Are we paying too much money for funerals for our deceased loved ones?

Nobody is being exploited here. We need people to take care of our deceased ones and other people are offering such services, not for free, of course. Unless you own a graveyard and are capable to adminster deceased body then you need to pay someone who can do so. People died only once and some extra money spent on them on behalf of sentimentalism is not an issue for most people, some people, even want to make their deceased one’s funeral as extravagant as possible as a sign of respect and perhaps, to show their status.

Funerals can get expensive, true. But as long as there are inexpensive options, there is no exploitation.

Inexpensive Options in Ireland

Personally, unless someone in the family intercedes, I will be going out on the cheap so that any assets that I may have will go to better use within the family, such as university tuition for my nieces and nephews.

I don’t, and I’m not making judgements for others.

Funeral Service’s main objective is to gently advance the grieving process.

It’s artisans are charged with the sometimes nearly impossible task of transforming the loved one’s body back into as pleasant and familiar a final sight as possible. This requires education, technical skill and an artist’s delicate touch. The markup on shall we say hardware and materials provides the capital for these deeply invested individual’s salary.

There are so many considerations to work around that the layman might never have thought of. Things such as compliance with the law and religious requirements, all manner of unpleasant technical issues with the body itself. I could go into much detail but I don’t think I will.

They must sometimes tactfully steer survivors away from understandable yet bad ideas. They deal with the conflicting notions that technically a corpse is just a corpse, but at the same time it is all that is left that represents a beloved person.

For centuries funeral service was a true family business. Very few people got into the it for other reasons. The commercialization of funeral service has changed this, for better or for worse. Large corporations now have factory like facilities that embalm and restore on what would seem like an assembly line (members of The Old School sometimes refer to these people as “fluid pushers”). This doesn’t mean your loved one is treated with any less respect but it has proven to be rather dispiriting for employees. They never see how their work results in the best experience possible for family and friends.

Customers, like with any business, must try to manage their expectations at a time when that can be especially difficult. All too often no one thinks about funeral service until the time comes.

Inexpensive yet legal options are available. Like @Espiritus_Corvus said no one need be exploited.

People pay what they want to, like a wedding. No different. Nobody is saying “do people pay too much for fancy weddings?”

Yes. The costs are outrageous!

I think so. Why spend all that money when you could give it to your kids/family/charity, whatever?
I especially think it insane to cremate someone in a 3, 5, or $10,000 coffin. Really?
I want to be put in the easy bake oven without any container, or, cardboard will do.

Why burn toxic material along with a corpse anyway? Ideally, I’d like to be laid out in the mountains somewhere and be consumed by the cougars and coyotes and foxes and vultures. Why not let nature capitalize on my remains? Of course this is not acceptable in our modern day world but hey, I could feed a mama Cougar and her cubs for a week. haha

That has no answer. Every single person has their own idea about this….........as it should be.

Possibly. Excessive payment demands could also be said of doctors, hospitals, lawyers, insurance companies, plumbers, electricians, heating/A/C servicers, car dealers, repair shops, etc. A bit of a scam, although legit. If you need their exclusive service, you’ll pay.

In New York state, it’s the law that they have to produce a list of services and the price of each, which I believe is standard. If you want optional things, like a fancy casket, that’s your choice and that’s where the funeral place makes its big profit. If you have the money and you want those fancy things, why should anyone begrudge you?

My father was cremated for $750, sans any casket, if anyone is interested.

For better than 50 years it’s been recognized that the funeral business is one of the best money milking opportunities around. There isn’t a single aspect of the industry from flowers to caskets where the bereaved aren’t raked over the financial coals. But people are getting smarter about the “death stickup”, and the explosion in the numbers of people choosing a quick cremation has put a big crimp in the bottom lines of those formerly relying on grief and guilt greasing the pathway to the wallets of the bereaved.