Percentage of American adults who have worked in a convenience store, gas station or corner store, according to a survey by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 16.6

Of that total, percentage who say that they learned a lot about how to work with people: 91

Percentage who say that the experience they gained was valuable: 86

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Percentage of Americans who confirm that appearance (i.e., not blemished or misshapen in any way) is at least somewhat important to them when shopping for fresh produce, with 43 percent saying it is very or extremely important, according to a Harris Poll: 81

Whether "ugly produce" or not, percentage rise in produce sales from August 2015 to July 2016: 5

Source: The Harris Poll.

Number of subscribers that Netflix expects to add in the third quarter, according to a survey by ReportLinker: 2.3 million

Percentage of these subscribers who still pay for cable or satellite TV: 63

Rank of Netflix as the most popular video-on-demand service, with 64 percent of all U.S. VOD subscribers: 1

Source: ReportLinker.

Percentage of Americans who are limiting their monthly spending to save more money, according to a new study by Bankrate.com: 65

Ranks of the need to save more money, stagnant income, worries about the economy and having too much debt on the list of the top reasons for regulating their funds: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Bankrate.com.

Among wealthy Americans (those with at least $3 million in assets), percentage who plan to make a real estate purchase within the next three years, according to a report from Luxury Portfolio International and YouGov: 25

Percentage who say that privacy is essential: 61

Percentage who say a master bedroom with a luxury en suite bathroom is a priority: 60

Percentage who say dual walk-in closets: 54

Source: YouGov.

In the last two years, percentage growth in the wellness industry -- from a $3.36 trillion market in 2013 to $3.72 trillion in 2015, according to the 2016 Global Wellness Economy Monitor: 10.6

Over that same period, percentage that the global economy/GDP has shrunk: 3.6

Ranks of preventative/personalized medicine and public health, fitness and mind-body, wellness lifestyle real estate, wellness tourism, and healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss on the list of the fastest growing wellness markets from 2013 to 2015: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Percentage of email marketers who say brand building and engagement is their primary goal for email marketing, according to a survey conducted by Clutch: 47

Percentage of email marketers who named subscriber list growth the most important email metric to track: 75

Source: Clutch.

While parents recognize the undeniable role of technology in their kids' lives, percentage who say they need a road map to help navigate tech usage on a day-to-day basis, according to a survey from Sprout: 92

Percentage of parents who feel judged by other parents over their kids' screen time: 59

Percentage who say they've argued with their kids about screen time: 62

Source: Sprout.

Amount of cheese the nations of the European Union combine to produce annually, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 9.6 metric tons

Amount produced in the United States, matching that of the combined second to fourth place producers -- Germany, France and Italy: 5.4 metric tons

America's annual cheese consumption average per capita: 36 pounds

Percentage of this figure that is accounted for by mozzarella: 32

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of American workers who rate the nation's health care system as poor or fair, according to the 2016 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey conducted by EBRI and Greenwald and Associates: 60

Percentage who rate it as good or excellent: 15

Percentage of respondents who are extremely or very satisfied with the cost of their own health insurance plan: 17

Source: EBRI.

Idle Thought

"You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments or publicity." -- Thomas Wolfe, novelist

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

Of the nearly 159 million civilian workers in the United States, percentage who work at least one day per week at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 4.5

Of these, percentage who report working while in their pajamas: 30

Estimated percentage of those working exclusively in their homes who are self-employed: 50

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who call Halloween their favorite holiday, according to a survey conducted by Edelman Intelligence: 25

Number of times more likely that Americans are to see Halloween ensembles inspired by Pokemon GO characters than by the election: 1.5

Percentage of people who want their outfit to make them look scary: 28

Source: Edelman.

Estimated number of U.S. adults who have had their identities stolen, according to a new Bankrate.com report: 41 million

Number of Americans who know someone affected by identity theft: 49 million

Percentage of people who put themselves in harm's way by failing to regularly check their credit reports: 42

Percentage who say their online account passwords are all or mostly the same: 28

Source: Bankrate.com.

Rank of Chase Sapphire Reserve on the list of travel cards with the best initial bonus -- $1,500 in travel bookings by spending $4,000 in the first three months; $300 annual travel credit; $450 annual fee, according to WalletHub's selections for Winter 2016's Best Travel Credit Cards: 1

Rank of the Barclaycard Arrival Plus for the best all-around travel rewards -- $525 travel statement credit for spending $3,000 in the first three months; 2.1 percent back on all purchases when you redeem for travel; no annual fee in the first year ($89 thereafter): 1

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of workers who are very confident or somewhat confident that the Social Security system will continue to provide benefits of at least equal value to the benefits received by retirees today, according to EBRI's annual Retirement Confidence Survey: 39

Percentage of workers who are not at all confident that future Social Security benefits will match or exceed the value of today's benefits: 32

Percentage of today's workers who expect Social Security to be a major source of income in retirement: 35

Source: EBRI.

Percentage of employees with smartphones who say it's decreasing their productivity at work, according to a CareerBuilder Survey: 10

Percentage who say they use it (at least) several times a day while working: 66

Ranks of cellphone/texting, internet and gossip on the list of the biggest productivity killers in the workplace, as cited by employers: 1, 2, 3

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Projected spending on Halloween costumes this year, according to the annual review of popular Halloween costumes conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics: $3.1 billion

Estimated number of people who are expected to take part in Halloween festivities, spending an average of $82.93 (up from last year's $74.34) apiece: 171 million

Ranks of action/superhero, princess, animal (cat, dog, lion, monkey, etc.), Batman character and Star Wars character on the list of the most popular costumes this year for children: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Edelman.

When it comes to receiving or giving a gift, percentage of Americans who say that a personalized, hand-written note helps to make the gift stand out, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Cramer-Krasselt: 58

Percentage who also believe that the quality of the presentation and the quality of gift wrapping is a major factor in helping make a gift special: 44

Percentage who say the same about the ribbon used: 38

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of Americans who believe themselves knowledgeable about energy issues, including sources of electrical power and energy efficiency, according to results of a Harris Poll: 62

Percentage who have looked to upgrade their knowledge in this particular area by conducting a home energy evaluation or audit: 11

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans who said their purchases start with mobile shopping more than one-quarter to half of the time, according to a Nielsen's report: 37

Percentage of smartphone shoppers who research an item before purchasing it: 72

Percentage who use a store locator to find a store where they can buy their desired product of choice: 60

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

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, poet

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

Century in which the world's longest running litigation ("Pleitos Colombinos," or the Columbian Lawsuits) was initiated, according to the Voelker Litigation Group: 16th

Percentage that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain agreed in writing to give Christopher Columbus and his heirs (in addition to promised land grants, extravagant titles and untold potential powers in the New World) of all the wealth he discovered and claimed for the crown on his voyages made on their behalf: 10

Value of this contract in today's currency, making the Columbus family one of -- if not the -- wealthiest in recorded history: $100 trillion

Source: Voelker Litigation Group.

Percentage of employees who said their personal principal driver at work was pay/financial rewards, according to the Pew Research Center: 3

Percentage who cited that their primary driver was work that has purpose and meaning: 73

Percentage of executives who agreed that there is a long-term financial benefit to companies that make strong commitments to purpose-driven leadership, according to a Korn Ferry survey: 70

Source: Korn/Ferry International.

Estimated number of Americans who would be "very likely" to volunteer for a potential mission to Mars in the next 10 years, according to an Ipsos poll: 30 million

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of managers who say mobile technology makes it hard to switch off from work, according to CMI's Quality of Working Life report: 61

As a solution, percentage of managers who want their organization to restrict out-of-hours access to work email: 39

Source: Global Wellness Institute.

Year that a student manager at Cumberland College of Lebanon, Tennessee, which had dropped its football team after 1915, gathered a makeshift team of fraternity brothers to take the field against Georgia Tech to avoid Cumberland having to pay a significant fine for not showing up, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1916

Number of first downs registered: 0

Final score in a Georgia Tech victory and college football's greatest rout: 222-0

Today, of the nearly 4,700 colleges and universities across the nation, number that have football programs rather more prepared than Cumberland 100 years ago: 770

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of all working parents who say that balancing work and family is difficult, according to the Pew Research Center: 56

Among working mothers, percentage who report that being a parent has made it harder for them to advance in their careers: 41

Percentage of working fathers who say the same: 20

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Percentage of consumers who want to set good examples for their families by eating healthier, according to a Nielsen survey: 41

Regardless of price, percentage of consumers who are willing to pay more if it equals a healthier choice: 55

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of Americans, and nearly all millennial parents (92 percent), who feel that K-12 public school students should be able to choose tuition-free online learning options to meet a student's learning needs, according to research by Connections Education: 76

Percentage of millennial parents who have or know a child in online public school: 35

Percentage of millennial parents who agree that online schools have the potential to personalize education: 81

Percentage of millennial parents who are supportive of alternative approaches to education: 77

Source: Connections Education.

Projected total U.S. retail sales of natural and organic foods and beverages through all retail channels by the end of 2016, an 11 percent gain over 2015 sales and 32 percent higher than sales five years earlier, according to Packaged Facts: $69 billion

Projected percentage growth in the retail market for natural and organic foods and beverages between 2016 and 2021: 70

Source: Packaged Facts.

Percentage of organizations who report having a data breach response plan (up from 61 percent in 2013), according to the Ponemon Institute's Fourth Annual Data Breach Preparedness study: 86

Percentage of organizations who are confident in their ability to minimize the financial and reputational consequences of a material data breach: 27

Source: Edelman.

Idle Thought

"Would the boy you were be proud of the man you are?" -- Laurence J. Peter, educator and author

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