Is Cremation Really The Cheapest Option?

I don?t have a full blown article prepared, I just want to share with some highlights of a conversation I had last week with a friend who was attending the Wilbert Funeral Services annual sales meeting. In his area of the county cremation is on the rise, shocker I know! We started discussing the topic of cremation and why is it becoming so popular. We determined that there is one big perception that seems to be clouding the public?s view of cremation. Of, course there is more than one reason why people choose cremation, but this reason seems to come up more often when speaking with people who want to be cremated.

Most Americans are under the perception that cremation is the cheapest option available to dispose of the body. But we both posed the question: Is it really the cheapest way?

If a family chooses direct cremation then of course this is the cheapest option, but is direct cremation what the family really wants or are they just in the gray when it comes to other cremation options?

I shared this story with my friend:

I have talked to many funeral directors in the last few months that are in the same town and telling completely opposite stories. One funeral director says when he hears the word cremation come from the family?s mouth he knows right away it is going to be a direct cremation.

The other funeral director has embraced cremation, but is determined to enforce the value of a memorial serve with the body present. This funeral director is averaging the same cost for his cremation services as he does when a family chooses a traditional burial. Helping the family see the value in the funeral service and graveside service also helps them find value in the merchandise that is available.

Not all families want to get the process of death over as fast as possible but unless funeral professionals take the time to help them see the value in the funeral service we are going to continue to see direct cremation on the rise.

Take time to explain to the families you serve all the options you have available. Help them properly grieve the lost of a loved one and not just get it over as quick as possible.

In causal conversation with strangers who I have over heard say they want cremated because it is ?cheaper?, I have posed the question ?Is it really cheaper?? They always say the same thing: ?That?s what I was told?. When I start going through the options available with a funeral service, like calling hours and a memorial service, which they want, I soon get them to realize that cremation isn?t necessarily the cheapest option.

So I ask you, is cremation really the cheapest option?

Article By:

Ryan Thogmartin is the Founder and CEO of ConnectingDirectors.com. ConnectingDirectors.com is a progressive online publication/networking site for funeral professionals. Through ConnectingDirectors.com funeral professionals receive daily funeral industry news, industry specific articles and podcasts, as well as share ideas through an industry discussion board. Ryan is also the host of ConnectingDirectors TV (CDTV). CDTV is the world?s most fun funeral industry webshow, focused on industry trends, Information, and products and how they make funeral homes more profitable. In addition, Mr. Thogmartin works in sales for his family’s burial vault company, Hupp Stiverson Wilbert Vault Inc.