Christmas Trees May Cost More This Year Due To Shortage
MIDDLEBORO (CBS) - Christine Spillane says her nursery in Middleboro is getting ready for the post-Thanksgiving Christmas tree rush. Their trees will arrive next week but it will be a much smaller inventory.
"We do have a shortage this year and that's a big problem," Spillane said.
Spillane predicts all 350 of their trees will be sold way before Christmas and suggests customers to come early. "We get our trees two days before Thanksgiving so they will be here. I do suggest getting them sooner rather than later," she said.
Spillane's is not alone when it comes to the challenges of Christmas trees. In fact, just two miles down the road, Prisco's Market and Deli in Bridgewater decided not sell Christmas trees at all this year.
"The main supplier we bought from in the past went out of business. And the company we used last year their prices went through the roof. And I just felt that the Bridgewater market could not sustain a tree that would have to sell for $100 to $125," Stephen Prisco said.
Prisco's has all types of Christmas and other items you can think of but this will be the first time in 16 years they will not be selling trees.
"It's disappointing but we have a lot of other things to offer. And I am hoping it's this year only," Prisco said.
Spillane's Nursery is doing their best to please their customers.
"We are trying to honor our customers and hopefully get new customers through this because there are a lot of area people that usually carry Christmas trees are not doing it this year," Spillane said.
Spillane says they've been selling trees for the past 30 years and this has been the most difficult time of getting trees in. In fact, this is the first time ever they had to go and pick up the trees because they won't be delivered.
"This year if we wanted the Christmas trees ourselves we had to go up and get them so we are driving seven hours up to Maine to go get them almost to the border of Canada. Why is that? Because they don't have truck drivers available. If we want them, we have to get them," she said.
Another burden and expense for small businesses doing their best to please their customers this holiday season.
