Save money, die better: Walmart now selling discount coffins, urns online
Filed under: Company News, Economy, Wal-Mart Stores, Green
Earlier this week, Walmart (WMT) took its first steps into the funeral business. On its website, the retailer now offers 15 caskets and over 130 urns and cremains containers. Priced between $895 and $2,899, the caskets are distributed through the Star Legacy Funeral Network, can be delivered within 48 hours, and are designed to appeal to a wide variety of tastes. For example, the pinstriped "Executive Privilege" model is perfect for buttoned-down businessmen, while the metallic lavender "Lovely in All Ways" vessel offers a more feminine style. For the traditional funeral industry, this could be a devastating development. Although they have long been the main retailers of burial vessels, funeral homes are legally required to accept caskets from third parties. With Walmart selling caskets and urns at bargain prices, bereaved families may be tempted to trim funeral costs by ordering from the retailer.
Although Walmart is in a class by itself, it isn't the first discount retailer to try its hand at selling caskets. Costco entered the market in 2004 and currently offers seven caskets and several urns on its website. Meanwhile, numerous lesser-known retailers sell burial vessels on the internet.
Some funeral professionals have questioned the move. Dick Coffin, co-author of Ahead of Your Time: A Complete Guide to End-of-Life Planning, pointed out that funerals are highly personal. "You don't do that with Walmart," he said. "People aren't going to get the personalization that they get with a funeral home director."
Walmart's decision to carry funeral vessels also doesn't account for the fact that few people plan ahead for their funerals. Coffin also questions whether the retailer will make a profit with its new line. "The percentage of people who prepare for death is tiny," he said. "If it's one-third of 1 percent, I'd be surprised." This lack of preparation means that the target market for Walmart's caskets would largely consist of bereaved survivors, who may be too upset to bargain shop.
Another issue lies in the composition of Walmart's burial vessels: While some of their urns are made of organic materials, their caskets are all made of either 18-gauge steel or bronze. While sturdy and impressive, metal burial vessels tend to be much more expensive than wooden ones. Also, they don't easily decompose, which means that they are unacceptable for Jewish families or other people who want more natural options. Said Cynthia Beal, founder of the Natural Burial Company: "Just like organic produce, natural burial isn't a specialty industry. Walmart is missing the boat. Adding steel coffins when they are going down in popularity shows that some marketers didn't do their homework."
These critiques aside, it seems like Walmart's strategy is bearing fruit, at least in the short term. Of the company's fifteen casket models, all but four are currently sold out online. While some of this is likely due to the fact that Halloween was this weekend, it is also possible that the easy availability of lower-priced caskets is inspiring some families to save a little money on their final goodbyes. After the buzz dies down, however, it will be interesting to see if Walmart's bold new strategy is a feather in its cap ... or a nail in its coffin.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-01-2009 @ 1:47PM
Tell me said...
are these available on a lay-away plan?
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11-01-2009 @ 3:23PM
Jack said...
How long will it be that Walmart has a cremation in and out service ?
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11-01-2009 @ 3:29PM
Sarah said...
The funeral business in this country is the biggest racket there is - the average funeral with a casket and all the services costs several thousands of dollars. Why do you need metal containers to hold the decomposing remains of a dead body? Why do you need to be preserved? You are never going to need that body again. And, who thinks they are so special that a piece of earth should be dedicated to housing their dead body FOREVER? Cemeteries are such a waste of land, really, after a couple of generations, who remembers these people and visits their graves? Cremation costs just a couple hundred dollars, but the same thing can be said about the ashes - do you really think your great-great-great grandchildren, who never knew you, are going to take care of your urns? I'm donating my dead body to science. My children have their memories of me, and I will see them in Heaven.
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11-04-2009 @ 3:28PM
tricia said...
geez you sure are depressing ...hopefully my daughter will keep my ashes and either spread them somewhere or bury me with her....lol thats my wishes
11-01-2009 @ 8:38PM
mary said...
I agree with Sarah except that in Oklahoma City it cost a thousand dollars to have my mother cremated and no urn.
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11-04-2009 @ 3:29PM
tricia said...
a thousnds is better then 6 or 7 or more dont you think.
11-02-2009 @ 6:47AM
sonny williams said...
More people would use this service if they were familar with State rules about it. other than embalming the body what other service does a funeral director serve that you couldn't do yourself ? I remember home funerals,The costs of funerals has skyrocketed do to the fact the funeral homes are so elaborate. It seems like a lot of money for housing a body for 1-3 days.Transportation is not that expensive. Most funeral homes rent the cars just like you would.Seems like a lot of money .
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11-02-2009 @ 10:27AM
aforceguy said...
I always have to chuckle when I see people who shop at Wal-Mart...but it's more a laugh you have when you ponder the hypocrisy of it all. You all should do some research on this company (and not what the media tells you). I mean look at what this company REALLY stands for. They're mantra is low prices. Period. And people shop there because they don't want to pay a few dollars extra someplace else.
Part of Wal-Mart's slogan is "live better". The irony is that this company is contributing heavily destroying ecosystems of countries like Brazil and Venezuela where they have fish farms. The operations are damaging the marine ecosystems off those country's coasts. But hey, at least YOU don't have to pay an extra dollar for canned salmon. That's all that's important, right?
They aren't friendly to the American worker, either. They offer poor wages, poor benefits (if any), they pressure suppliers to lower costs and cut corners, they muscle their way into new markets and put other businesses out of business. Now, look at a competitor like Target: they purposely buy up land that no one wants, develop it, build on it, employ the people AND offer great benefits to them. Target's mission statement specifically includes a part about bettering the communities they serve...and they donate a portion of profits to that community.
I'm not surprised Wal-Mart is going to try to move into the mortuary business now, too. If Wal-Mart had their way, they'd do EVERYTHING!
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11-11-2009 @ 12:18AM
Arthur said...
(Aforcedguy) must be in funeral business. You don't receive personalization with a funeral home directors. You get this Ahole who wants to make you feel guilty about buying a cheaper coffin. They keep going up in price so it's about time others get involved in a cheaper way to deal with these with these types who prey on people.
Has anyone noticed that it's the so called business organizations with higher prices that bitch about walmart. So please don't plead you case with us. Tell these so called funeral directors to lower there damn prices before Walmart open puts them out of business.
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11-11-2009 @ 12:26AM
Arthur said...
Are you in the funeral business?
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11-07-2009 @ 8:46AM
Dyan said...
If you think back in history, the Country store in the West carried caskets? I think the funeral homes have shafted the general public long enough and need some compitition? We always had Doctors and now we have them and Nurse practioners. There are 2 things we are guaranteed of in this world, one is Death and the other is Change. Lets not jump to quickly with our opinions about Walmart and Cosco because aren't they in the retail business? The funeral homes have long been the only source and made sure they kept their prices UP, it is time for a Change, I think?
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11-08-2009 @ 8:54AM
linmarco said...
These posts are more amusing than the late night shows and SNL combined. I buried a family member a few weeks
ago. It wasn't cheap. It's a hell of a life we live. You pay to
enter, pay to stay in, and pay to leave. Only one person has
been known to get out alive. Add to this the business of dying and truly it's a hell of a life.
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