Page 32 - aruba-today-20161202

A32 FEATURE
Friday 2 december 2016
Blame wages and turtle doves: ‘12 Days’ now costs $34,363

JOE MANDAK because of transportation
Associated Press costs — than the cost of
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The the items themselves.
slow recovery of the U.S. “In most instances, it’s
economy is continuing to cheaper to shop online,”
keep the cost of Christmas Melcher said. “I’ve never
— or at least the gifts list- personally shipped a swan,
ed in “The Twelve Days of but I imagine it’s not the
Christmas” — from spiraling cheapest endeavor in the
out of control. world.”
The price of two turtle A buyer who purchased
doves jumped from $290 all the gifts each time they
to $375 this year, but nine are mentioned in the song
of the other 12 gifts listed in would spend $156,507, up
the carol stayed the same $1,100 from last year.
price or became cheaper, The full set of prices for pur-
including a partridge in a chasing the gifts from a
pear tree, according to the bricks-and-mortar business,
33rd annual PNC Wealth not online, is:
Management Christmas — Partridge, $20; last year:
Price Index released Thurs- $25
day. — Pear tree, $190; last year:
As a result, the overall cost same
of the gifts listed in the song This Nov. 22, 2016, file photo shows the “Two Turtle Doves” section of a “Fire Garden” display, on — Two turtle doves, $375;
increased 0.7 percent to the eve of the public opening of the “Christmas at Kew” festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, last year: $290
Kew, in London
$34,363, up $233 from last Associated Press — Three French hens, $182;
year’s total of $34,131. last year: same
PNC Financial Services — Four calling birds (canar-
Group releases the price ing inflationary pressures more to transport animals a-leaping cost $5,509 in- ies), $600; last year: same
index each year as a that seem to be building,” and performers — 10 lords- person, but $13,373 online — Five gold rings, $750; last
whimsical way of tracking Melcher said. year: same
inflation. The price of five gold rings, — Six geese-a-laying, $360;
Besides the turtle doves, as tracked by PNC, hasn’t last year: same
only the cost of 11 pipers gone up in three years, — Seven swans a-swim-
piping and 12 drummers even though the price of ming, $13,125; last year:
drumming — both up 2.8 gold as a commodity has. same
percent — increased. “At a certain point, the — Eight maids a-milking,
Thomas Melcher, chief end product should begin $58; last year: same
Investment officers for to reflect the price appre- — Nine ladies dancing (per
PNC Asset Management ciation of the commodity,” performance), $7,553; last
Group, said the increas- Melcher said. year: same
ing wages of drummers PNC calculates the prices — 10 lords a-leaping (per
and pipers could signal a from sources including re- performance), $5,509; last
march toward higher wag- tailers, bird hatcheries and year: same
es for a broader range of two Philadelphia dance — 11 pipers piping (per
workers in 2017. He said he groups, the Pennsylvania performance), $2,708; last
wouldn’t be surprised to Ballet and Philadanco. year: $2,635
see increases coming for The cost of buying the In this Nov. 22, 2016, file photo, a representative poses for a pho- — 12 drummers drumming
tograph beside the “Five Golden Rings” section of a “Fire Gar-
the eight maids-a-milking, same gifts online is $44,603 den” display, on the eve of the public opening of the “Christmas (per performance), $2,934;
nine ladies dancing and 10 this year, up 2.2 percent at Kew” festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London. last year: $2,855.q
lords-a-leaping. from $43,627 last year. But Associated Press
“There are some underly- Melcher cautioned that’s
largely because it costs

In this Dec. 11, 2014, file photo, percussionists from Marshall
University’s Marching Thunder drum line perform their “Eleven
Drummers Drumming” show in the streets of downtown Hunting-
ton, W.Va. In this June 7, 2016, file photo, dancers from the Radio City Rockettes promote their “New York
Spectacular” show by performing on the marquee of Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Associated Press Associated Press