Home Depot, Uber team up for Xmas tree delivery

In a first for Home Depot, the home improvement giant will deliver live Christmas trees on Thursday to consumers in 10 U.S. cities, including its home of Atlanta.

Home Depot is partnering with Uber, the company that matches vehicle rides for residents in urban areas via a smart phone app, for the one-day only event. Tree availability will be limited.

“Through this promotion we are trying to create frictionless experiences for our customers in urban areas where delivery is a premium for large or bulky products,” said Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher Emery.

The company is not alone in wooing urbanites with tree delivery. Pike Nurseries will deliver items from its online Christmas shop — which includes trees, poinsettias, wreaths and garland — for a flat fee of $50 weekdays within a 10-mile radius, a company spokeswoman said.

In the Home Depot offer, a 7- to 8-foot tree — most likely a Fraser Fir in the Southeast — and a stand will be delivered via Uber to residents in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

The delivery fee is $135, which includes monogrammed Uber scarf. Participants need an Uber account and can track their delivery via the Uber app.

“The Home Depot hand-picks each live Christmas tree against very specific criteria, including ideal symmetry, excellent taper, superior needle retention, overall nutrient health and a rich evergreen color,” Emery said.

The variety of tree will be pre-set by market by popularity in the area, she said.

“Frasier trees are most popular, especially in the northern and southern states, because of needle retention,” she said. “They will last a month when properly watered.”