Will Inflation Steal Christmas this Year?

Consumers have been hit with higher prices on almost everything, and now as the holidays are near, the price of Christmas trees has increased. However, according to Yahoo Finance, this is not deterring customers from purchasing them.

The Real Christmas Tree Board (RCTB) conducted research and found out that “71% of tree growers cited a likely wholesale price increase of 5% to 15% compared to last year. Meanwhile, only 11% of respondents anticipated increasing their wholesale prices by a smaller amount — up to no more than 5% over last year.” Additionally, “ another 11% of tree farmers expect to increase their prices between 16% to 20% more than last year, and 5% expect their price increase to hit 21% or more,” per Yahoo Finance.

The American Christmas Tree Association Executive Director, Jami Warner, told Good Morning America, “Because inflation impacts absolutely everything, the industry is seeing increases in shipping costs, fertilizer, trucking, everything you can possibly think of, whether it be real or artificial trees. So I think consumers can expect to see anywhere from 5 percent to 20 percent increases across the board on artificial and live Christmas trees this year.” 

Warner also encouraged shoppers to get their trees while they can, even if they are at a higher price, because options may be limited.