Hi,

Just moved to OKC and am looking for some info in regards to a new business opportunity. How many people buy real Christmas Trees vs. Fake Christmas trees and how much do you pay for the average tree here, if you do buy a real tree.

Thanks!

Welcome to OKC!

As for the real vs. fake trees, we never buy real trees now--allergies. Used to get one for $25 to $35. However, I've noticed in the last few years that there appear to be MANY trees unsold at stores/lots as late as Christmas eve, which would mean a significant inventory loss to the seller.

With the economy being what it is, I would suspect that people would find the expense of a real tree to be more of a "luxury" now.

Hopefully, some others will be along to give you additional input.

From my observation, it's about 1/2 each way. Christmas is a big holiday here and there is LOTS of competition in the tree market. I don't think the lots with trees left are hurting by any means. Heck we even have a year long Christmas shop called "North Pole City" here, it's in the process of moving after decades in it's old location.

Last Christmas was our first year to buy an artificial tree. Prior to last season we always bought a real tree from Coits and usually paid around $75-$90 for it. Since Coits stopped selling trees last year due to cost and the economy we decided to finally switch to the artificial tree.

North Pole city will remain in its current location for this coming Christmas 2009. After that they are looking to relocate to a more accesible location.

Is that about the average cost? $70-$90. I am thinking of selling Fresh Oregon Trees 7-9 feet tall for $50-$60. These trees truly are the best..

If your trees are nice, and your price is right, and you can make both factoids well known to the masses, all that's left is an accessible location.

Folks here and elsewhere will pay higher prices for more convenience and to save time. While ti is true that some folks will spend a dollar if they feel they are saving a dime, most folks are more about saving some time.

I love real trees but had to give them up when my kids were small. It cost as much to buy a tree as what I alloted for each of my kids' gift allowance and we just didn't have the extra cash. That was back in the early 80's and real trees costs me around $50.00. Amazing that they aren't that much more, now.

All the same, I'm one of those who will probably stick to artificial trees even though I hate to store them all year. It is fun to go pick out a tree when you are young or have kids but at my age, I don't want the hassle of bringing it home and hauling it into the house.

Used to go cut our own in younger days. Early 80's, first married Christmas, found my lovely and I in Dumas the Texas panhandle. Dinna know a soul to ask for land access,a nd what would of been the point if I had. So we went looking for a store bought live tree. Dinna take long for me to realize that was never gonna happen, as prices were insane. Went for a drive to chill, and found my solution.

Lovely thought I was nuts at first when I spun around and shoved a bog ol' tumbleweed in the trunk. But once we got it back to the place, plopped it on a plastic cube, slipped into gloves so we could hang lights and ornaments, it made a right fine Christmas weed.

Haha a Christmas tumbleweed? That's awesome.

I love real Christmas trees. I love the smell. But they can be so dang messy.
I remember one year when I was young we spent a Christmas out at our cabin on lake eufaula, and we went out and cut our own real tree. That was so much fun.

I've known folks who have found a great tree but dinna have a saw on them, so they used their firearm to shoot it down, and took it out with them.

My fav live tree gathering was a few years after the tumbleweed. We went and got a tree, bringing it back on top of a Subaru wagon, using a blanket to hold it down to the car.
Set it up in student housing apartment. Neighbor friend and his lovely wanted one to, so we drove them out to where we garnered ours. The one he picked was a rather tall tree, but yeah, the upper 7-8 foot of it was way nice.

He shimmied up the tree trunk, locked his legs, and started cutting away. Why he dinna cut it down, and then cut away the excess, I'll never really get. but here he is, several several feet up the trunk, legs locked, with a saw going in between where his legs are locked and his other hand is hanging on so he doesn't flip backwards. (Starting to see what's coming yet?)

Could not convince him he was smack dab in terrible horrible no good very bad idea land,a nd he kept cutting, until he finally cut almost through the trunk. it gave way, and the tree top, and him, raced to meet the ground. he won, if you can call it that.

We got him, the three and us to the car. it was truly pretty in his place, but he was also truly lucky.

I suggest using Oklahomas' plant pest the cypress tree, no one really wants this thing on their property.

We used to cut down a huge tree every year in the Santa Cruz mountains.. for the first time in over 30 years, I have had an artificial tree here in Oklahoma.. ugh.

I love a real tree. I'd easily pay $60 bucks for one.

Gm why do you call the cypress a pest?

nik4411,
I meant to say red cedar trees, cypresses are not the name of the pest. ANYWAYS...LOL
Red cedar trees are everywhere, they take about 30 gals a day out of the water supply each one of them, they are kindle for wildfires.

heres a link to go too
Eastern Red Cedar Tree Invasion (http://blog.oeta.tv/onr/index.php/2009/05/26/eastern-red-cedar-tree-invasion)

oh haha, ok, that makes more sense, thanks....yea i actually really like cypress trees. i'll check that link out too. the red cedar is a pest i agree.

another good use for these trees are for fish cover in our lakes. it would be great if we could somehow get more cut down and put into our waters to provide more cover for fish and enhance fisheries.

another good use for these trees are for fish cover in our lakes. it would be great if we could somehow get more cut down and put into our waters to provide more cover for fish and enhance fisheries.



Good idea!!