Walmart's discount-coffin controversy
Is retailing giant Walmart being smart or creepy by offering shoppers a way to cut funeral costs?
Walmart's "Lady de Guadelupe" casket: $999 (Walmart.com)
Walmart has started selling caskets and urns on its website at prices that undercut many funeral homes. Discount warehouse Costco began making coffins available a few years ago. Are the stores being tacky, or just offering shoppers a bargain in a time of need?
A bargain is a bargain: "The price of being dead just dropped," says Douglas A. McIntyre in 24/7 Wall St., and, in this economy, that's "a good thing." With Walmart offering caskets for as little as $999 -- shipped within 48 hours -- mourning shoppers can save money without resorting to buying or building a pine box.
"Discount death: Wal-Mart sells caskets online"
You must admit -- it's a little icky: Sure, many people will be pleased about this, says Scott Jagow in PublicRadio.org, but it's easy to understand why others "might recoil at the idea of a coffin from Walmart." Apparently, there are "few, if any," boundaries on what big-box stores will sell. "I wonder what’s next? Maybe you’ll be able to pick up a death certificate at the cash register, in addition to gift cards and gum?"
"Checking out at Walmart"
Tacky or not, this will hurt funeral homes: Many people will still want the comfort of dealing with a funeral home director, says Bruce Watson in Daily Finance. And some "bereaved survivors" may be too upset to bargain shop. But many customers see nothing wrong with saving money on funerals -- all but four of Walmart's 15 casket models are currently sold out online. "For the traditional funeral industry, this could be a devastating development."
"Save money, die better: Walmart now selling discount coffins, urns online"
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43 Comments
Posted by steve k., Monday, November 2, 2009, 4:02 pm Looks like it's time for funeral homes to adapt to new competition or die.
Posted by steve k., Monday, November 2, 2009, 4:05 pm Wallmart is always trying to kill the competition, but for my money, Costco is bound to have a far superior product and probably did not get it by forcing workers into sweat shop labor.
Posted by barbara, Monday, November 2, 2009, 8:00 pm So, you would rather have your casket from Costco than from Walmart? I just want the cheapest one to save my heirs the expense. I would imagine Costco's caskets and Walmart's and the funeral homes across the country all come from the same place.
Posted by Walmart4Life, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 9:19 am I want an entire Walmart funeral package at a Walmart Church with a Walmart mass lead by a Walmart minister preaching the gospel of Walmart. Seriously I do. It will be cheaper and I will be dead and I will not care and it will save my family money.
Posted by doolittle, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 10:52 am Well WalMart gets you from birth to death!!
Posted by minnie, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 11:01 am Who is to say walmart will not go out of business, ot is too big to fail? The government wants a takeover in everything, why not walmart including your coffin, NEXT once it does not it will want your life insurance cause your heirs will be force to SHARE IT AS IN YOU CANNOT HAVE ALL YOUR PIE, YOU WILL HAVE TO SHARE YOUR PIE. IF you pay for it while you are living, your family WILL NOT have to pay for it, that is WHY we have life insurances. I knew it was only a matter of time.
Posted by minnie, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 11:04 am Can walmart give you a birth certificate from Hawaii? I f the answer is yes, you will see undocumented persons over there asap.
Posted by steven harnack, Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 11:46 am minnie must be a reference to the size of your brain!
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