Don't forget the Grandparents!

Sept. 9 was National Grandparents Day this year, but it's always a good time to target this potentially lucrative market for kids products. The average age of first-time grandparents is 47 — putting them squarely in the middle of the baby boom generation. According to Census Bureau figures, the boomer generation controls nearly 75% of the country's personal wealth and in 2006, boomers were responsible for more than $1 trillion in consumer spending. Many of them are called Grandmother — or Granddad — and they're spending some of that $1 trillion on their grandkids.

• Grandparents spend $27.5 billion a year on their grandkids.

• It is estimated that grandparents account for almost 17% of toy sales in the U.S., with the 55–64 age group spending more per capita on toys than the 25–44 age group.

• Fifty-nine percent of grandparents have grandchildren in the 8–12 age group; 57% have grandkids ages 4–7.

• 5.7 million grandparents have grandchildren younger than 18 living with them.

• About 43% of all grandparents provide food, shelter and clothing for their grandchildren.

Employment: Looking forward

Teetering slightly between 4.4% and 4.6%, the unemployment rate has held reasonably steady for the last twelve months.

U.S. employers plan to maintain a stable, yet cautious approach toward hiring in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook survey. Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed by Milwaukee, Wis.-based Manpower, 27% expect to increase their payrolls during the fourth quarter of 2007, while 9% expect to trim their work forces. Fifty-eight percent expect no change in the hiring pace, and 6% are undecided about their hiring plans.

The hiring outlook for the fourth quarter varies most significantly by region. Job prospects are strong in the West and considerably fragile in the Northeast for the second consecutive quarter. Compared with a year ago, employers in the Northeast and South are less optimistic about job prospects. The West has maintained a stable and healthy hiring forecast throughout the last year. The Midwest has remained relatively stable since the second quarter of 2004.

Looking at quarter-over-quarter comparisons, the seasonally adjusted survey shows employers in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West expect hiring to remain stable for the final months of 2007.

Unemployment rates

More unemployment data available online

Unemployment rates and their effects vary across the nation. In July, the most recent month for which data are available, rates ranged from a low of 1.5% in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to a high of 20.2% in El Centro, Calif.

Go to www.kidstodayonline.com to see a table showing unemployment rates for each of the 50 states and selected metro areas within the states.

$care up some Halloween sales

Halloween parties, fun disguises and treats are all part of Halloween. According to the Census Bureau, there were approximately 36.1 million potential trick-or-treaters between the ages of 5 and 13 in 2006. Pearents start dressing their little ones in cute costumes much younger than that, of course. The holiday offers marketers a myriad of opportunities for sales.

According to Stevens, Pa.-based Unity Marketing, Americans spent $3.2 billion in 2006 buying Halloween decorations, a 21% increase over their 2005 Halloween-decoration spending.