Slow sales of Christmas trees in Massachusetts leading to discounts - why the reduced demand?
PEABODY - This year, some Massachusetts farms are selling Christmas trees at a discount with one week before the holiday, as their inventory has been slow to move.
Last-minute discounts
It's a sign of the times, $20 off last-minute Christmas trees, a last ditch effort for some farms to sell out of stock.
"Our smallest one here looks like it's about 6 feet and they go up to about 8 feet," said Joanne Roden, the manager of Brooksby Farm in Peabody. She announced the sale this week after noticing a lull in buyers. "We were a little nervous going into the season with Thanksgiving being so much later. It gave us one less week of selling time. If they haven't gotten their tree yet, come on up here, we do have plenty of trees available."
Live Christmas tree loyalists blame high prices for buyers turning their back on the real thing.
"They've definitely gone up year over year," said Constance Spack, who buys a new tree every year. "I've watched it grow from $60 probably four, five years ago and now we're at the $80, $100."
What's driving up prices?
"There was an issue where growers had lost a lot of trees," said Roden, who blames drought for lack of inventory over the years.
Places like Vandervalk Farm in Mendon lost 500 out of 2,700 trees, so farms are making up for lost revenue. The result, customers are turning to fake trees for their Christmas centerpiece.
"You spend that $200 bucks up front, it lasts you a long time," said Spack.
But still, nostalgia keeps Spack coming back to her favorite Christmas tree farm.
"I think just the smell, the feel, the idea that it's different every year," said Spack. "It really is an awesome farm."
For any very last-minute shoppers, Brooksby Farm will be open on Christmas Eve until 1 p.m.