Flowers and Funerals

US Funerals Online aims to educate people about the industry and offers advice and tips on planning a funeral service.  The site was set up in 2003 as a funeral guide and directory to help consumers deal with having to make extremely difficult decisions in a very short time period.  
Funerals and death are a subject many people do not like to even talk about even though we will all have to deal with death at some point during their lives.  Decisions are often made without really giving much thought to the matter and the funeral industry is well aware of this fact.  
The funeral industry has one major corporate owned company who are involved in all aspects of death and funerals.  Houston based SCI (Services Corporation International) are the world’s largest provider of funerals and cemetery services.  One thing to note is that many funeral homes throughout North America are owned by SCI but have kept their original names.  They appear on the surface to be well established family owned firms but only in name.  SCI have been taking over family owned funeral homes for the last 30 years and they are well aware that many people chose a funeral company by recommendation.  A family owned and operated funeral home may have been used many years ago for a family members and SCI are aware that fact.  That is why they like to keep the original name of the funeral home.  Having compared thousands of prices throughout the US, SCI are generally the most expensive funeral providers.  They are trade under the names Dignity Memorial, National Cremation, Advantage Funeral & Cremations Services and Funeraria del angel aimed at the large Hispanic population. 
Funeral homes are in the business of making money and they fully understand that many people do not question the advice given by a funeral director.  The question of funeral costs is rarely mentioned when planning a funeral service and many people are very shocked by the total costs of a funeral.  US Funerals Online has a section for funeral home price comparisons where the prices of up to 8 different funeral can be compared.  This feature compares the costs of a traditional funeral service, cremation with a memorial service and a direct cremation.  This funeral price comparison facility is something everyone should consider because a quick price comparison shows that funeral cost can and do vary by thousands of dollars in almost every area of the United States.  
Funerals must be one of the only industries where potential customers tend not to compare costs feeling for some reason that it may be undignified to talk about price.  Nothing could be further from the truth, paying over the odds for a funeral is certainly NOT dignified at all.  The casket or coffin alone can cost thousands of dollars and funeral homes are only too keen to show off some of their top of range models.   The average casket price is now running at over $2000 and some models can be as much as $10,000.  
There are many important decisions to be made from the very start and one of the first questions is whether the deceased is to be buried or cremated.   Another important question that needs to be attained is whether the deceased has made any previsions like a pre-arrangement plan or a final expenses life insurance policy.
Flowers are also a major part of death and funerals.  Sympathy flowers are in general sent to relatives of the deceased and funeral flowers are used at the memorial service, to decorate the casket and are placed at the headstone or grave marker after the burial has taken place.  Flowers have long been used because of their beauty and comforting qualities and its never to late to send them to the bereaved relatives and friends of the deceased.