Percentage of consumers who plan to shop end-of-year sales after the holidays, according to a RetailMeNot.com survey: 79
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Percentage of consumers who plan to buy gifts for themselves during end-of-year sales: 50
Percentage of consumers who have purchased a gift for themselves because no one got it for them for the holidays: 35
Source: RetailMeNot.com.
Estimated amount of money that Warren Buffett made per day in 2013, according to calculations by Wealth-X, making him the billionaire who made the most money this year: $37 million
With a gain of $12.7 billion in 2013, the estimated value of Buffett's net worth: $59.1 billion
Source: Wealth-X.
Percentage of U.S. adults who have some type of goal they would like to achieve in the new year, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Strayer University: 93
Percentage who have health-related goals, such as being more active, eating more healthily or getting more sleep: 54
Percentage who have a socially oriented goal: 37
Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.
Weight of New York's famous Waterford crystal ball that begins its descent on New Year's Eve, according to the Times Square Visitors Center: 11,875 pounds
Diameter of the geodesic sphere: 12 feet
Number of Waterford crystal triangles that make up the ball, varying in length from 4 3/4 inches to 5 3/4 inches per side: 2,688
Number of Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs (light emitting diodes) that illuminate the ball -- evenly divided among the colors red, blue, green and white: 32,256
Estimated number of colors, along with billions of patterns, produced by the ball to create a kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square: 16 million
Source: Times Square Visitors Center.
Percentage of neckties sold annually that are Christmas gifts, according to the Census Bureau: 20
Today in the U.S., estimated value of the necktie-making business per year: $390 million
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
Percentage of women who claimed they had better sex with a partner while he had new facial hair from partaking in "Movember," a month-long mustache-growing event held each November to raise awareness for men's health issues, according to a survey by Durex: 45
Percentage of women who stated their partner is more adventurous with his mustache: 27
Source: Durex.
Ranks of Charlotte, Amelia, Olivia, Ava and Aria on the list of babyname.com's top baby names for girls in 2013: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Ranks of Liam, Noah, Oliver, Aiden and Asher on the list of the top baby names for boys in 2013: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: BabyNames.com.
When people were asked if they would rather give a gift with a $25 value, a gift certificate with a $25 value or $25 in cash, percentage who chose the gift certificate, according to a survey by Saint Leo University Polling Institute: 39
Percentage who said they prefer to select a gift: 24
Percentage who said they would prefer to give cash: 24
When it comes to receiving a gift, percentage of people who would prefer receiving $25 in cash: 41
Source: Saint Leo University Polling Institute.
When returning a gift, percentage of respondents who said they always or sometimes buy something else to replace the returned item, according to the Alliance Data Retail Services holiday habits survey: 93
Percentage who return gifts within a day or so: 16
Percentage who take three to eight months: 12
Source: Alliance Data Retail Services.
Ranks of a side dish, dessert, drinks, paper products and main dish on the list of items guests are requested to bring to a party, according to an American Express survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Source: American Express.
Idle Thought
"You've got to have something to eat and a little love in your life before you can hold still for any damn body's sermon on how to behave." -- Billie Holiday
(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)