TheCasketDude

Call me if it does.

It is difficult for me to answer this one simply because I only deal with the wholesale casket side of the equation. However, you would be surprised at the amount of costs that a funeral home must cover. Embalming fluids, salaries for a full staff, utilities and mortgage for a million-dollar facility, gasoline and payments on the hearses, etc. I know some funeral directors who fully take advantage of people, and others who do not.

That being said, is it this reason why many people are going with the cremation route rather than a traditional burial.

This is a common misconception. A "coffin" has six sides, much like the thing that is associated with Dracula. A "casket" only has four sides, like a box.

It is a newer trend with a few different possibilities:

1. Cremation and scatter the ashes in a forest or plant a tree above the ashes.

2. Wrap the body in a cloth and bury it directly in the ground (usually in a forest-like cemetery).

3. A biodegradable wood casket is used and the body is not preserved with embalming fluid and is buried without a concrete vault.

Many people believe that it helps with the grieving process. Others believe that the body should be preserved for religious reasons. However, the cremation/green burial trend is dramatically increasing.