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Sept. ‘03 Volume 3.7 ‘02 Volume 3.6
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 Pat White The Casket Store - Georgia Membership News Looking back toward past errors in the formation of the NCRA, seeing problems in strong arm tactics in some instances, and looking forward toward how best to suit the needs of the public & membership, we have news that matters. The NCRA needed to reinstate their incorporation, due to lack of annual reports starting back in 1999 - which was not possible due to needing 3 board member's signatures for 1999 for an annual report- by state of Illinois law, however, there were none for that year. The NCRA has moved forward toward a better non profit organization, better for the members, the public, clarity and to that end, the new incorporation paperwork filed on behalf of the NCRA in Illinois, is still as a non profit trade org, however it is now a non profit that is member driven, however without voting rights toward Board matters. This eliminates strong arm tactics and waste of time on non issues for all. The By-Laws were updated to reflect this and other clarifications - making the National Casket Retailers Association stronger and more solid toward our MISSION STATEMENT and the cause. NOTE: Also, a legal letter of protection to stop others using the NCRA trade name was issued, who does not have authority to do so - either in calling meetings, announcements or agenda of the NCRA. The National Casket Retailers Association also has been trademarked federally to protect our valued good name. There was a letter that went out, along with the 2002 and the first half of 2003 Tres. Report. The NCRA renewal membership is in Sept, our largest quarter. If need 1 yet , please request. New bylaws mailed w/this. to all membership. They are online at http://www.casketstores.com/bylaws+.htm A Big Thank you to those members who have helped the NCRA become a voice that speaks for the retailers and assists the public in their rights to freedom of choice. Also, the (please email for more details) annual meeting of the NCRA is in Atlanta, Georgia on Oct. 17th and 18th at the; Amerisuites, near the Hartsfield Intl. Atlanta Georgia Airport 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 We will be having a telephone conference meeting soon, more details to follow. The schedule will be so that the involvement of all Board Members and the most retailers can participate. Most telemarketers cannot call your telephone number if it is in the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your home and mobile phone numbers for free. Your registration will be effective for five years. http://www.donotcall.gov/ CCRA -California Casket Retailers Assoc. has their web site up and running, being promoted and offering California consumers an organization that will strive to (from their mission statement, in part): ”We are dedicated to broadening the public's knowledge and understanding of our products and to educating them concerning their rights and options. We will maintain a high level of education and professionalism within the industry.“ http://www.casketretailers.com/ These advertisers need to ADD a category for the CASKET RETAILERS! See George Silva, Tres. still have his firm listed in the New Jersey Funeral Homes, New Jersey Cemeteries & New Jersey Funeral Parlors, website that links COMPETITIVE CASKETS INC http://www.metrojersey.com/funeral.htm Imagine how you would feel if either of the following happened to you: You placed your loved one in a mausoleum 6 months ago. Now you are getting a call from the cemetery telling you that the vault is leaking fluid. You want to disinter your loved one and have them interred in a cemetery nearer your home. When the casket is taken out of the burial vault, the bottom of the casket has eaten way.This is caused by bodily fluids mixing with embalming fluids to create a caustic acid. This acid can eat through wood or steel. It can end up on a mausoleum floor or in the water tables. To combat the water table contamination, legislation has been proposed that will stop this from happening. A simple casket liner made out of high density polyethylene (HDPE) that can hold up to 15 gallons of fluid will protect the casket from these acids. It will also protect your customers from having to deal with situations like those at the beginning of this article. This legislation is one that is in the best interest of the public. I-Plus, Inc. Makers of Quality Plastic Products is one firm that offers this product. New assist for the public http://www.funeralethics.org/index.htm Nice site!! Funeral Ethics Home Page Did you know- That with the aging population death may increase from, in 1995’s, 2.3 million per year to 3.7 million per year by 2015. Further research per the Center for Disease Control’s website, the United States death rate in 1999 was 2.39 million as compared to 2.33 million in 1998. The funeral industry has formed a monopoly within a universal market of which YOU have taken part. Possibly? In the WORKS Meeting Speakers toward Pre need insurance Monument Design/Sales Vendor of Caskets/Trays Credit Card What Else would you like to see, hear about? BIBLE A little boy opened the big family bible. He was fascinated as he fingered through the old pages. Suddenly, something fell out of it's pages. He picked up the object and looked at it. What he saw was an old leaf that had been pressed in between the pages. "Mama, look what I found", the boy called out. " What have you got there, dear?" With astonishment in the young boy's voice, he answered, "I think it's Adam's underwear!

Floyd Hoke o f www.caringcaskets.com writes in a letter of complaint to the FTC from Arkansas had dealings with a mortician who made the family be present to inspect casket upon delivery. Floyd faxed NFDA 2001-02 Directory of Members. On page 91 it clearly states: Under Government Compliance section :paragraph two, Delivery of Casket "The funeral home may not require the family to be present when the third party casket is delivered to the funeral home." <summery> About 3:30 p.m. I arrived at the funeral home in Gravette, and was surprised to find an employee already there. I told the employee who I was and that I had a casket to deliver. The funeral home employee informed me that she could not take delivery of the casket til a family member was present and approved the casket. I immediately called the manager of Callison-Lough Funeral Home in Rogers, Mr. David Shade, to inquire about the change in the delivery policy. He informed me that this was the way business was done. I asked him if he was a member of the NFDA. He said he was and had been for a long time. I went on to tell him that this policy of requiring a family member to be present was not what the NFDA has in their guidelines. He said a family member for the deceased was supposed to drop off clothing at 4:00 p.m. and that family member could inspect and approve the casket. Sometime after 4:00 p.m. I call the family of the deceased at home and inquired whether or not someone was coming to deliver the clothing and that I could not deliver the casket until someone came and approved it. The deceased's wife was completely surprised when I told her this and she told me that she had not been informed by the funeral home that she had to inspect the casket before it could be delivered. The deceased's wife hurried to the funeral home to look at the same casket she looked at a couple of hours ago. She was extremely upset at the funeral home for making her come in and do this inspection. She was very apologetic to me for all the hassle. In the 5 ½ years Caring Caskets has been in business we have delivered hundreds of caskets in 8 states and this is the first time this has happened. Requiring the family to scrutinize the casket is a terrible burden on the family; they did not want to look at a casket in the first place much less the redundant mandatory casket inspection. Is this punishing the family for using their right to go else where to purchase their casket? Best Regards, Floyd Hoke CARING CASKETS, 28 South College, Suite 17, Fayetteville, AR 72701 479-443-6414 www.caringcaskets.com -----------------------------------------------------Dodd funeral report and update is still pending, and we all need to be valiant about contacting them to assure they hear the issues from our side as well. Also, Policy, Research and Planning eGovernment and Special Programs Division Department of Consumer Affairs just contacted us asking for our input as they are getting ready to survey several states to see if a need is there to regulate retailers. AND the FTC site is linking to the submittals from the NCRA members who wrote in as response to e-commerce hearing last Oct. 02 http://www.ftc.gov/opp/ecommerce/anticompetitive/agenda.htm This newsletter is looking for your articles to publish if they can share in episodes from your experience in running your casket store, ideas on what would make the retail trade of funeral product an easier experience, or other such news. Please submit to Betty Brown, (for now) at a-team@stratos.net The NCRA wants to hear stories from all of it's members, so the world will know too. It's your voice - a chance to be heard, read about and valued input given. Note, Betty recently lost her husband Bob Brown, due to his death related to colon cancer. Their family arrange the funeral and bypassed the funeral director altogether. They told how it was much more meaningful and personal that way. See the pdf file from her site at of A Team Master's Casket store http://www.burialitems.com/misc/bobfrunl.pdf A real nice write up mentioning another member and his store, Dean Magliocca of Funeral Depot of Florida from David E. Harrington - the Himmelright Associate Professor of Economics at Kenyon College in Ohio, and his academic research includes study of funeral services economics. Harrington offers an extensive discussion of this topic in the current issue of Regulation magazine “Breathing Life into the Funeral Market” http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/regv26n1/v26n1-3.pdf July 22, 2003 New Funeral Regulations Benefit Businesses, Not Grieving Consumers and About Escaping costly funerals. In his report, he highlights that “ Funeral Depot has become a leading retailer of caskets.” And that: “ States must do more that just allow online casket sales: they must reform regulations that restrict entry and impede competition in the funeral market.” (News below of member in Texas) Burying on a budget eases financial grief from Bob Davis at Budget Casket Ads Rile Regional Funeral Industry in Texas “Late-night TV. Bob also has been running a broadcast campaign. "I do all-nighters," Bob says. "When my father was dying, I stayed up all night, and I found that a lot of my potential customers do, too. It seems to have worked really well for me." The spots, of course, were created by Bob. (Prior to his casket business he published Auto Trader) And yes, it is true, Texans like to be buried with their boots on. "Sometimes it's hard to close the lid with some of those pointy toes," Bob says. http://www.budgetcasket.com/startext/index.htm Which do you think is the most often flagrant ignored “rule” of the Federal Trade Commission's Trade Regulation Rule on Funeral Practices ? Is it not following #4 (4) General price list. (i) Give a printed or typewritten price list for retention to persons who inquire in person about funeral arrangements or the prices of funeral goods or funeral services. When people inquire in person about funeral arrangements or the prices of funeral goods or funeral services, the funeral provider must offer them the list upon beginning discussion either of funeral arrangements or of the selection of any funeral goods or funeral services. This list must contain at least the following information: (A) The name, address, and telephone number of the funeral provider's place of business; (B) A caption describing the list as a ``general price list''; (C) The effective date for price list; .....(OR is it this? ) 453.3 Misrepresentations. (a) Embalming Provisions -- (1) Deceptive acts or practices. In selling or offering to sell funeral goods or funeral services to the public, it is a deceptive act or practice for a funeral provider to: (i) Represent that State or local law requires that a deceased person be embalmed when such is not te case; (ii) Fail to disclose that embalming is not required by law except in certain special cases. (2) Preventive requirements. To prevent these deceptive acts or practices, as well as the unfair or deceptive acts or practices defined in 453.4(b)(1) and 453.5(2), funeral providers must:(i) Not represent that a deceased person is required to be embalmed for direct cremation, immediate burial, a funeral using a sealed casket, or if refrigeration is available and the funeral is without viewing or visitation and with a closed casket when State or local law does not require embalming. ?? Vote which you think is most often conducted (in error or on purpose). Let us know so we can inform the FTC from our membership and readers as well. Please email to casketstores@email.com AND There is a cause which is presented here, to see if you think the NCRA should join, thanks http://www.elderabusecenter.org/default.cfm?p=elderjustice.cfm A valuable association benefit for you! Attend the Annual NCRA membership meeting in Atlanta Georgia to acquire the most, offer input of yours, to meet some of the successful members, TO GROW. The new Chair of the NCRA is Dean Magliocca, president and CEO of Funeral Depot Inc., based in Hallandale, FL. Back in the 1990s Dean made part of his living selling urns and tombstones in the Florida market. Today his firm is very well known and portrayed often in major magazines, papers and news shows. http://www.funeraldepot.com/ With his leadership, the NCRA can grow our mission statement and goals for the public and retailers. Betty Brown, Vice Chair of the NCRA for over 3 years, CEO of A Team Master's in Eastlake, Ohio (a division since 1998 of her construction's 1984 firm.) Posting as savcash on the bulletin board, also assistant webmaster with son Rob of Ashtabula, Oh. for our association. Testified at the FTC internet e-commerce restrictions hearings in Washington D.C. as the NCRA sent her along with Al of Calif. Warehouse in Oct. 2002 http://www.burialitems.com/ George Silva, Tresurer of the NCRA for over 3 years, an independent retailer in Clifton, N. J, going on 6 years, one of the first to offer his services, along with Betty B. When Laura, org. Tres. needed them the most. He has been an outspoken champion for the NCRA and retailer's rights, donating much of his time toward informing the FTC of his opinions and public's rights, promotion of freedom of choice to many other sources as well. http://www.competitivecaskets.com/ Floyd Hoke, Seated as a Director for the NCRA for over 2 years, CEO of Caring Caskets Fayetteville, Arkansas, going into their 6th year with pleased customers in 9 states, (also offering register books and thank you cards at good prices to retailers.) Floyd has been a strong supporter and helps add to the growth and concerns of the NCRA with detailing attention. http://www.caringcaskets.com/index.htm Pat White our Membership Chair for over 3 years, owner of The Casket Store in Georgia, with her husband Bob (who is contact for travel to Ga for annual meeting) They have been very active. We also we owe a huge Thank you to Pat for designing and sending out the Membership Certificates that we all so proudly hang, One of our speakers for the meeting; Attourney June Ann Sauntry is a partner in the Litigation section of Troutman Sanders LLP and head of the Antitrust practice, working out of Troutman’s Atlanta and D.C. offices. She has focused her practice for 30 years on antitrust, including civil and criminal litigation, business counseling and compliance programs, mergers and acquisitions, and dealing with federal and state agencies. She has served as antitrust counsel to trade associations in the electric and transportation industries and is a frequent speaker to both attorneys and industry groups on antitrust topics.http://www.troutmansanders.com We are looking into more yet for this meeting. If you have input, ideas, talents, or contacts of what you would like, can do or assist with, please let us know. More information shortly.