Christmas tree-seller explains why it’s such a cutthroat business |
So I interviewed tree-seller George Smith. I asked why this is such a cutthroat business.
Smith: Cutthroats years ago thought they owned those locations, so you now can’t put one stand near another. I’m from Brooklyn. Learned the old-fashioned way. At 12, I was a tie boy. Tying trees onto cars. Now I’m in the fields, pick my own trees, watch them grow. I shear them in Canada and North Carolina.
“Saying ‘a tree is a tree’ is like saying ‘sneakers are sneakers.’ There are different types, grades. Frasers last longer. Some customers leave theirs up till Valentine’s Day and put hearts on it. They’re cheapos. Also, make sure your tree guy cuts the stump, put it on your radiator so your house smells of Christmas. You know, there’s nothing like Christmas, especially in New........