DOWN UNDER PRICING
The next time you’re at a
cocktail soirée with office colleagues and the inevitable discussion about
funeral planning ensues, maybe you’ll encounter Martin Spartan, a savvy shopper
governed by principles of thrift.
He may regale you with his tales of conquest. That is, this consummate bargain hunter will feel so proud
of his serendipitous discovery that he’ll impulsively broadcast news of his
good fortune to everyone there.
It’s quite possible that
Martin followed a tip from a fellow champion of frugality and landed at the
Casket & Monument Discount store located along a busy thoroughfare of
commercial establishments.
What was he doing
there? Looking for a bargain, of
course! Because of his reputation
as a spendthrift, he had been commissioned by his aunt to unearth a casket in anticipation
of her terminally ill husband’s imminent demise.
Upon surveying the
assortments of caskets, urns, memorial stones, and other relevant merchandise,
he concluded that the products they would need did, indeed, have lower price
tags than similar ones in funeral homes.
Naturally, the milieu of
displays in this rudimentary building was utilitarian, without lighting effects
or soothing background music.
But he didn’t care about
ambience. All he wanted was a good
deal.
Martin took advantage of his
prerogative to shop this way.
Though auntie would be using a funeral home for services, he knew that a
casket they purchased on their own from a third party would have to be received
and handled there, according to law, without imposition of any additional fee.
This is one of the primary tenets clearly stated in The Funeral Rule that was
established by the Federal Trade Commission in 1984 and amended in 1994.
So he had a fine time
perusing the store’s inventory and choosing some items, including a casket that
featured an interior panel with an embroidered golfer in the act of
swinging. Well, Uncle Mortimer
wouldn’t be doing any more swinging, but at least the depiction of his favorite
pastime above his head is apt to evoke fond memories for all of his duffer buddies.
Look around your neck of the
woods. Maybe you wouldn’t have to
travel too far afield to mimic Martin and capture a similarly scintillating
sense of success.
