Fresh-cut Xmas trees — via the Net
By BRUCE HOROVITZ December 2, 2011 1:44PM
"We've never had an artificial tree," said Sharron Thornton of Schererville as she got help from her son Raymond Thornton, also of Schererville, to choose and cut down a tree at Luer's Christmas Tree Farm in Schererville, Ind. Thursday December 1, 2011. The Thornton family has been has been cutting their own tree for at least 35 years. | Stephanie Dowell~Sun-Times Media
Updated: January 4, 2012 8:05AM
The family trek to the Christmas tree farm has a competitor getting special buzz this season: the Internet.
But online tree sales — which at Sears costs as much as $189.99 for a 9-foot Fraser fir tree from North Carolina — are becoming a lucrative business. Some retailer sites cajole shoppers to purchase a tree even as folks sign on to just buy ornaments. “We’re trying to give every consumer the opportunity to shop how, when and where they want,” says Jennifer Dominiquini, marketing chief for seasonal and outdoor living at Sears. Target began selling cut trees online last year. Costco is in its third season. Neither would divulge sales data.
