The folks in the Death Biz aren’t amused.
Those involved in arranging funerals were not as enthusiastic about discount retailers moving in on their business.
“If you take the casket out of the equation and the casket is purchased in a retail environment, then that portion of the funeral director’s profit center will disappear and the funeral director must respond to that,” said George Lemke, executive director of the Casket and Funeral Supply Association.
Asked if that meant raising prices, he replied: “That’s entirely possible.”
Yeah, there’s a shock.
Costco’s caskets are “medium weight” and run about $800. Various funeral homes offer caskets between $300 and $8000.
(Memo for the record. Unless it comes with a free granite pyramid with a mourning angel on the top and an eternal flame in front of it, an $8000 casket is not on my wish list for my post-departure period.)