It is not uncommon these days to think of Walmart for just about everything we have come to need on a daily basis, be it groceries, hardware, plants, clothing, jewelry, electronics, you get the point? The world’s largest retailer has done a phenomenal job of programming that fact into our brains. Many of us have come to accept the company as an important part of our daily lives, but now even at the end? You guessed it – end of life products. It happened just in time for Halloween this year the retailer began offering a line of caskets. There are a total of 27 in inventory on the company’s online distribution vehicle, which means they are available online. All but one of the casket models are less than two-thousand dollars, with the base model running around $999. Star Funeral Network, Inc., out of McHenry, Illinois supplies the units to Walmart and can ship within 48 hours.

One can only wonder if Walmart can have an effect on casket sales in the US. In recent years, there have been a number of suppliers other than funeral homes. Discount stores have appeared in some areas and private craftsmen have emerged with similar products. In the case of Walmart, a spokesperson from a funeral home corporation said, “I don't think we can say for sure if there will be any effect, but I do think it needs to stay in the back of our minds as a concern. One thing we can do to slow the effect is continue to enforce the value of the funeral service. If there is one thing Walmart can't sell it is funeral service, and this is the most important part of the grieving process. Helping client families understand the value in the funeral service will lead them to seeing the value in the merchandise displayed at the service - devaluing the discount caskets found at Walmart. Walmart can NEVER match the value funeral directors provide families.”