HOLIDAY PACKAGES

Over 20 billion
The number of cards, letters and packages that the U.S. Postal Service delivered during the holidays last year. It expects that number to rise this year. (Source: USPS)

Over 340 million
The number of packages that UPS (United Parcel Service Inc.) expects to deliver between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Last year, it delivered slightly over 300 million packages during the same period. (Source: UPS)

December 21, 2004
The day that's expected to be the most hectic for UPS, with about 20 million air and ground packages. According to UPS, this is equivalent to 230 packages per second or 6 million-plus packages more than the delivery volume for an average day. (Source: UPS)

December 22, 2004
The peak day for air packages, with a projected global volume of around 5 million or 2.5 times the delivery volume for a typical day. (Source: UPS)

CONSUMER SPENDING

$702.03
The amount that the average consumer plans to spend on the holidays this year, up 4.5% over last year. Average consumers intend to spend most of that on gifts for family ($406.52) and friends ($71.29). Consumers will also spend $22.12 on co-workers and $41.10 on other people, including babysitters, teachers and clergy. Additionally, that budget will go toward other purchases, such as decorations ($35.91), greeting cards and postage ($25.22), candy and food ($83.77) and flowers ($16.10). (Source: National Retail Federation 2004 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch for NRF).

4.5
The projected percentage growth of holiday retail sales over last year. This is slightly down from last year's growth rate of 5.2%. Sales in the holiday season account for about 23% of annual retail sales. (Source: National Retail Federation)

20
The projected percentage growth of online holiday sales over last year. It's expected to hit $13.2 billion. Last year's growth rate was an even more robust 31%. (Source: Forrester Research)

32
The percentage of consumers who plan to do more of their holiday shopping online this year. (Source: 2004 Shop.org/BizRate.com Online Holiday Mood Study)

$220 billion
Total projected spending by consumers this year across all retail channels, including stores, catalogs, and e-commerce. (Source: NRF)

63
The percentage of consumers who said that higher gasoline and oil prices would not put a dent on their overall holiday gift expenditures. (Source: nationwide survey commissioned by the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS, a leading financial firm).

HOLIDAY RUSH

$265.15
The amount that the average shopper spent during the weekend after Thanksgiving this year. Total weekend spending reached $22.8 billion. (Source: NRF survey conducted by BIGresearch)

23
Percentage by which U.S. department stores (not including leased departments) increased their inventories between the end of August and the end of November 2003. After the throngs of holiday shoppers, inventories dropped by 24% in the final month of the year. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

1.8 million
The number of people employed at department stores in December last year. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

14
The percentage of total 2003 sales for department stores (including leased departments) that took place in December. For jewelry stores, the percentage was 24%. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Friday, November 28th
Top shopping day of 2003. The second and third busiest shopping days were Saturday, December 20th, and Friday, December 26th. (Source: International Council of Shopping Centers)

GIFTS

43.3
The percentage of shoppers who plan to purchase toys this year. (Source: NRF 2004 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch for NRF).

Barbie
The most sought-after toy for girls, according to an NRF survey, which polled over 7,300 consumers. Other toys that consumers plan to buy for girls (in descending order) include Bratz dolls, video games, Leap Frog, Dora the Explorer, Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids. (Source: NRF)

Video Games
The hottest toy for boys. Other toys on consumers' list of must-buys for boys (in descending order) include Spiderman merchandise, remote control toys, cars, trucks and Hot Wheels. (Source: NRF)

179
The number of establishments in the U.S. that primarily manufactured dolls and stuffed toys in 2001. They employed 2,271 people. California had the most such locations with 29. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

779
The number of locations that primarily produced games, toys and children's vehicles in 2001. They employed 21,644 workers. California, with 117 such establishments, led all states. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

DECORATING

November 1, 2004
The day that most malls begin decorating for the holidays (Source: ICSC)

$312 million
The value of Christmas tree ornaments shipped from China (the leading country of origin for such items) to the U.S. between January and July 2004. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

$521 million
The amount Christmas tree farmers in the U.S. received from tree sales last year. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau)

Sources:

Carriers Gear Up for Strong Holiday Season
Melissa Campanelli
DMNews, November 22, 2004
dmnews.com/cgi-bin/artprevbot.cgi?article_id=31101

Facts for Features: The Holiday Season
U.S. Census Bureau
www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/002997.html

Consumers Making a List, Checking it Twice…and Including Themselves
National Retail Federation
Press Release, October 20, 2004
www.nrf.com/content/default.asp?folder=press/release2004&file=holiday1004.htm&bhcp=1

ICSC Holiday Fun Facts 2004
International Council of Shopping Centers
holiday.icsc.org

The Season to Shop: Consumers to Spend $703 on Holiday Gifts
International Council of Shopping Centers
holiday.icsc.org

Online Holiday Shopping Off to Strong Start
Jennifer LeClaire
E-Commerce Times, November 29, 2004
www.ecommercetimes.com/story/38476.html

NRF Anticipates Solid Holiday Growth
National Retail Federation
Press Release, September 22, 2004
www.nrf.com/content/default.asp?folder=press/release2004&file=forecast0904.htm&bhcp=1

E-tailers No Longer Holiday Upstarts
Roland Jones
MSNBC, November 15, 2004
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6491865/

Top Toys: Barbie Beats Bratz for Girls, Video Games Rule for Boys
National Retail Federation
Press Release, November 16, 2004
www.nrf.com/content/default.asp?folder=press/release2004&file=toptoys1104.htm&bhcp=1

Safe, Secure Holiday Shopping
Jennifer LeClaire
E-Commerce Times, November 30, 2004
www.ecommercetimes.com/story/38333.html

Fast Stats: Online Shopping Snowballs for the Holidays
Red Herring, November 13, 2004
www.redherring.com

UPS and The UPS Store Gear up for the Holiday Rush; More Than 340 Million Packages Expected During Peak Season
Quote.com, November 9, 2004
finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?symbols=NYSE:UPS&story=200411091500_BWR__BW5635

Top Ten Holiday Shopping Days
International Council of Shopping Centers
holiday.icsc.org