-
Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Jun 16, 2017
June 16, 2017
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Father's Day:
Filling a need: The National Retail Federation says Americans will spend more than ever on Father's Day this year --which is good news for dear old Dad! The record-high $15.5 billion dollars spent on the old guy is up from last year's previous record of $14.3 billion. Father's Day shoppers are expected to spend an average of $134.75 on Dad, up from last year's $125.92.
48 percent of folks plan to shell out for a dinner, brunch or other types of a "fun activity/experience," while clothing and gift cards are a close second and third (46 and 42 percent, respectively).
It must be noted, however, that people spent 50-percent more on Mom ($23.6 billion) this year, so we know who the *real* household favorite is!
Twenty-one percent of people plan to give dad something electronic and nearly everybody will pop for a card for Dad as well. Other popular (but less frequently given) gifts include personal care, automotive accessories, books, music, home improvement/gardening supplies and sporting goods.
Broken down, the gift categories look like this:
--Greeting card(s) 64.3 percent
--Special outing such as dinner or brunch 48.0 percent
--Clothing 46.1 percent
--Gift Certificates/Gift Cards 42.6 percent
--Books or CDs 23.9 percent
--Consumer electronics or computer related gifts 21.2 percent
--Personal Care 20.9 percent
--Sporting goods or leisure items 16.7 percent
--Tools or appliances 16.3 percent
--Home improvement or gardening supplies 16.2 percent
--Automotive Accessories 16.1 percent
--Other 17.1 percentOn, off and way-off-Broadway:
BETTE MIDLER is going to leave the Broadway revival of "Hello Dolly," eventually. But, who could possibly replace her? The Confidential gossip column in the New York Daily News says there are rumors about either CHER or NATHAN LANE in drag taking over for the Divine Miss M! DONNA MURPHY has already started playing the lead Tuesday nights, which leaves Bette doing seven shows a week, including the matinees. (Marino)
Stupid people, stupid places:
This survey will make you weep for humanity. According to a new survey, seven percent of American adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. That's about 16.4 million people.
Not sure if it's gotten any better, but back in the early 90's, one in five people didn't know that hamburger came from cows and was beef. More than half the people surveyed didn't know that pickles were cucumbers or that onions and lettuce were plants. Oy vey. (Myers)Human Nature:
Your smartphone use could be making your toddler throw a tantrum. A new study suggests that young children whose parents interrupt family time by pulling out their smartphones or tablets appear more prone to misbehavior, such as whining, sulking and tantrums. WebMD.com says "techno-ference"-- when our devices interfere with family time-- could be making small children feel ignored or snubbed. Since they don't know how to express those feelings, they act out a little more. Techno-ference includes checking phone messages during meals, playtime or routine activities with their kids. In a survey about half of parents said technology typically interrupted their parent-child time three or more times a day, with 24 percent reporting twice a day and 17 percent reporting once a day. And moms perceived their phone use as more problematic than dads did. (Bartha)
-
-