The Numbers Behind All That Holiday Shopping

Ho, ho,ho.  It's the holidays and bells aren't the only things ringing.  So are the cash registers.    Just how much do we spend on the holidays?  Alot! 

Eight hundred and seventy three  billion dollars is how much the total holiday retail sales are expected to be this year, according to Newsweek.  All those sales means extra sales people, with an estimated 500,000 seasonal workers hired for the holidays.  $704 is the average amount shoppers plan to spend on gifts this season.  Not everybody waits until December to get their shopping underway.  12%  started their shopping before September.  (not me)  It's predicted 30 million IPhones will be sold for the holidays.  Are we going to spend more than last year?  Analysts think so, with  a 3% increase in sales predicted.  Will you be spending more this year or have you decided to cut back a bit?