Charlie Brown could have used this
Amazon will ship you a 7-foot Christmas tree.
Talk about big-box retailing. Amazon plans to sell and ship fresh, full-size Christmas trees this year.
Amazon said the Christmas trees, including Douglas firs and Norfolk Island pines, will be bound and shipped without water. Just watch for the 7-foot box on the doorstep.
Amazon said the trees will be sent within 10 days of being cut and should survive the shipping.
Amazon said the trees, wreaths and garlands will go on sale in November. Some will qualify for Prime free shipping, and Amazon will offer preorders so shoppers can choose a delivery date.
The company sold trees shorter than 3 feet last year, and some other merchants sold bigger ones using its platform as a marketplace. But this is the first year Amazon is offering the larger trees.
“Given the popularity among customers, we increased the assortment,” the company said.
A 7-foot Fraser fir from a North Carolina farm will cost $115, according to an Amazon holiday preview book.
In 2016, 27.4 million real Christmas trees were sold in the U.S.
The most popular varieties were Noble and Fraser firs, and consumers reported spending an average of $74.70.
Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are the top five states for Christmas tree production.
Christmas tree delivery is nothing new. But Amazon has a history of shaking up shopping habits. It changed how people buy books, diapers and many other goods.
It recently expanded the selection of live plants, including potted succulents and orchids.
Will people buy a Christmas tree sight unseen from Amazon?
Tim O’Connor, executive director of the National Christmas Tree Association, said picking out a tree and hauling it home is part of the fun for families.
The association estimates that only about 1 to 2 percent of the real Christmas trees purchased last year were bought online, mostly from growers’ own sites.
“It’s so small, it’s almost undetectable,” O’Connor said.