There is no doubt about it. Because of the recession people have opted for lower cost funeral options. The revenue numbers for the year are down for the the major funeral corporations SCI (Service Corporation International) STEI (Stewart Enterprises) and HI(Batesville Casket AKA) Hillenbrand, inc.)
Cremations are on the rise across the land. People are not just shopping around for a funeral, they are opting for lower costs.
“When you can’t afford the cost of living, you certainly can’t afford the cost of dying,” says Joshua Slocum, director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit funeral industry watchdog organization. “We’re hearing from funeral directors and consumers that the economy is affecting choices. People are planning ahead. They’re reconsidering long-held traditions for simpler, more personalized funerals.”
“The economy is directing people to look for less expensive alternatives for everything, including funerals,” says Luke DiMaria, owner of Abby Funeral & Cremation Service Inc. in Rocky Hill, Conn. “It’s one of the reasons cremations have become much more popular.”
Funeral industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Tags: "lower cost funeral", Batesville, blog, cremations, funeral, funeral industry, Hillenbrand, recession, SCI, Service Corporation International, STEI
