Plus: Top Office Annoyances and a Tour Inside the International Space Station.

Last Sunday, we scarfed buffalo wings and nachos. This Sunday, we trade them in for heart-shaped chocolates.

Seven out of 10 consumers are planning Valentine’s Day purchases this year, a recent survey by ICR/International Communications Research concluded.

In total, according to the latest annual survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF), Valentine’s Day this year is expected to generate $14.1 billion in retail sales in the United States. The figure is down from last year’s $14.7 billion, as many consumers are choosing not to spend money on Valentine’s Day this year.

Among those celebrating in 2010, the average consumer is expected to spend $103 on Valentine’s Day gifts, meals and entertainment, according to the NRF survey, up about 50 cents per person from 2009. As in previous years, men will likely spend nearly twice the amount women spend on the holiday. The average man plans to spend $135.35 on the special people in his life, while the average woman is expected to spend $72.28.

The top gifts expected from men for the holiday this year: flowers, greeting cards, candy and an evening out. The most popular gifts from women: greeting cards, candy and an evening out.

Some other Valentine’s Day-related facts and figures:

$403 Million
Combined wholesale value of domestically-produced cut flowers in 2008 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales; California led the nation, accounting for about three-quarters of the total ($314 million)
(Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service)

$24 Million
Combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut roses in 2008 for all operations with $100,000 or more in sales
(Ibid.)

19,759
Number of florists nationwide in 2007, employing 93,779 people, who will be especially busy preparing, selling and delivering floral arrangements for Valentine’s Day
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 County Business Patterns)

12,765
Number of people employed by the 132 greeting-card publishing establishments in 2006
(Source: 2006 County Business Patterns)

1,233
Number of locations producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2007, employing 38,794 people; California led the nation with 143, followed by Pennsylvania with 115
(Source: 2007 County Business Patterns)

466
Number of locations producing non-chocolate confectionary products in 2007, employing 18,250 people
(Ibid.)

$14.4 Billion
Total value of shipments for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2007, while non-chocolate confectionery product manufacturing was a $5.6 billion industry
(Source: Ibid.)

23.8 Lbs.
Per-capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2008
(Source: Current Industrial Reports)

13,591
Number of cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfume stores nationwide in 2006
(Source: County Business Patterns: 2006)

1,753
Number of jewelry manufacturing establishments in the U.S. in 2007
(Source: 2007 County Business Patterns)

$2.2 Billion
Value of merchandise sales at jewelry stores in February 2009
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau’s Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services)

27,484
Number of jewelry stores in the U.S. in 2007; 15.5 percent of consumers are expected to purchase necklaces, earrings and other timeless pieces for their loved ones this Valentine’s Day
(Sources: 2007 County Business Patterns and NRF’s 2010 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey)

Credit: someecards.com

What’s Worse: Slow Computers or Gossip in the Restroom?
Based on responses from 1,836 people, Opinium research has found that nearly two-thirds of workers say their stress levels had risen due to daily office irritations and one in 10 had left a job because of them.

According to Reuters, the survey found the top office annoyances include:

• Grumpy or moody colleagues;
• Slow computers;
• Gossip in the office;
• Poor toilet etiquette; and
• The use of office jargon or management-speak.

As far as office jargon goes, some perennially trite phrases still annoying workers everywhere include, “Think outside the box,” “Push the envelope,” “Let’s touch base” and “Bring your A-game.” Others among the top 10 most annoying jargon-y terms:

• Blue-sky thinking;
• Blamestorming;
• Drill down to a more granular level;
• Let’s not throw pies in the dark; and
• I’ve got that on my radar.

Is your workplace driving you nuts? Will you throw a stapler if you have to hear the same stale office-speak one more time? You’re not alone.

International Space Station Tour
The space shuttle Endeavour successfully launched on Monday in the space shuttle program’s last scheduled night launch, for the first of five final missions before NASA retires the shuttle at the end of 2010.

Credit: NASA

Endeavour and its crew are now at the International Space Station (ISS), delivering supplies and helping install the new Tranquility node, a pressurized module that will provide additional room for crew members as well as house many of the station’s life-support and environmental control systems.

Take a high-definition tour of the ISS below:

Cheers.