New York tree seller explains why the Christmas tree business is so competitive
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The business of selling Christmas trees may look simple to the casual observer but longtime New York seller George Smith says there is nothing simple about it. Smith, a Brooklyn native who started tying trees on cars as a young boy, says competition among sellers is fierce and tradition runs deep among buyers.
Smith’s path to becoming a Christmas tree vendor began when he was twelve years old helping tie trees to cars on street corners. Over the years he worked his way up, learning about different tree types, the nuances of customer service and the cutthroat nature of locations where trees are sold.
“Cutthroats years ago thought they owned those locations,” Smith says. Sellers staking out prime corners and avenues competed fiercely. Rules that may seem informal are enforced in practice and new sellers are not always welcomed. “You now cannot put one stand near another,” he says. That early experience, he says, taught him the old fashioned way of doing business the right way.
Smith sources his trees from Canada and North Carolina where he watches them grow and shears them himself. He stresses that not all Christmas trees are the same. “Saying a tree is a tree is like saying sneakers are sneakers,” he says. The differences between varieties matter when it comes to how long the tree looks fresh in the home and how well it handles indoor conditions.
Tree quality matters to New Yorkers
In Smith’s view the Fraser fir is the best choice for most buyers. He says Fraser firs last longer, shed fewer needles and retain their smell deep into the season. Customers who buy Frasers often leave them up until after the holidays and sometimes as late as Valentine’s Day.
Balsam fir, another popular variety, has its fans but Smith says it sheds its needles more readily and begins to lose its freshness once it is brought into a heated home. He advises customers to make sure their tree seller cuts the stump at the right angle and places the trunk in water immediately so the tree can absorb moisture and stay vibrant.
There is an element of romance in these traditions for many New Yorkers. “There is nothing like Christmas, especially in New York,” he says. The scent of pine filling an apartment, the way families make a ritual of decorating together, and the energy of the season all blend into a distinct local experience. Smith says these moments matter and merchandise quality plays into them.
Customer stories and unique challenges
Smith has sold trees to a wide range of customers over the years. He recalls delivering a tree to President George W Bush for his daughter Jenna. “I delivered it myself,” he says, recounting the experience of seeing the former president relaxing on the couch as he made the drop off. He also recalls sales to local celebrities and longtime clients. “Some chisel,” he says with a smile about customers who haggle or expect special treatment.
Every sale in Manhattan comes with its own logistic challenges. One recent customer in the Gramercy Park neighborhood ordered a 15 foot tree that Smith priced at nine hundred fifty dollars. He and his team brought it in on a sleigh for dramatic effect and gave it a long drink of room temperature water to keep it in top condition.
But not all deliveries go smoothly. Smith tells of an order for a twelve foot tree where the building elevator could only fit an eleven and a half foot tree. The team had to make an on the spot decision to cut the tree in the hallway so it could fit. “Manhattan elevators are small,” he says matter of factly. These are the kinds of real world problems that make the job more than just selling Christmas trees.
The cost of trees varies based on size and quality. Smith sells trees at a range of prices and says his business offers white glove service for customers who want someone else to bring the tree up to their home and set it up. “Let me come to your house. I will bring the tree myself,” he says, emphasizing service over simple delivery.
For customers who just want to pick and carry a tree up themselves, Smith says his staff can help them choose the best fit and make sure it is properly prepared. But he adds with a wry smile that navigating New York apartments and elevators with an eight or nine foot tree is not for the faint hearted.
There is a practical question about returns. Smith notes that once a buyer has taken delivery of a tree and it has begun to dry out in a living space there is little recourse. “If you do not like his gift how can you exchange it,” he says. In this trade once a tree is home it becomes part of the holiday tradition whether it was exactly what the buyer wanted or not.
Smith’s perspective reveals not only the competitive nature of selling trees in a dense urban market but also the pride that many sellers bring to their work. For him the business is about quality, service and the joy that a beautiful tree can bring to a home during the holidays. It is also about understanding customers and the quirks of New York life.
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