Save Money. Die Better.
November 10th, 2009 by Bob Bly
Walmart’s slogan is “Save Money. Live Better.”
Now Walmart can help you die better, too — or at least cheaper: According to an article in Advertising Age (11/9/09, p. 10), the retail giant is now selling caskets and other funeral supplies on its web sites.
Costco and Amazon also sell coffins online. Traditionally coffins are sold by funeral homes as part of the funeral package.
Naturally, a spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) said buying coffins online is risky business; if the item is damaged, it may not be possible to fix or replace it in time for the funeral.
The main appeal of buying a casket online is low cost: some online vendors sell pine boxes starting at $200. Walmart has a “Dad Remembered” (how nice) model at $895.
I’m going to skip buying my coffin at Walmart or anywhere else: like 36% of Americans, I’m going to be cremated.
Fortunately for me, Walmart sells low-priced urns, too.
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November 10th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
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November 10th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I would love to be given the job of writing marketing copy for these products. The slogans are already coming to me….
“The Pewter Collection: Because They’ve Urned It”
“Being Dead Has Never Been More Convenient”
“Contain Yourself at Wal-Mart”
“Dying for a Better Deal?”
Okay, I’ll stop. for now.
November 10th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
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November 11th, 2009 at 4:42 am
November 11th, 2009 at 5:19 am
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November 11th, 2009 at 9:00 am
William: I was once asked to write an ad for a graveyard. The immediate headline that came to mind: “DEAD?” Of course, it was not the one I wrote.
November 11th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Don’tcha’ just love the web copy possibilities?
TO DIE NOW, JUST CLICK HERE.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:25 am
I was just looking at the keywords people used to find my site. Once of them was “emails from the dead.” Do you suppose Wal-Mart sells heavenly internet service too?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
[...] Save Money. Die Better… [...]
November 13th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Walmart moves into funerals…wow, we’ll have to watch out for their UK brand ‘Asda’ doing the same!
November 20th, 2009 at 9:02 am
Money is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts.[1][2] The main functions of money are distinguished as: a medium of exchange, a unit of account, a store of value, and occasionally, a standard of deferred payment.[3][4]
Money originated as commodity money, then evolved to easier-to-transport representative money, in which a certificate stands for a fixed quantity of a commodity.[citation needed] However, nearly all contemporary money systems at the national level are fiat money systems.[3] Fiat money is without value as a physical commodity, and derives its value by being declared by a government to be legal tender; that is, it must be accepted as a form of payment within the national boundaries of the country, for “all debts, public and private”. By law, the refusal of a legal tender (offering) extinguishes the debt in the same way acceptance does.[5]
The money supply of a country is usually held to consist of currency (banknotes and coins) and demand deposits or ‘bank money’ (the balance held in checking accounts and savings accounts). These demand deposits usually account for a much larger part of the money supply than currency.[6][7] Bank money is intangible and exists only in the form of various bank records. Despite being intangible, bank money still performs the basic functions of money, as checks are generally accepted as a form of payment and as a means of transferring ownership of deposit money.[8]
November 24th, 2009 at 7:08 am
Eh. I’ve decided to donate my body to science. In the event that’s not possible, I’d rather be cremated. In any case, it won’t matter to me. I’ll be dead, so what will I care?
That being said, for those that do want a traditional burial, buying a casket through a vendor rather than through the funeral home can save a lot of money. Costco has sold caskets for years.
The funeral industry has a reputation for leaning on bereaved relatives and pressuring them to spend more money during their time of emotional vulnerability.
February 26th, 2010 at 12:52 am
Well, why don’t we just cremate ourselves and place our ashes in our house? I mean, it’s way too low compared if you will buy your own casket and cemetery plot right?