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The Economics of Christmas Trees

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Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#51

Post by js2 »

Slartie wrote: post #11

This is really interesting. There seems to be a significant difference between the US Christmas Tree economy and the one in Germany. We got our tree for this year a week ago directly from a grower in the local area where we always buy our trees. It is of average size (the 6'-7' size is also what we mostly consider a good size over here) and it only cost us 30€, so our prices here seem to be significantly lower than i…

I’ve lived in NC piedmont area (a couple hours drive from tree farms) since 2004 and basically paid $65-75 for a 6-7 ft tree every year. Every year but one we’ve gotten our tree from whatever corner lot was convenient. (One year we were late and only Home Depot had any trees left.)

There is either a shortage of trees this year or people shopped early. We got our tree earlier today and it was the last of two. They gave it to us for half off ($37 for a 6 ft tree) since it’s a somewhat sad (but fitting for 2020) tree. Once we decorate it it will look fine.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#53

Post by missedthecue »

sokoloff wrote: post #34
cm2012 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard the opposite for global warming - burial is excellent for carbon capture (delays carbon release for a long time), burning is awful (releases carbon into the atmosphere instantly).

If you're buying a tree that would have otherwise not been grown (such as if buying Christmas trees wasn't a thing and that land was used for something else instead), I'm not sure it's so bad though. That carbon came from the atmosphere over the last 10-15 years, so putting it back is "even" within a child's lifetime.

According to a Google search, a tree takes 7-10 years. So you were on hacker news while that carbon was in the atmosphere. Puts it into perspective

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#54

Post by zrail »

phil21 wrote: post #46
bombcar wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the listed sales numbers it appears a majority of fake trees are a one-year deal (maybe two). You can’t sell 25m fake trees a year if people are keeping them for next year.

I think a lot of these trees being disposed of has to do with the integrated lighting strings going out and folks not dealing with debugging/fixing them when a new tree is $200. I'm hopeful that with the advent of LED lit trees reliability goes up and there is less early waste of perfectly good plastic with a few busted lightbulbs.

We just bought a fake tree with LED lights and I fully expect to be moving it into my 2yo’s first apartment.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#55

Post by mNovak »

Slartie wrote: post #11

This is really interesting. There seems to be a significant difference between the US Christmas Tree economy and the one in Germany. We got our tree for this year a week ago directly from a grower in the local area where we always buy our trees. It is of average size (the 6'-7' size is also what we mostly consider a good size over here) and it only cost us 30€, so our prices here seem to be significantly lower than i…

The geography doesn't scale up for the US though. I imagine people in Oregon, near the growers, also pay less per tree.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#56

Post by missedthecue »

fortran77 wrote: post #47

My city, Sunnyvale, CA, has "free" tree disposal. I once complained to the City about why I had to subsidize someone else's religion. The answer made sense: the trees would be dumped if the city didn't collect them.

These aren't communion chalices. Christmas trees have no religious significance.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#57

Post by b06tmm »

silexia wrote: post #16

I run a Christmas tree farm at a small scale. I wonder if real Christmas trees are actually worse for the environment than fake trees as many real Christmas trees are burned rather than sent to a landfill?

Here in south Louisiana there is a special collection of Christmas trees and they are used in the fight to preserve our wetlands.

Article from last year: https://www.nola.com/gambit/article_5ab7222e-2e60-11ea-a845-....

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#58

Post by lampenrad »

detaro wrote: post #44
lampenrad wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Edit: Someone corrected me, I quoted the survey wrong. But here‘s another source (YouGov survey, 2012), saying that 43% had a real tree and 17% an artificial one: https://statistik-dresden.de/archives/5195 > Also, I don't know anybody here who has a fake plastic tree - these aren't really a thing here, basically people either don't have a tree at all, or they get a real one. Plenty of people in Germany have plastic t…

The question has to be translated as "Could you imagine using an artificial tree" or maybe "would you consider using an artificial tree", not "do you prefer an artificial tree".

Thank you for the correction. I trusted a news article without carefully reading the source myself. My bad. I added a different survey.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#59

Post by fortran77 »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #50
fortran77 wrote: post #47

My city, Sunnyvale, CA, has "free" tree disposal. I once complained to the City about why I had to subsidize someone else's religion. The answer made sense: the trees would be dumped if the city didn't collect them.

Christmas trees are not religious, and is about as secular of a tradition as it gets.

All due respect, but you're free to observe your religion, I'm free to observe mine. Without forcing my opinions down other people's throats. That's what makes America great.

A Christmas tree has no place in my home.

Re: The Economics of Christmas Trees

#60

Post by Aeolun »

kurthr wrote: post #23
Slartie wrote: post #11

This is really interesting. There seems to be a significant difference between the US Christmas Tree economy and the one in Germany. We got our tree for this year a week ago directly from a grower in the local area where we always buy our trees. It is of average size (the 6'-7' size is also what we mostly consider a good size over here) and it only cost us 30€, so our prices here seem to be significantly lower than i…

The price from a grower (with 20-30% margin) is $30-35 or about the same. It's the fact that retailers (like always) have a 100% markup (50% margin) so if you go to a random convenience store it'll cost double and they'll make the money. No different from most consumer items. Fake trees last forever... until you throw them away, and then they still last forever.

> Fake trees last forever... until you throw them away, and then they still last forever.

Unfortunately they look like a fake tree forever too. It’s better than no tree at all, but not very inspiring.

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