Wal-Mart starts selling coffins

Wal-Mart starts selling coffins

news.bbc.co.uk

The world's largest retailer, Wal-Mart, now plans to hold on to customers even after they die - by selling coffins.

Prices range from a "Mom" or "Dad Remembered" steel coffin for $895 (£540), to a bronze model at $2,899.

The retailer is allowing customers to plan ahead by paying for the caskets over 12 months for no interest. They can be dispatched within 48 hours.

(visit the link for the full news article)

An innocent sales initiative or a sign of the times?

It would be interesting to know when they formulated this plan - and what their research revealed in terms of potential 'demand'. (Can you imagine the projected sales for a lethal pandemic scenario?)

Maybe we should look at this less cynically? It might, after all, prove a real help to those who find themselves strapped for cash - a potentially vast market in the current economic climate.


news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I'm thinking that Walmart is just trying to cash in on something that everyone eventually needs. They way it usually is, when a loved one dies, funeral homes take serious advantage of them in their time of grief and confusion, milking them for every dollar they can get from them. If Walmart charges $895 for a coffin, you can bet that a funeral home charges many times that for the same thing.

Walmart offers a lot of prescriptions for $4. You show me anywhere else you can get a prescription filled for that. Most cost several times that, even for older, generic drugs.

I seriously doubt Walmart is trying to cash in on a major dieoff during a pandemic.

The Major isn't surprised, death is good business. Regardless of faith, social strata or financial means the Major knows that each and every inhabitant of this rock will be a potential customer; be it coffin, urn, gravesite, crematory services or a hike in the Himalayas with a Chock full o'Nuts can. The Major doesn't understand why it should be a shock that the number one retailer in the world would want a piece of what amounts to a never ending stream of customers via the inevitable end that awaits us all. This is a strategic move worthy of General George S. Patton sans ivory pistols and the occasional slap down.

The Major will be quite satisfied with the Government Issued receptacle that will will be provided upon the Major's demise, and nothing promotes a peaceful eternal slumber like a fresh olive drab canvas lining. The rest of you recruits might as well make good use of an "roll back pricing" that may occur from time to time. Never to early to be prepared.

Dismissed.

Let's see what's on the shopping list.

Deodorant

New undies

Six pack of coffins!

Yeah, I think this can go either way. Maybe they're just expanding their product line....but....coffins?!?

I can't help but think that they are keeping tabs on what's in the air, so to speak. This is the era of disease. I don't think it necessary for TPTB to do any more harm than they already have to our environment. Depopulation seems inevitable, with or without further corporate/government mishaps.

I wonder if they will start selling cemetery plots next? Maybe right there in their enormous parking lots. Each parking space as a grave..."here lies a devoted, dearly departed lifetime customer..."

Seriously, I see no big deal with this. Affordable coffins...makes sense...I never got why people will spend boo-koo bucks on a box for their corpse, when a pine box does just fine...hell who needs a box...just cremate me.

Just my 2-cents

Its actually not a bad idea. I always thought that the funeral homes seemed to have a monopoly on coffins. And they overcharge because where are you going to find a coffin if you can't afford one from the funeral home?

Wal-mart apparently.

Im going for cremation so the finiest and I do mean finiest cardboard box money can buy.

BTW Costco has been selling them for years now

www.costco.com...|20595&lang=en-US&whse=BC&topnav=

you can get them with standard or expidited shipping

Originally posted by Aggie Man
hell who needs a box...just cremate me.

Here here! Why fill up the ground with boxes of bodies. Kinda morbid... Just release me into the air.

Originally posted by pause4thought


An innocent sales initiative or a sign of the times?

It would be interesting to know when they formulated this plan - and what their research revealed in terms of potential 'demand'. (Can you imagine the projected sales for a lethal pandemic scenario?)

Maybe we should look at this less cynically? It might, after all, prove a real help to those who find themselves strapped for cash - a potentially vast market in the current economic climate.


news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Or foreshadowing of things to come? who owns Walmart anyway? some Illuminati mason scum who knows whats up?..perhaps? "the jews"?, gw shrub et al? I honestly don't know... Or a govt excuse to stock pile coffins in every neighborhood? obama can take over businesses now..

On the heels of obamas govt-flu emergency, a giant corporate douche like Walmart expects there will be a demand for (made in China) Mc coffins.. this strikes me as a bad thing.

1st a declared "emergency"..then Walmart makes coffins widely available.. nah, me thinks these trends, nefarious or not, don't lead to the rainbow.

Oh man, ya have to give these folks credit for seizing the opportunity to capitalize on everything they can, ha, including our deaths. Oh well, I suppose it would be more cheaper and convenient when the rush is on if we can simply pick these things up at our corner China-Mart stores. (lol) I suppose they will be offering a pickup and disposal service next. (pssssst, don't eat the Sam Club pizzas with MEAT ... )

they should just roll out suicide booths already

Just exercising their freedom

reply to post by Major Discrepancy


The Undertaker thinks the Major need to look at his Veterans Burial benefits package. The Major's great Uncle Sam will pay for a burial plot, headstone, and the opening and closing of the grave. Uncle Sam will also send a couple of Sgts. to present your loved one a U.S. Flag. that's about it unless the Major gets KIA.

On topic, As a Funeral Director our mark-up is 2-3 times the cost of the casket, so I can see the need for families to have other alternatives. If you look at any merchandise in any store your going to see at least mark up of 100 %, it's called key stoning and it's the nature of retail.

Funeral Homes are are required by law to accept any third party casket that a family brings with them. It's a matter of convenience for the family. Not once has anyone brought a casket purchased from a third party. On more than a few occasions families have built their own casket. Not a problem with us either.

[edit on 30-10-2009 by The Undertaker]

Given that some walmarts now have a medical Clinic....

Wal-Mart plans 2,000 retail clinics

Maybe they will eventually offer autopsy and embalming services too.

Originally posted by Aggie Man
Maybe they will eventually offer autopsy and embalming services too.

Say, maybe they'll offer a taxidermy service too. Grandma would look cool out back in the garden scaring away all the crows.

So, will these be imported coffins from China? Say, they could probably offer off-shore burial services too. That would save a lot of land here from going to waste. They can ship the coffins back to China filled and let them worry about what to do with all the dead.

Originally posted by pause4thought


An innocent sales initiative or a sign of the times?

It would be interesting to know when they formulated this plan - and what their research revealed in terms of potential 'demand'. (Can you imagine the projected sales for a lethal pandemic scenario?)

Maybe we should look at this less cynically? It might, after all, prove a real help to those who find themselves strapped for cash - a potentially vast market in the current economic climate.


news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

Who knows? Maybe even though they are a huge entity, they can never be allowed to divulge an upcoming pandemic scenario on account of TPTB and maybe as an understood kickback, they are only allowed to profit from it? This is at least a sign of the times though. When will Wally World have an auto sales/lease dept?

reply to post by pause4thought


Why does everyone bash on Wal Mart for making peoples lives easier?

YES - Wal Mart gets rich off of it, so frecking what?



Does your employer get pissed off at you for selling more product so that *YOU* make a bigger Christmas bonus?

Does he say "you shouldnt be concerned about your bonus, you should be concerned about making ME happy"

No.

He makes more money, you make more money.

Wal Mart makes our lives easier, they make more money.

The "Death Industry" already charges so much for everything that it's ridiculous.

Do you know that you have to have a licensed tombstone creator to erect a tombstone for your loved one? You cannot do it yourself, no matter how artsy you are?

Thats the problem we ran into when my Grandfather died. My mother creates stone sculptures for a living, wanted to craft her own tombstone, the guy said no.

We had to buy from a list of places.

Cheapest one available was $1200 and it was TTTINNNYYYY


You go Wal-Mart!

I love seeing things like this.

Maybe they will eventually offer autopsy and embalming services too.

at least it'd be cheaper and wouldn't put families out on their asses when a loved one dies.

[edit on 31-10-2009 by Snarf]