How to Save on a Funeral
We recommend no funeral home over another. We have no funeral home affiliation.

NEVER mention us until after the bill is written.
Some funeral homes have two price lists - which is illegal. If they even think you may provide your own casket they may give you the price list with the higher fees to offset their expected loss. You should negotiate pricing before you tell them you will supply your own casket. You may even want to choose one of their caskets and decline it later. One customer best described it like this:

"When you negotiate the purchase of a car, you don't tell them you
have a trade-in until after the bill is written. This is no different."

After you get the total bill in writing (with their casket price), then its ok to let them know you will supply your own. This is the only true way to realize your savings. If they change any initial prices, then call the FTC, because that is highly illegal! Federal Trade Commission: 877-382-4357.

Compare at least 3 Funeral Homes

The table to the right shows why you should price shop before you choose a funeral home. Once a funeral home has possession, it can be costly to switch to a different funeral home. Obtain pricing before you release your loved to any funeral home! In June of 2011, pricing surveys were conducted of four Cincinnati funeral homes of similar quality and service. In order to compare "apples to apples", prices were requested for a traditional funeral service. The prices are accurate, based upon the information obtained during the survey. The cost of a casket and burial vault is not included. Prices are subject to change without notice. We recommend no funeral home over another. We have no funeral home affiliation.

Traditional Funeral Service without Casket

18 Gauge vs. 20 Gauge caskets.
18G Caskets are heavier in weight than 20G caskets. 18G Caskets have locking mechanisms, rubber gaskets and memory tubes. Whereas most 20G caskets are lighter in weight and do not have these features. Some funeral homes claim to match our prices by offering customers 20G caskets for the same price as our 18G caskets. There is nothing wrong with a 20G casket, just don't pay over $500 for it, and know the difference in price and quality.

Other Ways to Save.
(1) Avoid Saturday services. You could probably save $1000 in cemetery and funeral home fees by simply having it on another day. Transportaion, opening and closing at the cemetery, police escort, etc all get more expensive on Saturdays.
(2) If your family does not require a visitation, then you could have a Closed Casket Service. This may save thousands! You could possibly avoid embalming fees. You can definitely avoid dressing and cosmetology fees. You can have a memorial service with your loved one's picture next to the closed casket. There are a range of options and other ways to save if you have a closed casket ceremony.
(3) Have a graveside service. This is probably the least expensive way to have a non-cremation burial. We have had customers do graveside services for less than $2000 excluding cemetery fees. Call us if you have questions on how to plan this type of service.

(4) Buy your casket from us. Some funeral homes will use scare tactics by saying it won't arrive in time or may arrive damaged. We are local, and personally deliver each casket to assure safe and quick delivery. By using our caskets your saving could look like:

	Avg Funeral Home	Main St. Casket Store	Savings
20 Gauge Casket	$1500	$500	$1000
18 Gauge Casket	$3500	$1000	$2500
Wood	$4000	$1000	$3000

(5) Buy your flowers directly from a Florist.
(6) Buy you register book from a party supply or greeting card retailer.
(7) Buy your burial markers from us. We average 75% less than a funeral home or cemetery. Click here for more information.

Know Your Rights (The FTC Funeral Rule).
The Federal Trade Commission has stopped funeral home price fixing by allowing you to purchase funeral home products from other sources. Before they enacted this law, you had no choice but to buy the casket from the funeral home, which is why their prices are so high. They knew you had to pay it, and could not go anywhere else. To help consumers, the FTC created the Funeral Rule. Now you can buy caskets from places like WalMart, Costco, and of course The Main Street Casket Store.

They can not change any prices or charge you extra for using our casket. They can not use scare tactics to get you to buy their casket instead of any 3rd party casket retailer.

The FTC recently made this ruling April 19, 2010:

"...while disparaging the quality of third-party caskets does not necessarily violate the Funeral Rule, funeral providers may be held liable if they make material misrepresentations about third-party caskets that are false, misleading or deceptive."

Full text of the FTC advisory opinion is available at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/funerals/opinions/opinion10-1.pdf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the funeral home accept products that I buy elsewhere? The answer is Yes. THE FUNERAL RULE:
* They may not refuse service, cause duress, embarrassment, or cast aspersions in any way onto persons choosing to bring their own products into a funeral home from an outside source.
* They may not alter routine charges based on the acceptance of outside merchandise.
* They may not require the family to present at the time of delivery.
* They may not charge any fee for handling or inspection that would discourage third party vendors of caskets, vaults, monuments, flowers, or printed material such as registry books and acknowledgement cards.
* Remember, we can save you money, even if you use our prices to negotiate a cheaper casket from the funeral home. We're just trying to help...

Will the funeral home charge me a handling fee?
No. By law the funeral home can not charge you a handling or service fee when you choose to buy a casket from a third party.

What rights does the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Funeral Rule provide me?
The Funeral Rule, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), protects consumers by allowing them to purchase funeral items, such as caskets, from a source other than a funeral home, without being penalized in any way.
When you begin the arrangement process, the funeral director, by law, must give you a General Price List of the goods and services they provide. With the exception of the non-declinable fee (the basic fee of the funeral director and staff, which must be accepted), you can select or omit any item on their general price list. The funeral director cannot change the prices on their list, charge you a fee, or offer you a different price list to penalize you if you wish to buy a casket elsewhere.

What types of caskets are available through Main St. Caskets? We offer a wide variety of brands, styles, colors, and materials. Some of these include steel, hardwood, and copper. Some are domestic, but many are imported. Do not be afraid of imported caskets. Many "Big Brand" domestic casket companies manufacture their caskets outside the United States, and our quality is just as good, if not better.

What if I see something somewhere that I would like but do not see it online? If you see something somewhere you would like let us know and we can arrange to get it for you.

When will it arrive? Most of our stock is in our downtown store and can be delivered at a moments notice. Caskets that are not in our local stock can be delivered next day if ordered by Noon. Just let us know when and where you need your casket, and Eric will make sure the casket arrives on time, guaranteed.

How may I pay for the items I decide to purchase? You have three options to pay for your casket. You may pay with cash, cashier's check, or credit card.