by inventory misjudgments, including overbuying, buying the wrong type of product or misallocating inventory: 53
Source: Celect.
Percentage of all organic consumers who say they're open to any kind of organic product, according to a survey by Earthbound Farm: 48
Percentage of people with kids at home who are likely to buy organic (vs. 41 percent of respondents without kids): 52
Source: Earthbound Farm.
Ranks of a garage, a master bedroom with a suite and a main-floor bathroom on the list of features homebuyers want most, according to a poll conducted by Zolo Realty: 1, 2, 3
Percentage of respondents who said they preferred a three-bedroom home: 38
Percentage who wanted two bathrooms in the home: 57
Source: Zolo Realty.
Percentage of hiring managers who plan to increase their use of staffing firms over the next five years, according to research from CareerBuilder, Inavero and the American Staffing Association: 54
Ranks of candidates with the right skills, time to hire and budget on the list of the top pain points in the recruitment process as cited by hiring managers: 1, 2, 3
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
Idle Thought
"The most part of all princes have more delight in warlike manners and feats of chivalry than in the good feats of peace." -- Sir Thomas More
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)