TOTO
New Member
A Sign of The Times? NAW! The sign of an IDIOT!
NAW! It's a sign of the DISGRUNTLED IDIOTS at that funeral home who took exception to the fact that, the family bought the casket from someone else.
In our area, the costs of burying a loved one is atrocious and averages $10,000.00 just for the Funeral Service.
Add to that, the costs of a plot and a headstone or a crypt, and ya better have a Life insurance policy of at least $25K.
Even if you already own a plot, the cemetery charges you $400 just to open it, or $600 on a Saturday or a Holiday. (Even the Grave Diggers have a Union, unlike WEE FLORISTS, ey?)
Facts are that, if the funeral homes didn't insist on marking up their caskets at cost X 4, Costco wouldn't have a market.
At the funeral home, a metal Casket costs around $3995.00.
A similar casket at Costco costs $924.99 with shipping included.
COSTCO 18 GAUGE STEEL CASKET
Given those facts, especially when the deceased may not have had any Life Insurance and the family has no money, Costco works for them.
However, make no mistake that, the Funeral Home is still making their money for $ERVICING the SERVICE.
Their attempt to embarrass the family with that type of performance under those circumstances is totally unprofessional, unfeeling, and down right disgusting.
They are a DISGRACE to their profession and should be shunned by everyone for their deplorable actions.
Wasn't too long ago when I had a delivery of flowers to a funeral home and a brief discussion with that funeral director over the reality of our industry's changing times.
He was complaining about the same situation. He told me he had recently told a family that, if they wanted to arrange for a casket from another source, then one of their family members would have to be at the funeral home to accept the delivery when it arrived.
I kept my mouth shut, but my brain went nuts. I really wanted to ask him: Then, what in the heck are these people paying you to do for them anyway?
OH, I remember now. You get to direct the motorcade on the day of the funeral and perhaps even hold an umbrella over the spouse's head, should it rain on that day. At all other times, you hire a baby-sitter at $10 an hour for the 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 viewing hours, RIGHT?
They (some funeral directors) have built themselves a huge ego while projecting their professional persona to a level close to a physician, in their minds.
HEY! Here's the wake up! These are DEAD PEOPLE and you can't bring em back. Sure, you make them look good and set the stage for a PRODUCTION, but that's all you do.
Even embalming IS NOT A REQUIREMENT under the Federal or State's Health codes, but YOU SELL IT ANYWAY!
Wasn't more than 60 years ago that, most people shunned you folks because YOU DEALT WITH THE DEAD.
And, had you not gotten SO GREEDY with your QUADRUPLE KEYSTONE MARKUP and kept it at KEYSTONE (50% cost plus 50% profit = 100% of selling price) for an item which HAS NO LABOR, you wouldn't force folks to run to Costco for their Father's casket.
And, please don't try to equate that scenario with a customer wanting a florist to arrange flowers, they purchased somewhere else.
Personally, we don't do that, nor will be blow up some else's balloons.
Those are CHUMP CHANGE SITUATIONS for folks trying to save CHUMP CHANGE and not a Funeral Home already charging that family THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for a FUNERAL SERVICE.
Here's my choice when my time comes:
TOTO'S CASKET
Something tells me that, my funeral director will not be as sloppy as theirs was, especially with 6 other Marines at my side.
NAW! It's a sign of the DISGRUNTLED IDIOTS at that funeral home who took exception to the fact that, the family bought the casket from someone else.
In our area, the costs of burying a loved one is atrocious and averages $10,000.00 just for the Funeral Service.
Add to that, the costs of a plot and a headstone or a crypt, and ya better have a Life insurance policy of at least $25K.
Even if you already own a plot, the cemetery charges you $400 just to open it, or $600 on a Saturday or a Holiday. (Even the Grave Diggers have a Union, unlike WEE FLORISTS, ey?)
Facts are that, if the funeral homes didn't insist on marking up their caskets at cost X 4, Costco wouldn't have a market.
At the funeral home, a metal Casket costs around $3995.00.
A similar casket at Costco costs $924.99 with shipping included.
COSTCO 18 GAUGE STEEL CASKET
Given those facts, especially when the deceased may not have had any Life Insurance and the family has no money, Costco works for them.
However, make no mistake that, the Funeral Home is still making their money for $ERVICING the SERVICE.
Their attempt to embarrass the family with that type of performance under those circumstances is totally unprofessional, unfeeling, and down right disgusting.
They are a DISGRACE to their profession and should be shunned by everyone for their deplorable actions.
Wasn't too long ago when I had a delivery of flowers to a funeral home and a brief discussion with that funeral director over the reality of our industry's changing times.
He was complaining about the same situation. He told me he had recently told a family that, if they wanted to arrange for a casket from another source, then one of their family members would have to be at the funeral home to accept the delivery when it arrived.
I kept my mouth shut, but my brain went nuts. I really wanted to ask him: Then, what in the heck are these people paying you to do for them anyway?
OH, I remember now. You get to direct the motorcade on the day of the funeral and perhaps even hold an umbrella over the spouse's head, should it rain on that day. At all other times, you hire a baby-sitter at $10 an hour for the 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 viewing hours, RIGHT?
They (some funeral directors) have built themselves a huge ego while projecting their professional persona to a level close to a physician, in their minds.
HEY! Here's the wake up! These are DEAD PEOPLE and you can't bring em back. Sure, you make them look good and set the stage for a PRODUCTION, but that's all you do.
Even embalming IS NOT A REQUIREMENT under the Federal or State's Health codes, but YOU SELL IT ANYWAY!
Wasn't more than 60 years ago that, most people shunned you folks because YOU DEALT WITH THE DEAD.
And, had you not gotten SO GREEDY with your QUADRUPLE KEYSTONE MARKUP and kept it at KEYSTONE (50% cost plus 50% profit = 100% of selling price) for an item which HAS NO LABOR, you wouldn't force folks to run to Costco for their Father's casket.
And, please don't try to equate that scenario with a customer wanting a florist to arrange flowers, they purchased somewhere else.
Personally, we don't do that, nor will be blow up some else's balloons.
Those are CHUMP CHANGE SITUATIONS for folks trying to save CHUMP CHANGE and not a Funeral Home already charging that family THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for a FUNERAL SERVICE.
Here's my choice when my time comes:
TOTO'S CASKET
Something tells me that, my funeral director will not be as sloppy as theirs was, especially with 6 other Marines at my side.
