Wal-Mart Now Selling Coffins
Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009
by Laura Trahan
I can hear my mom now, she would be putting hers on layaway. I grew in a small town in Arkansas. Although, I will say in Arkansas, it wasn't considered so small.
Wal-Mart is where you went every weekend to catch up on the town gossip. Aisles weren't meant to walk through, but meant to stand in and talk with every one from town. Wal-Mart trips took usually at least two hours, if it was a slow day.
To be there when you give birth indoctrinating those little babies with their cheep onesies and toys. Forget registering at those expensive stores when you get married, Wal-Mart makes it easy. Now, when you die, who else could find the coffin that meets your style. It will, after all, be just like home with all the Wal-Mart merchandise.
Prices range from a "Mom" or "Dad Remembered" steel coffin for $895, to a bronze model at $2,899.
I have to admit, this is very cheap. My mom's casket was much more expensive because funeral homes own the market. In small towns, you are usually taken high and dry by those funeral homes. Wal-Mart is going to offer a little competition.
The retailer is allowing customers to plan ahead by paying for the caskets over 12 months for no interest. The caskets can be dispatched within 48 hours.
Funeral directors have said they are not concerned because Wal-Mart can not add the personal touch that families need during bereavement. Because why would you not want a strange funeral director that never even knew your family helping you pick out a casket?
Wal-Mart would have been more personal during that time then some cold funeral home. At least, I could get that final laugh at mom for wasting so much money at that store! Or maybe she could get the final laugh by causing me to waste time in that store!
Because you know you always here these type of conversations at funerals.
"Where did you get that gorgeous casket?"
"Wal-Mart. They even had purple sequined, but we just went with the non-sparkly."
It doesn't matter. Cutting cost is essential since you are bled dry during those situations. I know the jokes are going to start, but I have to admit that I am curious about it. Maybe I should go on and put it on my Christmas Wish List.
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More commentsHi Laura.Wow. That's a crazy piece of news. Do all Walmarts everywhere do this? Can't wait to find out if our local Walmart does this. Thanks for the heads up.DianneDianne-They are just doing it in select Wal-Marts to measure consumer response. I, honestly, think it would do well so I bet there are more soon!
Hello Laura.This is morbid, yet surprisingly unsurprising. If can be sold Wal-Mart will sell it.I can just see it now... "Electronics, chips and in Aisle 13, his and hers caskets."Thanks for this read Laura!Thanks Edward for commenting. . .never thought about it that way!
Great article. Well done.Very interesting. What will sell is sold. I hope they come out with a trolley big enough.True Connor! I wonder how much of the cost is in shipping to the funeral home. Thanks for commenting!
hi laura,this was a light hearted, and yet serious subject. your whit is infectious.i have often worried about what my kids would do if anything happened to me, and i do have life insurance, but my parents didn't. coffins are so expensive, to just disintegrate in the ground, and there ain't nobody home!i'll go with wal-mart, or the back lake would be idealthanks for sharing,my best,sueSue-You make me laugh! By the time the funeral home was done with my mom's funeral-they had every bit of life insurance she had! I agree-the lake would be good! And it does just disintegrate in the ground! You brought out great points!
All I ever hear about is Wal-Mart being trashed. That they run other businesses out of town and they treat their workers poorly. Recently, we had a Wal-Mart move into the area I live. I was in the market for a few items so I went to a few local established stores and was treated like I was a bother. In addition, they did not go out of their way to order something I wanted to purchase from them.
I went to Wal-Mart, was treated with courtesy and received a great price for what I needed to buy. I still shop there. Others in my area have had similar stories as mine and Wal-Mart is booming. As for caskets, seems weird... but you bring up some valid points----thanks for the enjoyable read.Thanks for commenting with your experience Steve! I have noticed the small town Wal-marts do tend to have better customer service! Thanks again!
Very interesting and economical... our wal-marts (and since we live in the middle of a mountain meadow I regularly shop about 4 of them and sometimes as many as 7 different ones depending on which town I am in or what part of town..... I have asked employees and they like working there. They know who the grumblers are. the kind who get interviewed for the videos that slam Wal-Mart....anyhow, people are friendly and helpful there and the prices are consistently lower than other stores in the area. This casket angle is interesting but there sure is a need for something affordable. MarijoThanks Marijo for commenting and sharing about your Wal-Marts!
When you mentioned that your mom would be putting her coffin in lay-a-way. You may be surprised! As a business consultant for many of the funeral homes I have seen their sales decline because of these types of "cheap" offerings. Please ask yourself would you like to be in a cheap coffin or have a procession and service offering of a funeral home that can be remembered. You may want to consider this.It doesn't matter to me-I am dead!I think, and hope, that the time of people really caring what happens to their dead husk is coming to an end.
I love it.You can pick out your casket dress, your graveside flowers, *and* your deli tray for the post-funeral dinner - and carry them all home in the casket (much like they do when you buy a laundry basket or waste basket). You're all set!
Very funny. I had no idea.Crystal
Honestly I like Walmart, and I think it's hilarious that corporate America is trying to convince the public at large that Walmart bullying suppliers into giving lower prices is actually BAD for everyone else. And some people buy it! Anyone who screams about WalMart needs to watch "Penn and Teller's Bull****" on them...they tell it like it really is. What's really funny is that shortly after they did their piece on Walmart, talking about how Walmart actually helps most little niche stores by putting money back in people's pockets that they can then spend at the mom and pop joints, Walmart started using the "Save money, live better!" slogan. LOL
This is hilarious! I fell out on this one. I hope they have seasonal sales on the coffins or pre-existing conditions discounts. It would sure save me some cash.
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