Christmas Trees Are Going for as Much as $6,500 in N.Y.C. — and Selling Out
By Benjamin VanHoose - People Magazine
Some New Yorkers are coughing up a lot of green for their evergreens this holiday season.
In a recent report from the New York Post, a roundup of live Christmas tree vendors around the Big Apple showed some varieties are being sold at rates as high as $6,500. Other sellers priced select trees in the $850 to $2,000 range.
Fraser firs are the particularly pricey species. They’re currently experiencing a shortage due to farmers in North Carolina having not planted as many tree during the 2008 recession. Since the plants take about 10 years to mature, fewer are available now, a decade later, according to theNational Christmas Tree Association (NCTA).
The heftiest $6,500 price tag was found at Soho Trees, which has seven stands located throughout Manhattan to service city dwellers eager to decorate their apartments with a real evergreen.
Despite the cost, a sales manager told the outlet they are now sold out of the 20-foot Frasers, which went mostly to customers with penthouses or building lobbies to outfit. The price includes delivery and installation.
According to USA Today, 2019 is expected to have the highest seasonal costs, with Christmas tree prices trending upward, increasing 23 percent between 2015 and 2018. The average cost for a live tree tends to be about $78.
“The supply is still strong, but so is the demand,” Sara Vera, a data analyst at Square, told the outlet last month. “So we’ll likely continue to see tree prices slightly increase this season as we have for the last four in a row, making 2019 the most expensive season for Christmas trees in history.”
Those looking to save a little money should consider waiting until closer to Christmas Eve to purchase their tree, when prices tend to dip. They should be down nearly 30 percent the week before Dec. 25, USA Today reported.
Tim O’Connor, another spokesperson for the the NCTA, shared that the uptick in live tree sales as opposed to reusable artificial evergreens can be attributed to a millennial preference.
“While consumers once valued convenience over all else, we now see the rise of an eco-conscious consumer who questions where something came from, how it was made and the impact that purchase may have on the environment,” said O’Connor. “Real trees are just part of this trend.”
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Originally Posted by Muddy
