By The Numbers

iOriginal iProgramming

Marketplace Staff Sep 1, 2015
$200 billion

That’s about how much cash (likely more) is at Tim Cook’s disposal for spending at Apple. And according to new reports, one focus of expansion for the company will be original programming. As Variety reports, Apple has come under some criticism for allowing Netflix and other streaming services to completely dominate this corner of the market. 

6

According to new data from Deloitte, that’s how many stores on average consumers visit per week to buy groceries. Why so many trips? Habits developed by shoppers during the recession are sticking around. It’s how conscientious buyers like Susan Samtur found their way to couponing. And now, Samtur has made a career out of it.

$20

That’s how much Hubert Tang found on the ground outside San Francisco International Airport last week. If you’re already bored with this story, you should know that Tang used the money to buy two scratch-off lottery tickets in his hometown of Millbrae, California, one of which led to a $1 million prize. As the Associated Press writes, Tang could also still win $25,000 from the other ticket he purchased.

27 million

That’s how many Americans were contacted by collection agencies about an unpaid medical bill last year. But that number may soon come down. A new ruling by the Federal Communications Commission clarifies that collection agencies can “robo-call” someone on a cell, but only if that person consented to those calls for billing issues. That becomes tricky for companies making the calls if people change their number, especially if someone new takes over an old number. Faulty calls could cost debt collectors $1,500 in fines per call.

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