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Almost half of all shoppers will do this during the Christmas season
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Shoppers fill up a LUSH cosmetic store while doing last-minute shopping at City Creek Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Dec. 23, 2016. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News special workflow
Published: Dec 6, 2017, 3:39 AM
Americans definitely have a knack for waiting until the last minute for their holiday shopping.

A new report from RetailMeNot found that close to 46 percent of Americans finish their holiday shopping during the week before Christmas or even later.

The report also found that 87 percent of Americans visit physical stores for their holiday shopping, visiting (on average) seven times in the 31 days of December. About one-third of people tend to visit physical stores 10 times during the month.

Americans spend $482 on average for their Christmas gifts. Breaking it down, the report found Americans will spend $330 on children, $196 on their significant others, $105 on their parents, $90 on siblings and $57 on best friends.

So what gifts do American want this year? Fifty-three percent hope to buy clothes or shoes, while 51 percent are hoping to buy electronics like iPhone 8 and the Google Home assistant. Meanwhile, 32 percent are searching for toys like Hatchimals Surprise and Nerf Rival Nemesis toys.

According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are likely to spend $967 on average for the holidays, which is higher than RetailMeNots $482 average.

The federation estimates Americans will spend $608 on gifts alone, with $218 spent on candy, food and decorations. Consumers will spend an additional $141 on non-gift purchases for themselves and their families, too.

Holiday sales are expected to climb this year between 3.6 and 4 percent, the federation report found. In total, experts estimate Americans will spend somewhere between $682 billion $678.75 billion on the holidays, which is up from $655.8 billion last year.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.