momofkhm Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I went on-line to see if there is a Costco near us. While I was there, I noticed that you can shop online and there is a "funeral" tab. You can buy a casket online at Costco. I find that disturbing. Oh, they range from just under $1000 to around $2500. They also have urns and "keepsakes". I'm just :001_huh:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 We have a casket store close to us. It may seem disturbing but would it be less disturbing to have to pay 10X the cost of the casket at a funeral home just because they didn't have any competition? By law, funeral homes have to accept an outside casket. Put me in a paper bag and light the edge. ;) Pegasus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanG Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 All I find disturbing about it is the PRICE! I'm giving my body to science, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristavws Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 We had a yard sale last month, and had a bunch of larger size stuffed animals. A man came up to me and said he wanted them all as they would be "perfect." He sold caskets..... Krista Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy in IL Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 We drove past a store yesterday that had a big sign - "Tombstones made while you wait! Call Elmo for your tombstone needs." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagnfun Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 We drove past a store yesterday that had a big sign - "Tombstones made while you wait! Call Elmo for your tombstone needs." My father is a mortician. Yes I've heard all the jokes. Yes dinner topics weren't normal. Yes caskets, urns, & toetag catalogs were around our house all the time. Fun stuff eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julpost Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Wow! I get sad just thinking about it. The father of one of ds's friends was a mortician and I'd get sad whenever I saw him. I don't know why, it's kind of taboo in my mind...I don't even want to think about it. I was actually thinking about this other day though....how families used to prepare their deceased loved ones' bodies themselves, that it was part of the closure process. I wonder how much we're missing by not doing that anymore. My grandmother passed away in December and I still just can not believe it. I saw her briefly at the funeral and that was it. I don't know..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 DH is a cabinet maker/installer and we're thinking of getting into the casket making business (part time). Several years ago he made a casket for a little four year old boy in our church who'd died in his sleep; I made the pillow (cross stitched his name onto the pillow case). The owner of the shop where dh works made a casket recently for a guy who just couldn't bring himself to buy a casket at Costco (the funeral company he was using doesn't deal in caskets; they send their customers to Costco). So after that we realized maybe -- if dh's boss doesn't mind -- maybe we could talk to the lady who runs this alternative funeral home and see if dh could make caskets for her, for people interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Hey, a bargain's a bargain. I think it's good to have alternatives to buying them at higher prices. It's also good to be able to decide for oneself that you want just a simple box, no biggie, not too expensive. I'd much rather my loved ones spend the money taking themselves on a nice vacation or something to remember me by than spending 10G on a box to bury me in. Of course, I'll probably just vote for the paper bag and a match too. More efficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen sn Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Wow! I get sad just thinking about it. The father of one of ds's friends was a mortician and I'd get sad whenever I saw him. I don't know why, it's kind of taboo in my mind...I don't even want to think about it. I was actually thinking about this other day though....how families used to prepare their deceased loved ones' bodies themselves, that it was part of the closure process. I wonder how much we're missing by not doing that anymore. My grandmother passed away in December and I still just can not believe it. I saw her briefly at the funeral and that was it. I don't know..... I know. From the time I read Gone With the Wind I knew that I was the kind of person who could wash her dead and ready them for the process of return. I think it is healing. I imagine the womyn did it together and told stories of the loved one while they washed the body, comed the hair, and dressed them. A kid said to me one day when we were talking about funerals, "You we're gonna bury under a tree." She knows me well. And I want to be lain on a bed of flowers in the cold dark earth. Cover me with flowers. Throw in the dirt. And throw a big party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*anj* Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I had a friend who died about five years ago. She taught at a Waldorf school and was very organic, back to nature, etc. So when she died, the funeral and viewing were held at the home of a friend of hers. She lay there in the living room while everyone came and said their goodbyes. Prior to the viewing some of her very close friends did just what Karen described. They washed her body and applied perfumed oils and such. They dressed her and laid her on something like a table, I don't think it was a coffin. There were lots of candles and incense in the room, mostly to make sure it smelled nice. I remember thinking it was slightly odd, but at the same time I thought it was really neat. It was so peaceful and tranquil, just like her. She was surrounded by people and things that she loved. There were no chemicals or anything involved, and even though they burned candles to help keep the room fragrant it wasn't weird. It all made perfect sense. She was dead, not sleeping. I guess it seemed more like a natural way to observe someone's passing. I'll stop now because I'm probably freaking someone out, and that's not my intention. Sometimes there's no way to explain something without sounding odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverfront Headmistress Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Its a smart idea. My grandma had her burial plot payed for long before her death. She did this to be buried next to her husband. Before g-ma died, my dad went out to the site only to find she bought a headstone as well. All that was missing was the date of death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I think it's great! People die every day, and caskets are SO expensive... that's a real deal. There really are families that just can't afford a funeral, and anything that saves a couple of thousand dollars is a blessing in my book. Some mortuaries require you to buy thier caskets (at an expensive mark-up) so I wonder how Costco does around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I went on-line to see if there is a Costco near us. While I was there, I noticed that you can shop online and there is a "funeral" tab. You can buy a casket online at Costco. I find that disturbing. Oh, they range from just under $1000 to around $2500. They also have urns and "keepsakes". I'm just :001_huh:. Well, I don't, really. I might buy an inexpensive casket and keep it in the garage until I die, so that no one can sucker my kids into paying $10,000 for a better one out of guilt. That's what disturbs me - that death can be so sudden and the survivors so easily taken advantage of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I went on-line to see if there is a Costco near us. While I was there, I noticed that you can shop online and there is a "funeral" tab. You can buy a casket online at Costco. I find that disturbing. Oh, they range from just under $1000 to around $2500. They also have urns and "keepsakes". I'm just :001_huh:. I'm not sure from this what you find disturbing. The fact that Costco sells caskets, the price of caskets these days, or that the subject of mortality was thrust upon you while surfing the web? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancypants Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Interesting... I guess it would be disturbing if you were going online to buy a mattress and accidentally clicked on caskets instead. :lol: But really, it's a good thing... "death costs" can be astronomically stupid. During a desperate jobless time, my husband (now a minister) sold caskets... had to do cold calls (har har :D). Not kidding though. He lasted about two weeks on that job before deciding there was no future in it (har har :D... sorry) and that it was too depressing. Not to mention he met too many people that were fairly convinced they were never going to die which made it kind of a tough sell. One time he asked the person how they worked it out to not have to die and the person said, "Because I'm God." Hubby replied, "Wow. That's a nice arrangement!" :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wilhelm Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 We have a casket store close to us. It may seem disturbing but would it be less disturbing to have to pay 10X the cost of the casket at a funeral home just because they didn't have any competition? By law, funeral homes have to accept an outside casket.Put me in a paper bag and light the edge. ;) Pegasus Why do I have visions of the old "ringing the doorbell, lighting a paper bag of poop and running away" gag in my head! :lol::lol: Oh yeah!! 'cause I'm sick and twisted!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Have you seen "A Family Undertaking?" It's about home funerals and being your own undertakers. I think it's a beautiful idea. I know. From the time I read Gone With the Wind I knew that I was the kind of person who could wash her dead and ready them for the process of return. I think it is healing. I imagine the womyn did it together and told stories of the loved one while they washed the body, comed the hair, and dressed them. A kid said to me one day when we were talking about funerals, "You we're gonna bury under a tree." She knows me well. And I want to be lain on a bed of flowers in the cold dark earth. Cover me with flowers. Throw in the dirt. And throw a big party. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa at Home Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 :svengo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niffercoo Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Hey, a bargain's a bargain. I think it's good to have alternatives to buying them at higher prices. It's also good to be able to decide for oneself that you want just a simple box, no biggie, not too expensive. I'd much rather my loved ones spend the money taking themselves on a nice vacation or something to remember me by than spending 10G on a box to bury me in. Of course, I'll probably just vote for the paper bag and a match too. More efficient. I completely agree with you! I already know what I would like my family to do when I'm gone. It involves cremation, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Walt Disney World. :thumbup: For some reason, my husband doesn't like my idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 what I find disturbing is buying a casket on-line. I personally (thankfully) have not yet been involved in the nitty gritty of a funeral. I had no idea these were great prices! Or maybe it was what I didn't mention - you can buy an urn for your cat/dog/pet for $89 and then turn around and buy one for your loved one for $99. I don't plan on keeping either one around - pet or loved one - so it doesn't effect me personally. FYI: My mom wants to be cremated and then spread on a garden. I have no issue with it being a good price. I have no issue with someone other than a funeral home selling them, although I never thought about it before. It just seems that a casket is something you need right away, not wait 7-10 days for shipping. And wouldn't freight charges completely erase any savings anyway? (Now I'm just getting punchy.) It does seem to have launched an interesting discussion though. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I don't find it disturbing. It's an item everyone needs, eventually, and Costco just wants in on the market. You should know, though, that you may only get what you pay for. A relative is a funeral director, and I asked him about this a few years after the budget casket store came to his town. He told me he understood that people wanted to save money, but that the quality of the "budget" caskets left a lot to be desired. He told me about people bringing in caskets that wouldn't close properly, about carrying handles that fell off when used, and that, in order to provide his customers with the quality of service that they expected and deserved from his funeral home, he sometimes had to eat the cost of a better quality replacement casket in order to have one that was even usable. Doing that has earned him even more trust in his community, but it doesn't help him keep his costs down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 DH and I have already told each other that we want to be cremated. I think it's written in our will or something. Neither one of us can fathom whoever is left having to foot a huge bill....and for what? To lay in something horribly expensive when you don't even know it? This may sound crass, but I don't mean it to! Oh good, it looks like others have said the same kind of thing. We know our family loves us and will be sad. But spending huge amounts of money for a casket doesn't make sense to us. That's just us. So, I like someone else's idea of going on a vacation or something to try to "clear their heads"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 It's one of those things that makes me glad DH and I are both veterans. The basics (cremation, or a place to be buried, a box, a headstone) are covered by the VA for any honorably discharged vet. DH wants a military funeral; I want to be cremated on an open ship-pyre while all my friends and loved ones get drunk/party around it. Unfortunately, I may have to settle for cremation and burial at sea (and hope whoever does the burial isn't like one of the chucklehead sailors I knew who'd done at-sea military funerals and, ah, botched it. I don't want to be ground into the paint on the deck of some ship...or have the ceremony filmed for family with fake ashes because they messed it up when actually putting me over the side.) My mother no doubt will have all that stuff lined up for when she dies; she's organized like that. My dad will get VA burial, probably. Neither is the type to want family to go into debt to pay for a fancy funeral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 what I find disturbing is buying a casket on-line. Well, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle T Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Hey, a bargain's a bargain. I think it's good to have alternatives to buying them at higher prices. It's also good to be able to decide for oneself that you want just a simple box, no biggie, not too expensive. I'd much rather my loved ones spend the money taking themselves on a nice vacation or something to remember me by than spending 10G on a box to bury me in. Of course, I'll probably just vote for the paper bag and a match too. More efficient. I would hate for him to waste a load of money on a coffin. Didn't know Costco sold them, but hey, a bargain is always good! I always assume DH will outlive me, as he is super health conscious, unlike me. Michelle T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Wow! I was actually thinking about this other day though....how families used to prepare their deceased loved ones' bodies themselves, that it was part of the closure process. I wonder how much we're missing by not doing that anymore. My grandmother passed away in December and I still just can not believe it. I saw her briefly at the funeral and that was it. You're losing some of the reality, but you are saving some of the gross factor. In Venezuela they don't embalm, so you have to get the person buried in 24 hours (tropical climate and all). Depending on the time of death, family members sit up all night with the deceased in a funeral home to accomodate the huge number of people who will come to pay their condolences. If the person dies at night the burial has to be the next day, so there may not be many people there. The orifices are stuffed with wax which you can usually see and the eyelids should be weighted down, but sometimes it doesn't work, so you get a winker. Coffins are sealed with a glass pane to limit scents and funeral homes tend to have lots of candles/incense/air fresheners. To compensate for the rushed nature of the burial, a series of nine masses is said for the deceased (even if they weren't religious) so that friends and family can get together to remember the person and get a sense of closure. On the plus side, the Venezuelan method is a lot cheaper than the American one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I was actually thinking about this other day though....how families used to prepare their deceased loved ones' bodies themselves, that it was part of the closure process. I wonder how much we're missing by not doing that anymore. ..... Our local tv news had a story about home funerals recently. Some people are doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Why do I have visions of the old "ringing the doorbell, lighting a paper bag of poop and running away" gag in my head! :lol::lol: Oh yeah!! 'cause I'm sick and twisted!! :D I guess I'm sick and twisted, too. Now I'm reminded of an old song I used to hear on the radio...has anyone else heard "Send Me to Glory in a Glad Bag" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam Wilhelm Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I guess I'm sick and twisted, too. Now I'm reminded of an old song I used to hear on the radio...has anyone else heard "Send Me to Glory in a Glad Bag" ? Never heard that........ but I'm off to google it. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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