People expect the liquor industry, films and other forms of ‘entertainment’ to do well during a recession. These businesses offer individuals a way to escape reality, even if it’s for just an hour or two. But, who knew that the funeral industry would receive attention during this economic turmoil? A brief look through recent news articles brings some interesting perspectives to this death care field.
Some articles listed below point to the fact that funeral homes are feeling the pinch as much as anyone during this recession. So, the focus seems to be about people choosing cremation over traditional burials, as cremation seems to be the less expensive option for funerals. But, as with any commodity, will the law of supply and demand begin to affect cremation costs?
The answer might lie in location (some places are more expensive than others to conduct funeral services) and in funeral options (will you bury the ashes or take them home?). Also, funeral homes need to make a profit, too, so if more people are turning to cremations, expect more options to be available to help that funeral bill escalate. On the other hand, look for some funeral homes to provide sales and incentives to bring business in during this recession.
The following articles all deal with recent economic woes and the funeral industry. The articles are arranged in alphabetical order to show that we do not favor one article over another:
- A Real Kick in the Ash: This article, out of New York, provides current costs at the Green-Wood Cemetery: “A no-frills cremation will set you back about $400, or less than your economic-stimulus check…Meanwhile, a low-end crypt will typically run a family about $8,500, and a plot of land to bury two people – double-decker style – will set you back about $5,000.”
- Another Sign Of The Recession — Cremation On The Rise: This article, which covers the funeral industry as a whole, points to gravesites as the culprit behind funeral costs, not caskets. “Sheri Richardson Stahl, who runs Island Funeral Home in Beaufort, S.C., said there are no public graveyards in the Hilton Head area, so plots at the nearest semi-private cemetery start at $2500 and ‘can easily reach $10,000.’”
- Business is Cooking at Local Crematories. Thank the Recession: “In the St. Louis area the average burial cost ranges between $8,000 to $10,000, while the cremation fee, which includes transporting the body, the urn and a copy of the death certificate, hovers between $1,000 and $1,200.”
- Funeral business is not immune to recession: Funeral industry profit has dropped from nine percent at the beginning of this decade to four percent, according to Peter Stefan, owner of Graham, Putnam, & Mahoney Funeral Parlors in Massechusetts. “A cremation can cost $2,500, said Stefan, while an average funeral will run $6,000, not counting cemetery rates.” On the other hand, “Bill Duckett, who manages funeral homes in Sudbury and Framingham…declined to connect the economic recession with an increased interest in cremations, which had been on the rise before the economy tanked last fall.”
- Funeral costs not recession proof: Cremation versus traditional funerals in Spokane, Washington: “An individual cremation, you’re looking at less than $1,000, and with the average full body burial with cemetery property you’re looking at $8,000 to $9,000.”
- Funeral industry feeling pinch of recession: If you’re looking for a woman who understands the cost of death yet who also believes in celebrating a life lived, look no further than Wiggen & Sons located in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. Carol Sauers, who represents that funeral home, “knows not everyone can afford full-service plans. Occasionally, she encourages money-conscious clients to consider a home memorial,” which costs little for the family.
- Hansen: The business of death turns to discounts: The Merle Hay Funeral Home and the Sunset Funeral Chapel on Fleur Drive in Des Moines, Iowa, is offering 50 percent discounts on all his merchandise during these trying times. “I have a lot of inventory,” owner Blair Overton says. “Taking a little off now helps the customer and it helps me.”
- Recession-Friendly Rites: This article, also generated out of New York, quotes the Maloney Funeral Homes: “The typical bill for a burial ranges from $8,000 to $12,000…Cremation costs between $4,000 and $8,000. The actual process costs about $400, which is added to the cost of an urn, a service and possibly a niche or burial plot for the ashes.”
Although it seems that funeral homes are feeling the pinch, at Nassau Community College in New York, inquiries about their mortuary science program are up fifteen percent in recent months, and enrollment for last fall’s class was nearly double the year before. According to this article in Newsday:
At the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Education, a private program in Manhattan, enrollment has jumped to 270 students for the spring semester, compared with 200 a year ago. The school attributes the rise to the economic downturn and the addition of an online program.
Maybe these students are forward-thinking entrepreneurs who see a silver lining for traditional funerals in the future?
Tags: Cremation, Death Care, funerals