CHARLOTTE, NC. — It’s not the grinch stealing your live Christmas tree; it’s high demand and low supply.
“They want them, and they’ll buy them. They’re driving the price is up,” says Norman Simpson, co-owner of the Simpson Christmas Tree lot in Myers Park.
Simpson says the past few days have been a frenzy. He says they have about 25% fewer trees than last year. Industry experts say consumers should expect to pay 10 to 20% more for live cut and artificial trees this year, compared to last, due to supply issues. It’s a combination of supply chain disruptions and weather disasters influenced by climate change.
“It has been extremely busy. Almost a panic kind of.”