Numbers everywhere (Source: Science & Society Library / Getty Images)
Note: In this new section, we’ll break down the week’s headlines by-the-numbers. (Like or dislike this new format? Let us know here).
- 1,035: Dollar General stores set to open in the US in 2021, ~⅓ of the total 3,597 large retail chain openings announced so far.
- $1.5k: The per-ton price of hot-rolled coil steel, 3x the 20-year average. (AKA not a steal).
- 5%: US iPhone users that have given apps permission to gather tracking data following the new iOS privacy update. Translation: 95% have not.
- 4: Tesla competitors (i.e., Audi, Ford, Volkswagen, and Lucid) that aired ads during Elon Musk’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance to show off their EV alternatives.
- 100: The number of pages from a leaked Walmart memo that highlight the company’s tenuous position in the grocery space as other retailers (e.g., Target, Albertsons) and new digital players (Instacart) encroach.
- 1,127: Shipping containers that have fallen into the sea so far in 2021, following an unfortunate 7-year high of 3.1k in 2020.
- 5.5k miles: The length of the Colonial Pipeline — hit with a cyber attack Friday — that delivers ~50% of the East Coast’s gas. Talk about putting all of our eggs in 1 basket.
- $16.7m: The potential price tag for Leonardo da Vinci’s “Head of a Bear” drawing. (Must be some head).
- +70%: The coming increase in pool chlorine prices this summer after a fire took out 1 of 3 major suppliers last year.