Originally Posted By: PeterPolyol
Originally Posted By: CincyDavid
Originally Posted By: PeterPolyol
Originally Posted By: Number_35
In some cases the funeral people guilt the survivors into doing it - it's extra money for them.
When my turn comes, they can remember me as I was.
This. I'd put big money on that fact that this practice was normalized by the industry.
Everyone should remember that there wasn't an "industry" in the funeral trade until fairly recently. Until Service Corp Int'l sprung into being and grew in the 70s and 80s, EVERY funeral and cemetery operator was likely an independent, small businessman who in all likelihood lived above the store, such as it was. These professionals lived in their communities and offered (still offer) valuable services to the community doing something that nobody else wants to do...who else wants to crawl out of bed at 2AM in a snow storm and pick up Mrs. Smith from her couch where she died?
Good points, now the question is how good were the independents' make-up skills?
Surely the modern industry is nothing like it used to be- there's a lot of vultures out there right now getting off on the vulnerability and subdued critical ability of the grieving and otherwise emotionally taxed. They've turned the process into a dealership car sale. Its all an upsell and a 'well if you really loved your family' bit. For my own corpse, still trying to determine the most simple or traditional method tbh.
There's no question that some corporate entities upsell more aggressively than they should, and make a once-in-a-lifetime event like a funeral a commodity to be packaged and funded in advance. Grief and guilt are powerful emotions, no question.
My take on the corporate giants is this: they are real estate investment companies who incidentally buy funeral homes that are distressed for whatever reason (no heirs to take over, failing neighborhood, bad reputation, etc) and run them indifferently until such time as the real estate is worth more than the funeral business, then sell the property to developers who put up mid-rise office buildings. Per the NFDA, only 14% of US funeral homes are corporately owned. 86& are still family owned small businesses.
There is a move afoot to return to more of a 19th century burial process...placement in a wicker or pine box with no vault, no embalming, and no mowing after burial...let the cemetery return to a more natural state. Green burial definitions vary regionally but we are seeing some movement in that direction.
Fascinating business to be in, and in a huge state of flux at the moment. I find it very fulfilling helping families at the worst time in their lives, and it's my avocation. If I wanted to get rich, I would have gone into a different trade. It's a lot of long hours, and weekends but I feel good when I lay down at night, knowing I served people well.