National 711 Day: A Practical Guide

July 11 is National 7-Eleven Day. For the past few years, the chain has been rewarding customers by giving them a free small Slurpee to celebrate. Free sounds good, doesn’t it? But even free comes at a cost. What if you live 20 miles from the nearest 7-Eleven. Is it...

Where is the Closest Firework Stand?

When you think about the 4th of July, fireworks likely play a part in your celebration and memories of the day. Unless you live in Massachusetts, fireworks are legal, to some degree, in the state you live in. Assuming you can buy fireworks, where would you most likely...

Santa’s Logistics Nightmare

We are all familiar with the supply chain and logistics issues that accompanied the pandemic, but few businesses have endured as much as Santa Claus. As you know, business is highly seasonal, with every customer – even those who purport to not believe in him –...

Looking for Love in All the Right Places

It’s the holiday season, and many Americans will get caught in the 24/7 marathon that is Hallmark Christmas movies. The premise of every movie is the same: small town girl comes home to save their family business and reunites with high school flame. In fact, last...

Jewish Population in Canada and the US

Hanukkah starts this week, and Jewish people across the world will celebrate the holy holiday. Jewish people represent less than 1% of the population in both the United States and Canada, but that can mean different things, as you can be ethnically Jewish, religiously...

Saving Hallmark Christmas Movies with Demographics

If you’ve seen one Hallmark movie, you’ve seen them all. Woman takes over struggling family business and after a high-powered businessman visits his family over Christmas in the same small, fictional New England town, the small business is saved with the help of the...