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Nov.  ‘03 Volume 3.8 ‘02 Volume 3.8
Casket Retailing
The Newsletter of the National Casket Retailers Association, Inc. http://www.casketstores.com

NATIONAL CASKET RETAILER'S ASSOCIATION of OFFICERS Chairman: Dean Magliocca Funeral Depot, Florida Vice Chairman: Betty Brown A Team Masters - Ohio Secretary - open Treasurer George Silva Competitive Caskets New Jersey Directors Floyd Hoke Caring Caskets - Arkansas Membership Open Membership News  The renewal period for the membership started Sept. and with the last newsletter, was note to send in the $95.00 renewal fee. If you have not yet done this, please check your listing on the Store Directory - as noted, once removed there will be added fees to relist. Please download new bylaws if you have not already read them. http://www.casketstores.com/bylaws+.htm A Big Thank you to those members who assisted in the details for the  annual meeting of the NCRA in Atlanta, Georgia on Oct. 17th and 18th , especially to Betty Brown of A Team Masters, and Pat & Bob White of The Casket Store for the assist in getting it all arranged, . Also, an email just went out to alert casket retailers of a possible Class Action law suit , if you didn't get it, email back as well. casketstores@email.com This website has information about the Federal Trade Commission’s recent law enforcement actions against deceptive commercial email and spammers who don’t honor their "remove me" claims. In the "Consumer Info" section (and below), you’ll find tips on how to reduce the amount of spam email in your in-box. http://snurl.com/1805 NCRA -Being prudent to oversee that our good name is protected - are now needing to go thru some legal hoops. We alerted those who were using the trademarked NCRA to stop using it by legal letter from our lawyer. Now too, our lawyers  have been engaged to end this matter of any others trying to command the NCRA once and for all.  The Living Will and Designation of Health Care Surrogate PAPERWORK is important, Please bookmark and pass on this url. Please consider completing the Living Will and Designation of Health Care Surrogate available below, and sharing a copy with your spouse or loved one, and your doctor. These documents will be provided on the Senate's website free of charge from now on.   http://snurl.com/34rd    The NCFDA discussion here , they are discussing PRE NEED and FTC Rules ncfda.org/discussionforum CASKET STORES IN THE NEWS http://snurl.com/34t4   GLENDORA -- Caskets-'N-More ‘‘Some mortuaries only deal with one or two manufacturers, but we go with five to seven.'' That equates to a lot more choices - about 800 to be exact, according to Fernandez. ‘‘We can meet anyone's needs, from the lowest to the most expensive,'' she said. ‘‘The whole idea here is that there is an alternative ... you don't have to purchase everything at the mortuary.'' As Americans super-size, coffins are, too  http://snurl.com/34tc  An oversized casket can cost double the amount of a regular casket at funeral homes, according to Dean Magliocca, owner of FuneralDepot.com, the largest online casket provider.  "According to U.S. Bureau of Census projections, the annual number of deaths in America will increase by more than 61 percent by the year 2030. The increasing popularity of cremations—which are cheaper than traditional burial - has made some funeral director's profits quite a bit less and people's choice often changed, based upon this price. Confirmed 2001 Statistics: http://snurl.com/34wg Provides final 2001 data based on the number of deaths, the number of crematories, and the number of cremations. Also compares the 2001 cremation rate to that of 1997 and makes projections for 2010 cremation rates and 2025 United States cremation rates. Do you find that a supplier, customer or past contact owes money? This firm "Thorne, Brooks & Shapiro was established (debt resolution in all 50 states) with the sole purpose of servicing the commercial business community."

ANNUAL NCRA Meeting -  Held  this year in Atlanta Georgia 10/18/03.  Called to order by Betty Brown, of A Team Masters, Ohio, Vice Chair at 8:10am, with Bob White of the Casket Store in Ga. As chairperson for the meeting. Sharon Murdick of Caskets N More of S. C. lead off in prayer - herself being a new member, and we welcomed all guests and retailers present. Roll call, Bob& Pat White, Sharon & Jack Murdick, Mary Merrit & Guest, of the Casket Store in Florida, Elliot Moorer of Best Buy, Atlanta, Ga. And Guest. Board member, Floyd Hoke of Caring Caskets, Arkansas, Al  Barnes of Casket Warehouse, Calif, Rob Karlin of Calif. Casket, Calif, Fred Krofta of Quality Casket Discount, Calif.  Agenda   that was covered was much, as we had very impressive speakers. "Waldo" of the Patriot Group, motivational, spoke how important your "wing men" goals, teammates and reputation are.  How very important it is to have TRUST in those you have around you, as part of your team. What you do affects their business, and vice versa. June Ann, the anti trust atty of Troutman brought all present detailed hard cover booklet folder which included some of what she spoke of on Anti trust Al Lang Financial Services, of Florida, spoke on Pre need, and introduced a way to "return control to consumers in their pre need planning" that a lot of the retailers were pleased with, that made it possible to earn money of sales of this contract, funding funds for "final expense".  Mike Magiers of the Transaction Group, representing the credit card "Director of Sales" spoke and was well recieved- showing how store owners could save a considerable amount of money by using their service. Also covered: The Tres. Report, account balance and money owed to date, the Dodd Bill,  and down to old business. Should the NCRA keep the $5,000.00 reward offer up on the website?  Should the banner ads be permitted to stay of the web site? (The majority  vote later was to remove them ) All had a chance to cover their concerns and most all issues were welcomed and openly talked about by all. It was a very productive meeting  Also covered, are you more of A B C? Passive, Aggressive or Assertive?? The correct answer should have all striving toward C, Assertive is being some of both the others, however adding the quality of being able to listen to others too. Going away with hearing how important TeamWORK, Reputation and Numbers are for the NCRA, and in turn will be to each retailer, this is what we all should be concerned with. By getting rid of the "what's in it for me?" Question, and adding to the whole, all of the group is helped greatly. Bob White, using his rulings of parliamentary procedure, correctly called the end of the meeting at 4:45pm.   Sen. Dodd Bill to Honor All Veterans With Official Grave Markers Unanimously Approved By Senate http://dodd.senate.gov/press/Releases/03/1110a.htm  Also,   Sen. John Breaux, D-La., said recently that he probably will ask the FTC to develop a more rigorous method of monitoring the nation's 22,100 funeral homes. He  would like to see the FTC's undercover shoppers check out more than the 200 to 300 establishments they investigate annually. Breaux said he is wary of what he considers gentle treatment that violators get in a re-education program that is run by the funeral industry.          *** Oversight is spotty ***  Funeral directors are quick to point out that the GAO report was not an indictment of their industry, rather a call for government regulators to come up with a more cohesive strategy for checking compliance. That the relatively small number of consumer complaints filed -- 60 in 1998 against Louisiana funeral homes out of 40,674 deaths -- is an indication that problems are isolated.     But a telephone survey by the American Association for Retired Persons found a stunning level of ignorance among consumers about their rights under the federal law. Expected to be released today, the 1999 survey of 916 people over age 50 showed that the vast majority weren't aware of the five major consumer rights granted to them in the funeral rule. In another AARP survey of its members last year, the results suggested that compliance with the funeral rule was worse than the FTC reported.    A quarter of the people whose loved ones were embalmed said they were not, as required by law, asked permission beforehand. Critics also complain that the funeral rule is too lenient -- offenders must be caught twice violating the law to get into trouble -- and that the punishment is laughable. Offenders have the option of paying a fine of $11,000 per violation to the FTC, or making a  "voluntary contribution" and entering an industry-run re-education program. In 1998, the FTC collected no fines. The contributions, which amount to .8 percent of the home's average gross annual revenue, totaled $116,636, a small sum for a $10 billion-a-year industry. DODD TOUTS NEED TO STRENGTHEN LAWS GOVERNING FUNERAL INDUSTRY  General Accounting Office Reports States Lag in Enforcement and Inspection of Death Care Industry http://www.senate.gov/~dodd/press/Releases/03/0912b.htm “While most death care providers are decent, hard-working people, there are those bad apples in the industry out to make a quick buck,” Sen. Dodd told the Associated Press. Dodd requested the report along with Rep. Mark Foley, (R-Fla.). The report “helps shine a light on an industry that impacts millions of Americans, and will hopefully weed out those bad apples,” Dodd said  http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03757.pdf GAO Report FuneralIndustry The Federal Funeral Bill Fuss http://www.ffda.org/message_fuss.html Last Newsletter we asked for a vote on : Which do you think is the most often flagrant ignored “rule” of the Federal Trade Commission's Trade Regulation Rule on Funeral Practices ? It is not following #4 NOT an official tally, but it appears more have said they see this a the largest violation   .....453.3 Misrepresentations.  (a) Embalming Provisions -- not given choice ---Please vote on which applies as biggest stumbling block below. Most people still choose the traditional route -- one-stop shopping for services and products at a funeral home. What do you, as a casket store retailer, find as the biggest obstacle to overcome in your efforts?   Is it, "Funeral stores are popping up in strip shopping centers across the country as operators bring traditional funeral services and merchandise to mainstream America. Some shops operate independently, while others are affiliated with funeral parlors." Funeral homes opening retail outlets and not reducing their price, causing confusion because they are not forced to name the owner or an affiliated parlor? As they are not a discount funeral home at all.  "That people don't know they can buy these things anywhere but a funeral home or cemetery." Or have you met bare-knuckle resistance from funeral directors who ignore the law, turning away or damaging retailers' products to prevent newcomers from gaining a toehold. "They do whatever they can to dissuade people from using us."   Even now, some of  the competition lies badly and some mortuary officials call the storefronts' goods inferior and their delivery schedule unreliable. Or "Retailers also have grappled with consumers' reluctance to think about death-related products, let alone scrounge for bargains on them." "We have products people dread -- they don't even want to look at them,"  But, the casket stores have come a long way, thanks to the media - the FTC, & retailers perseverance, the public saves. When a funeral director raises the price of their professional services to completely offset lower prices offered for caskets, consumers might view them as excessive, coaxing them to search for better deals. We've seen what happens when monopolies take over, utter stagnation. Keep them on their toes, let them constantly worry about competition from left field. It offers the public better choices, better prices and likely to the public being more informed Not to pay any heed to hard sales tactics. Some consumers are steered away from cremations from funeral directors persuading more consumers to choose traditional funerals over less-profitable cremations.