Hello again. Sorry it's been so long since I last added to this blog. The general purpose of my starting this blog was to dispel frequent misperceptions in and of the funeral industry. Today's topic? Family owner versus corporate owned funeral homes.
There are pros and cons to both. To think one is better than the next simply due to ownership, I feel, is one of those common misperceptions. Here are some things I've heard along with some of the things I know and/or have feelings about.
Advertisement: "Family owned and operated since ________"
My commentary: All this means is the same family has run it for a particular amount of time. That statement doesn't make it a "good" funeral home any more than the next one in town. I know a family owned and operated store in town (not a funeral home) that many people wonder how it's stayed in business so long because of poor service, lack of modernization and a small variety of selections to purchase.
Comment I have heard in public: " Big corporations mean loss of local jobs".
My commentary: Where I work is corporate owned. It is in the town where I was born and grew up and lived and still live. I worked there when it was "family owned and operated" and now that it is corporate owned. Others I work with are local. Just because corporate headquarters is in Texas doesn't mean they brought in a bunch of "good ole boys" to take over.
Advertisement: "Air conditioned parlors. Ample parking."
My commentary: Really? I don't know of any public meeting place that isn't air conditioned anymore. Move on and start discussing what you do to serve your client families. That is not a divide between family owned and corporate owned.
How about discussing what you have to offer to families that is unique, special, an offering that you have that others do not have?
Don't get me wrong. There are pro's and con's to both private and corporate ownership. What the smart consumer needs to do is shop, compare and go where they feel comfortable. Of course in this industry, that is best served before a death occurs. To those who would simply say they're not going to a funeral home because it is corporate owned my standard answer is then for them not to shop at Wal-Mart, don't eat at McDonalds, buy your gasoline at Mobil, or get home improvement supplies from Home Depot.
Of course I'm not saying not to shop or eat at those places but merely making an analogy for illustrative purposes.
