The Numbers for Monday, November 11: Good news for consumers

$6 billion

The amount of money the United States Post Office expects to lose this year, a loss they hope to reduce after inking a new deal with Amazon to start offering package delivery on Sundays. The partnership will start its service in New York and Los Angeles but Amazon expects to roll out the program in more cities next year. (Marketplace)

8

The time of day (p.m.) on Thanksgiving when Target will open its doors to shoppers looking to get a head start on Black Friday deals. The new opening time is an hour earlier than last year, and will see the stores remaining open until 11 p.m. the following day. How many bargain-hunters will use this as an excuse to skip out on Turkey Day dish-duty? (Yahoo! Finance)

$1,000

The amount of cash per employee that “patent trolls” have demanded from small businesses simply for using everyday office equipment the patent licensing companies claim they hold patents for. The Senate Commerce Committee held talks last week on a bill aimed at curbing patent troll practices, including this method of sending thousands of letters not to manufacturers, but their consumers, demanding they pay up for using the disputed technologies. (Ars Technica)