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Wal-Mart starts selling coffins

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.

Catering for cradle-to-grave needs, Wal-Mart already sells everything from baby wear to engagement rings.

A spokesman for the supermarket giant, Ravi Jariwala, said the new coffin range was "a limited beta test to understand customer response".

The retailer is offering caskets at prices that undercut many funeral homes, say correspondents.

But an industry spokesman said it was not unduly concerned about Wal-Mart's move, because he said the firm could not offer bereaved families the human touch.

Pat Lynch, of the National Funeral Home Directors Association, told AP news agency: "There's no question in my mind as a funeral director for nearly 40 years that the most critical element is the human contact."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8333198.stm

I wish I had a Wall Mart :(

Good. Funerals are needlessly expensive and casket companies have been making a killing off of exploiting the dead and their loved ones.

As evil as Wal-Mart may seem to some; as a consumer I welcome their low prices and convenience.

Can't type ... too busy ... laughing

Do they do pre-orders? Wanna get mine just in case .. you know ... in case that hammer falls 20 time repeatedly so I can claim my inheritance. Wait, did I say that out-loud? Darn, now everyones gonna want a piece of the pie

Guessing from the people who shop at Wal-Mart (Of which I am one...) They must have them in extra-large size.

warpcrafter wrote:Guessing from the people who shop at Wal-Mart (Of which I am one...) They must have them in extra-large size.

Im sure you can always order the "ramp" add-on. So you can ride one of those lil electrical thingies right on up/in

Cane wrote:Good. Funerals are needlessly expensive and casket companies have been making a killing off of exploiting the dead and their loved ones.

As evil as Wal-Mart may seem to some; as a consumer I welcome their low prices and convenience.

Why is it evil?

garret wrote:Why is it evil?

Because it makes money.

Costco has been doing this for awhile. You can see it in the movie Employee of the Month.

Gwar! wrote:Because it makes money.

They also give people who have no money a very small amount of money, which is immoral.


Actually, I'll bet you anything Wal-Mart is trying to foster the sense of "unethically cheap merchandise" that for some reason tends to surround them. I mean, if you want a good deal, you want to visit the unethically cheap superstore, don't you? (Nevermind that they really aren't always the cheapest.)

...And I thought that Tescos* was going to take over the world. What's Tescos, you say? Well, it's probably not worth comparing to Wal-Mart!

*Britain's largest supermarket. I know. Insignificant. But they've still got a huge store in France. Victory for the their majesty! "Sniff..."


Automatically Appended Next Post:
*Smacks face with a fish* Yes, I was messing around... Gwar! knows what I'm on about - Right? *Looks around nervously*

Cosmic wrote: *Smacks face with a fish* Yes, I was messing around... Gwar! knows what I'm on about - Right? *Looks around nervously*

Well, The Queen is still By Rights the Sovereign of France, but the monarchy dropped the claim to facilitate trade long ago

Gwar! wrote:

Cosmic wrote: *Smacks face with a fish* Yes, I was messing around... Gwar! knows what I'm on about - Right? *Looks around nervously*

Well, The Queen is still By Rights the Sovereign of France, but the monarchy dropped the claim to facilitate trade long ago

oh well you still got australia and may i remind you that it was the germans who first settled in Britain(the anglo-saxons, so a 70/30 mix of germans/frenchies)which means since britains settled in america australia and countless little un important pacific islands THE GERMANS RULE THE WORLD(no wwII references intended)

r3n3g8b0y wrote:oh well you still got australia and may i remind you that it was the germans who first settled in Britain(the anglo-saxons, so a 70/30 mix of germans/frenchies)which means since britains settled in america australia and countless little un important pacific islands THE GERMANS RULE THE WORLD(no wwII references intended)

Actually, it was the Romans before them, and the Celts even before them.

The North were all Vikings, and then the Normans (who were Frencified Vikings. Norman means "North Men") took over.

Yay for England

They don't sell everything until I see GW stuff there.

garret wrote:Why is it evil?

Really? Is this a 'I've never heard of Walmart being evil and I'm interested in why people think that' or is this a 'Walmart is company and people are free to work for them or not, and free to trade with them or not so they can't be evil' thing?

Because Walmart's shady business practices are pretty well known. They've fired entire workforces and closed stores when those workers voted to unionise. Walmarts skirt the boundaries of employment law, assigning employees just shy of the hours needed to avoid having to pay benefits. They've been caught employing illegal immigrants.

Now, I don't think Walmart is evil, they're just operating within the system you guys have created and aren't any worse than a whole lot of other large companies, and expecting otherwise is lunacy. If we wanted Walmart to act more ethically, the solution would have to come from improved regulation protecting trade and worker's rights.

I vaguely recall Walmart doing some shady business with building permits too.

Can't remember much more than that though.

Walmart selling coffin isnt much different then GW selling hobby products.

Heresy? no -_-

Orkeosaurus wrote:I vaguely recall Walmart doing some shady business with building permits too.

Can't remember much more than that though.

Wal-Mart? Shady business?

My God! What has the world come to?!

1. For years each new walmart employee would recieve an application for state funded health insurance(medicare/medicaid) inside their employment package.
Many employees are listed as part time (working less than 35 hours per week) yet work 3 weeks per month at 38-39 hrs and 1 at 20 bringing that avg down, keeping them part time so that walmart does not need to offer insurance.

2. Walmart has a special task force, created to take over a store and remove problematic employees should a rumor of unionization reach management. Each employee watches a training video specifically outlining what to do if a co-worker mentions a union.

3. Companies signing a walmart exclusive are essentially making a deal with the devil. Walmart has repeatedly signed five year exclusive contracts with small companies, ordering only the contractual minimum. Leaving the companies with huge amounts of overstock that they cannot sell to any other company for the rest of their contract.. Then walmart develops a similar product to be manufactured overseas..

4. Walmart health insurance- Extend employee discount to cover in-store medical services.(vision exams and glasses, pharmacy, some stores offer dentists) and I am guessing now they will offer the discount on coffins as well..

5. Walmart is at this time in a class action lawsuit. Each and every walmart employee (united states) is eligible to recieve $115-800 depending on how much they were affected.. The case claims that employees did not recieve proper breaks, had been clocked out by management within 4 mins of punching in, told to work through breaks, and the largest affector, the inability to leave the store (sometimes up to one hour) after punching out due to the fact the doors are locked, and you must have a member of management let you out..

Unfortunately participation in this suit is voluntary, and walmart will have access to which employees have participated. Employees have been hesitant to participate for fear of retaliation after the suit is adjudged.

Watch the movie- Walmart the high cost of low prices.
Maybe it is Target propaganda, maybe not.