Disturbing or smart?

October

As someone who dealt with a funeral home last year, I know how uncomfortable the whole business can be.

So when I heard on the radio that Walmart started selling caskets online, I was mildly intrigued.

I’m happy to hear they won’t be having casket displays in their stores. But I guess it’s time big retailers started competing with overpriced funeral homes.

After last year’s transaction with the funeral home, I realized how vulnerable we are when faced to make choices like these. Who wants to decide, under pressure, if it’s better to spring for the heavy-duty model or save money and get the plainer version?

What’s worse, the funeral-home shopping experience is done in the presence of the funeral director.

If you shop online, the decision is yours alone.

Out of curiosity, I checked the Walmart web site.

Pretty weird, right?

The prices, just around $1,000 (some are less), seem far more reasonable than those offered at funeral homes. But isn’t there something a little creepy about having UPS deliver a package like this?

What do you think:?

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 4:08 pm by Linda Lombroso.
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One Response to “Disturbing or smart?”

Steve C. November 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 am
I think they are catering to the Vampire crowd. There are some pretty strict guidelines on caskets. pretty cool for halloween. or maybe even a single bed. But there are some things you may want to see feel and touch.
Many decades ago when my dad passed, i went with my mom. Good thing I did, they tried to sell her the most expensive one. Price was part of it the other part was, it wasn’t my dad. He was a master Carpenter, and he always said put me in a simple wood box. Sure enough when we walked into the show room I saw the right one for him immediately. I sid this is it. but the guy walked my mom around and tried to pull the heart strings. But i was there and said, dad always said simple wooden box. Carpenter remember!
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