Business Notes Retailing

Is it better to buy a fake but reusable Christmas tree? Or to buy a real, traditional tree and feel guilty about wasting a natural resource? For city dwellers without a yard, buying one with roots is out of the question. So what's left? Swedish megamerchant IKEA may have the answer. For the sixth year in a row, the home-furnishing chain is offering its Rent-a-Tree program to American customers. Conceived in Europe during the 1970s and introduced in the company's seven U.S. stores as they opened, it works like this: for $20 -- a $10 deposit and a $10 rental fee -- and a signed lease agreement, a customer can walk out with a fresh 6-to-10-ft. Douglas fir from Pennsylvania. Last year the program was a resounding success: 20,000 trees were leased. IKEA expects to rent 30,000 this year. As a bonus this year, customers at most stores will get a coupon for a fir sapling they can pick up for planting in the spring. Once the used Christmas trees are returned to the store, they are ground into mulch, which customers can use in their gardens or leave for others. Better hurry, though: the sale started last week, and trees are expected to sell out by this coming weekend.