We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Update)

Planet Money

NPR

Business, News

4.6 • 29.8K Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2023

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

*Note: This episode originally ran in 2020*

'Tis the season for Americans to head out in droves and bring home a freshly-cut Christmas tree. But decorative evergreens don't just magically show up on corner lots, waiting to find a home in your living room. There are a bunch of fascinating steps that determine exactly how many Christmas trees get sold, and how expensive they are.

Today on the show, we visit the world's largest auction of Christmas trees — and then see how much green New Yorkers are willing to throw down for some greenery. It's a story where snow-dusted Yuletide dreams meet the hard reality of supply and demand. We've got market theory, a thousand dollars in cash, and a "decent sized truck"... anything could happen.

This episode was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Bryant Urstadt. It was engineered by Gilly Moon. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Planet Money from NPR.
0:04.0	Happy holidays, everybody.
0:07.0	It is that time of year again, and if you're still hoping to nab a Christmas tree well best of luck I guess.
0:17.0	Coming up we have a Planet Money Christmas Tale in which Robert Smith and Nick Fountain get to the root of what is happening in the Christmas tree market.
0:28.0	This episode originally aired in 2020. Stay tuned for an update at the very end. Here's the episode.
0:37.0	Christmas Tree! Christmas Trees!
0:40.0	A Christmas Tree!
0:42.0	Planet Money Christmas tree.
0:44.0	The day after Thanksgiving, Nick, you and I participated in a grand American tradition,
0:49.0	trying to make a buck off a religious holiday.
0:52.0	You guys need a Christmas tree?
0:53.0	We're good, thanks.
0:54.0	Christmas trees.
0:55.0	Look at that beauty right there.
0:56.0	Planet Money Christmas trees.
0:58.0	We had a pickup truck filled with Christmas trees.
1:01.0	A few signs on a corner in a fancy Brooklyn neighborhood,
1:04.8	and we were ready to make some cash.
1:06.9	How much does a six to seven foot Christmas tree go for these years?
1:10.6	We're asking for $150. And people are actually paying $150. No, no they are not. Not a single person. That's why we still have a truck full of trees.
1:20.0	So are you trying to dupe people into buying two expensive Christmas trees? Is that what's going on?
1:27.0	I don't think it's duping, it's seeing what the market will bear.
	...

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