In honor of the arrival of Black Friday, here’s a few interesting facts about the wonderful world of holiday shopping:

• U.S. department stores hauled in $27.4 billion in December 2009, representing a 45 percent increase from the previous month. No other 2009 month-to-month increase in department store sales was greater.
• Fourteen percent of all department store sales last year came during the month of December.
• U.S. department store inventories increased by 21 percent from August 31, 2009 to November 30, 2009. Thanks to holiday shoppers, inventories plummeted by 23 percent in December.

These statistics and more can be found at the U.S. Census Bureau’s Service Sector Statistics website, and more newsworthy facts and numbers about the holiday season can be found over the Census Bureau’s Facts for Features and Special Editions website. Happy holidays!