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By The Numbers

Toasters for Mother’s Day, and beyond

Beidi Zhang May 8, 2015
$7 billion

 

This is the size of the kitchen electrics industry. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, people rushing to grab a last-minute gift will often head to the kitchen appliance section in their local mall. But those appliances aren’t just for mom. People, in general, are using new products, buying classic ones, devouring cookbooks and browsing food blogs. This is part of a bigger trend of Americans cooking at home more often. 

 

223,000

 

That’s how many jobs the U.S. economy added in the month of April, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics. That number is right in line with most economists’ estimates, according to Jay Bryson at Wells Fargo Securities. The employment rate is even rosier, at 5.4 percent, a seven-year low.

 

$3.6 billion

 

This is how much Whole Foods reported in earnings in its second quarter. The retail chain is sometimes mockingly labeled “Whole Paycheck,” says food analyst Darren Seifer, due to the expensive food items it offers. Now the grocery store is planning a spinoff that’s “aimed at millennials,” says a company rep. The new sister chain will be more affordable and more accessible for younger consumers wishing to buy organic. 

 

$100

 

This is how much nail salon owners charge each new employee for his/her job, according to the New York Times. In this investigative report, manicurists, mostly immigrants, are routinely exploited by their employers. In addition, they also often work long hours and endure abuse, according to the article.

 

$8 billion

 

On Monday, the Eurozone Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem is deciding whether to release this amount in bailout funds to Greece. Greece’s creditors have made their demands clear: before Athens receives any more cash, the government must toe the line on austerity. But the Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis says this plan would push the country further in debt.   

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