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.)

Percentage of workers who say there are at least one or two people on their team who appear busy, but still fail to get the important jobs done, according to a study by VitalSmarts: 85

Percentage who say at least half of their team does this: 10

Percentage who say their manager does this: 40

Percentage of workers who say they have teammates who spend too much time on the wrong priorities: 91

Source: VitalSmarts.

Percentage of Americans who say the idea of being your own boss excites them most about owning a small business, according to a UPS Store survey: 57

Percentage who believe artificial intelligence, such as autonomous machines and 24/7 automated customer support, will be helpful for small businesses competing in the future: 64

Source: UPS Store.

Percentage of final-year medical residents who said they owe $150,000 or more in student loans, according to a report by Merritt, Hawkins and Associates: 51

Percentage of U.S. medical school graduates who owe $200,000 or more in student loans: 48

Source: Merritt, Hawkins and Associates.

Average amount of cash that an increasingly generous tooth fairy leaves per visit, according to the results from the latest Kids' Allowance Report by Rooster Money: $4.90

Latest average weekly allowance: $8.44

Source: RoosterMoney.

Estimated value of the pet industry, according to a study by Bigeye: $75 billion

Percentage of pet owners who say their pet influenced where they live: 34

Percentage who haven't used cannabidiol products on their pets who would consider trying it: 42

Percentage of owners who consider pets members of their families: 95

Source: Bigeye.

Percentage of employees who report they are not happy with their current salaries, according to a study commissioned by Spherion: 42

Percentage who say flexibility at work and other work-life balance programs and perks have decreased in the last year: 62

Percentage who feel their companies have put in more effort to retain them this year: 19

Percentage of employers who report being more worried this year about the talent shortage, citing finding qualified/skilled workers and turnover/retention as top concerns: 71

Source: Spherion.

Despite safety concerns, percentage of U.S. credit or debit card holders who say they have saved their card number online or in mobile apps, according to a study from Bankrate.com: 64

Percentage of respondents who think saving payment information on a website is somewhat safe (while 31% believe it's not very safe, and 17% think it's not safe at all): 44

Percentage of U.S. adults who signed up for a free trial who were later charged against their will: 59

Source: Bankrate.com.

Percentage of consumers who say they did not receive at least one package they ordered online in the past six months, according to a report from Clutch: 51

Among those who did not receive a package, percentage who say the package was stolen: 16

Source: Clutch.

Percentage of consumers who say they intend to go into physical stores on Black Friday this year, according to a survey by Genesys: 39

Of the 61% of U.S. consumers who do not plan to go into physical stores this year on Black Friday, percentage who say they simply "never" go: 33

Percentage who claim they used to go shopping on Black Friday but have stopped: 28

Source: Genesys.

Percentage of employees with co-workers who report that civility at work provides tangible upsides: 78

Percentage who report better work morale as a result: 40

Percentage who report increased loyalty to their employer: 40

Percentage who report better quality of work: 36

Source: Weber Shandwick.

Today, number of cancer survivors living in the U.S. -- a number that continues to grow -- according to the National Cancer Institute : 16.9 million

Percentage of Americans who believe that one day, a cancer diagnosis would no longer be something to fear, according to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America: 65

Percentage who feel that cancer is becoming a more treatable disease: 70

Source: APCO Worldwide.

Idle Thought

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." -- Bob Dylan, singer-songwriter

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