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New York City's Christmas tree prices reach $1,000

Posted at 10:03 AM, Dec 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-12-06 10:07:12-05

A rumor that a Christmas tree seller on a street in New York sold a tree for $1,000 spread so far, a local media outlet went to check into it and found out — it is true.

What makes a tree worth a grand? That's what Reporter Jay Dow asked the staff at Neville's Trees on Manhattan's Seventh Avenue.

"You have to consider the weather five years ago .... seven years ago .... ten years ago," a Neville's employee answered. "You hear every summer about the droughts, but you don't think about it come Christmas time when you're buying a Christmas tree.

"These guys gotta pay for their water," he said.

The average tree was going for about $60, but some were upwards of $400 and $500, PIX11 News in New York showed.

At another dealer in Washington Heights, it was found a giant tree cost a max of about $300 and that included delivery and setup.

"We're going to have to be out there like we do with the gas prices," an anchor in PIX11's studio said to the reporter filming the tree segment, "finding the cheapest tree out there," she said.