Janae Pierre: Move over Atlantic City. The Big Apple is getting its own casinos. In this economy, how much are New Yorkers willing to pay for a Christmas tree? From WNYC, this is NYC Now. I'm Janae Pierre. It's official. Three casinos are coming to New York City. The State Gaming Commission made its announcement Monday, ensuring that full fledged gambling will be coming to sites in the Bronx and Queens. The decision caps a process that's been a dozen years in the making. The state allowed for downstate casinos to be built only after green lighting several casinos upstate in the 2010s. The three multibillion dollar projects set to be developed are the Bally's Bronx at Ferry Point, the Hard Rock Metropolitan Park near Citi Field, and New York City Resorts World at the site of the Aqueduct Racetrack. While the Bally's project and Hard Rock Metropolitan Park are slated to open in 2030, Resorts World is expected to be fully expanded by next year.

The NYPD is stepping up patrols across New York City as Jewish New Yorkers celebrate Hanukkah after a deadly mass shooting at a celebration in Sydney, Australia. Authorities say the attack targeted people gathered for a Hanukkah event. Mayor Eric Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch say officers will be stationed at menorah lightings, synagogues, and Jewish gathering sites. Mayor Adams called for resilience.

Mayor Eric Adams: We will celebrate the first night of the miracle of Hanukkah, no matter the tragedies we have experienced as a city, as a country, and as a globe in the last 24 hours.

Janae Pierre: Police say there are no known threats in New York, but officials say extra security is being deployed out of caution.

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Janae Pierre: Defense attorneys are scrutinizing the conduct of the Pennsylvania police who arrested suspected killer, Luigi Mangione last year. WNYC's Walter Wuthmann has more.

Walter Wuthmann: Defense attorneys say Altoona police illegally searched and interrogated Mangione when they arrested him. New York Law School Professor Anna Cominsky says the New York judge could choose to throw out the evidence they gathered.

Professor Anna Cominsky: You know, it doesn't matter whether it's the most rural of police departments or one of the biggest police departments in the country. All police officers have to follow the Constitution and respect all of our individual constitutional rights.

Walter Wuthmann: Prosecutors argue police did nothing wrong and that the evidence ties Mangione to the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

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Janae Pierre: How much are New Yorkers paying for Christmas trees these days? The answer, after the break.

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Janae Pierre: It's that time of year again. New Yorkers are looking for the perfect tree to decorate their home for the holiday season. This is one of my favorite times of the year, y'all. Not because it's my birthday season, but because grocery stores all around the city are set up with stands with Christmas trees and lights for sale. It's also very festive. Anyway, we wanted to know how much you're willing to pay for a Christmas tree in this economy. We've been asking listeners to share their prices with us and already hundreds of you have responded. So, joining me to go through what we've learned so far about prices this holiday season is WNYC's Karen Yee and Joe Hong. Hey, you two.

Joe Hong: Hello.

Karen Yee: Hey, Janae.

Janae Pierre: You two received nearly 300 submissions from WNYC listeners and some Gothamist readers. What's the going rate for a good sized tree these days?

Joe Hong: Yes, based on the submissions we got, the citywide average for a 6 to 7 foot tree is about $121. That's for all sorts of trees, different types of firs, mostly. Overall, for any size, the median price was about $100. Some highlights from the numbers we got. The most expensive tree that we saw was $633-

Janae Pierre: Yikes.

Joe Hong: -for a 9 foot tree. So, a giant tree. The cheapest tree that we saw was $10 for a tiny 1 footer from Trader Joe's. The lowest price for a larger 6 to 7 foot tree was $40, from a Home Depot in Jersey City.

Janae Pierre: Wow. You know, Joe, I prefer that Trader Joe's tree for 10 bucks, but that's just me.

Joe Hong: Me, too.

Janae Pierre: All right. So, Karen, how are New York City shoppers responding to these prices? Are they still buying trees?

Karen Yee: I mean, look, we're all incredibly price conscious these days with the rising cost of food that we've spoken about, rent, and just about everything, and Christmas trees are going up, but we received nearly 300 submissions and counting. So it's safe to say that people are still buying trees. We met this lovely couple, Willy Burkhardt and Daniela Petrova, who were shopping for their Christmas tree earlier this month, and they say they now go to Whole Foods.

Daniela Petrova: It's so much cheaper than the other vendors. We had two other options closer to our building, but they're way more expensive.

Karen Yee: How much more?

Daniela Petrova: Oh, I didn't look this year, but I remember last year we checked-

Willy Burkhardt: Three times. One is almost four times, but the other is three times.

Karen Yee: They got a nice-looking 7 foot Fraser fir for $89, and they say that actually the price went up from last year by about $10.

Janae Pierre: Do these trees tend to be cheaper at chain stores?

Joe Hong: That is certainly what we've seen so far. Based on our crowdsourced data, on average, trees are about $119, but at stores like Home Depot, the price is half of that. The prices at Whole Foods are a little more expensive than the Home Depot trees.

Karen Yee: What people told us is that they used to go to their local tree stand, but they've had to find a better deal as prices have steadily risen year over year. There was that supply shortage back in 2020 that drove up prices, which prompted shoppers to now turn to big box stores.

Janae Pierre: All right, so we heard from some buyers, but what are sellers saying about their pricing this year?

Karen Yee: I visited a couple of local sellers on Staten Island, and of course, I picked a very rainy, very cold morning when absolutely nobody was buying a tree, but I got a chance to chat with longtime tree seller Vincent DiVino.

Vincent DiVino: It's Merry Time Christmas, but on Google, it is the Nearest Christmas Tree Stand.

Karen Yee: Why does it say Nearest Christmas Stand?

Vincent DiVino: Because everybody types in Google, nearest Christmas tree.

Karen Yee: I do. I actually typed that, and that's what I got. Now, DiVino sells trees on his aunt's property. The trees look beautiful, and they're lush, and they're not all tied up, so it kind of looks like a forest, like he said. He says he keeps prices pretty steady and cuts them to order. Trees are there only three or four days old, that were just previously cut. It's really a different experience here for sure.

Vincent DiVino: Come in, grab a cup of hot chocolate, walk around. I mean, this is probably the only place on Staten Island that you feel like you're in the woods.

Karen Yee: You can get a 6 to 7 foot balsam, or a blue spruce for $100, or a Fraser fir for $120, close to the citywide average. There's a price guarantee that comes along with it.

Vincent DiVino: Not many people guarantee the trees. I guarantee the trees. The tree dies, show me a picture. You don't got to bring it to me. I give you a new one for free.

Joe Hong: Often, prices in New Jersey, based on the few that we got, were cheaper. Like the $40 tree from the Home Depot in Jersey City. Even Staten Island prices can be slightly cheaper. So, in some cases, it might be worth the toll over there, if you have a car.

Janae Pierre: Are the sellers feeling squeezed by national chains?

Karen Yee: Absolutely. By chains and also the artificial Christmas tree industry. I mean, Karl Wiesner from Wiesner Nursery Brothers says fewer and fewer people are buying real trees every year.

Karl Wiesner: Setups that happen in the parking lots, they're not really around anymore because a lot of people go to Home Depot and Lowe's.

Karen Yee: He says that competition has kept prices from skyrocketing, but Wiesner says, wherever you buy your tree, you have to check its quality. The best way to check is, you grab a single branch and you run your hand down. If nothing comes off, then that's your winning treat. So wait, let me do your test. Oh, not a single branch.

Karl Wiesner: Yes.

Karen Yee: Okay, they're very [crosstalk].

Karl Wiesner: So, if a lot of the needles come off, it's not a very fresh tree.

Karen Yee: Another suggestion one of the sellers gave me is if you want a stronger piney smell, try opting for a balsam tree, but if you get a tree earlier in the season or you want to keep it up longer, maybe later in January, get a Fraser because they tend to last longer. If you have really, really heavy ornaments, a blue spruce is your best bet because they're just the strongest tree out there.

Janae Pierre: Okay. All good tips. Thanks a lot, Karen. We're creeping into mid December and we still have some time to get a tree, right?

Karen Yee: Yes. Sellers tell us that the two weeks before Christmas is when business picks up. You can still help us track prices by submitting what you paid for your tree on our digital news site, gothamist.com, and by filling out the Google form there.

Janae Pierre: That's WNYC's Karen Yee and Joe Hong. Thanks you two.

Karen Yee: Thanks, Janae.

Joe Hong: Thank you.

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Janae Pierre: As you may have heard, NYC Now has shifted from three episodes a day to a single episode, with some deeper reporting and analysis. We're trying something new. We're continuing to evolve the show and experiment with new ways to push stories forward. So please be patient with us and stick with us as we prepare for the next phase of the podcast. Not feeling it or have some thoughts of your own? Hit us up. We want to hear from you. What would you like to hear more of on NYC Now? Send us an email at nycnow@wnyc.org. As always, thanks for listening to NYC Now from WNYC. I'm Janae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.

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