The funeral market place is starting to change at least in the Chicagoland area. Funeral homes are seeing a decline in business due to the changing of attitudes of Americans towards death care and the real-estate market. Funeral homes are closing and in some cases consolidating. The desperate move few years back by the industry has done little to stave off the change in the market. By requiring the citizenry to hire them has not helped the death care industry in the Chicagoland area grow or remain steady. Funeral homes are closing. Much like the railroads at the turn of the last century who did not know they were in the transportation industry - the death care industry does not know it is part of the end of life industry. They think they are part of the embalming industry. This changing industry no longer follows the paths set down by the last generation. The larger death care industry has grown to include the return of family lead funerals and the rise of cremation. The current death care industry in this state has not let it sink in that the market can no longer sustain the older model. It can no longer keep raising the price of goods and services for a full embalmed body funeral while not making changes that allow the consumer to choose what he or she wants in an end of life ceremony.
As the US outlook on death changes, the market must change along with it. Change in markets other than the death care industry happens all the time. Service providers make changes to meet the needs and wants of the consumer. The problem with the death care industry is that they have an idea what a “traditional” funeral in the US must look like. These “traditional” funerals met the needs of US citizens who basically bought into the ideal the funeral homes presented. Embalming was king. Funerals handled by people outside the family was thought to be a step forward. Church funerals were the mainstay of the industry. The problem is the industry who views themselves as the professionals in the care of the dead are unwilling to change. They are unwilling to share the market place in states with laws that force families to hire a funeral director. In states that allow citizens to choose their own death care providers, the change to the market place will come organically. In the ten states that require citizens to hire a for-profit funeral director the changes will come painfully. As long as the State requires the citizens to hire one of these funeral directors, a family has no real choice, and the industry as we know it dies.
Gentrification
Chicago Funerals Closing
As the US outlook on death changes, the market must change along with it. Change in markets other than the death care industry happens all the time. Service providers make changes to meet the needs and wants of the consumer. The problem with the death care industry is that they have an idea what a “traditional” funeral in the US must look like. These “traditional” funerals met the needs of US citizens who basically bought into the ideal the funeral homes presented. Embalming was king. Funerals handled by people outside the family was thought to be a step forward. Church funerals were the mainstay of the industry. The problem is the industry who views themselves as the professionals in the care of the dead are unwilling to change. They are unwilling to share the market place in states with laws that force families to hire a funeral director. In states that allow citizens to choose their own death care providers, the change to the market place will come organically. In the ten states that require citizens to hire a for-profit funeral director the changes will come painfully. As long as the State requires the citizens to hire one of these funeral directors, a family has no real choice, and the industry as we know it dies.
Gentrification
Chicago Funerals Closing
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