First trees of the season arriving here Saturday

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Matson Navigation Company's annual "Christmas Tree Ship" will arrive Saturday in Honolulu.

The S.S. Kauai will be carrying many of the 115,000 trees Matson will bring to the Islands this year in four shipments. Retailers hope the number, which roughly matches last year's shipment, won't leave them with a glut.

Last year, Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse wound up selling its trees for only $1 a few days before Christmas to get rid of the excess.

Christmas tree sales in Hawai'i have a history of being unpredictable, shifting with the economy, shipping schedules and weather. In 2001, shoppers who waited until the last minute had a difficult time finding a tree. The following year seemed to have a balance of supply and demand. Then there was last year's glut.

Richard Tajiri, who runs a Christmas tree lot in front of Sears in Ala Moana Center, said he wound up with the most unsold trees in his 28 years in the business. Tajiri is hoping this year won't be a repeat.

He's bringing in 18 containers, each holding an average of 220 trees. That's about the same or "a little bit less" than what he brought last year.

"I just brought in what I thought would be right and hopefully the people are interested in a real good quality tree," Tajiri said.

The prices on his trees range from about $20 to $200, with the average price less than $100.

Dennis Kyllo, co-owner of Oregon Evergreen, said he is shipping about the same amount of trees to Hawai'i as last year, which was about 60 containers with 250 to 600 trees each. He said the quality of the trees is much better this year because increased rain boosted the trees' moisture.

Home Depot Iwilei ordered more than 5,000 trees, about the same as last year, said assistant store manager Alan Abara. Home Depot's prices will range from about $35 to $50 for 6- to 7-foot Noble and Douglas firs.

Lowe's also ordered about the same number of trees as last year, said David McKale, the sales manager. McKale said 6- and 7-foot Grand firs will go on sale for about $26.98 and Noble firs as high as $99.99.

Customers such as Valerie Domingo are happy their wait for a tree will soon be over.

"It's just the Christmas spirit," the Waikele legal assistant said. "We have our son decorate the tree. It makes the house smell good."

Domingo plans to spend between $40 to $70 for a 5- to 6-foot tree.

"It's just a tradition," she said. "I grew up with it."

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2470.