Merchandising

What is merchandising?

The purchasing, pricing, display, and sales of goods and services.

What is merchandise?

Any goods that are bought and sold.

Give examples of funeral merchandise.

Caskets, vaults, urns, register books, clothing, multimedia presentations, memorial folders, religious paraphernalia, prayer cards, and memorial products.

What is a casket?

A rigid container for human remains that comes in various shapes other than anthropoidal (human-shaped). 4 sides

What is a coffin?

A receptacle for human remains that is anthropoidal (human-shaped).

What is the main shape difference between a coffin and a casket?

Coffins have six sides and are human-shaped; caskets generally have four sides and are rectangular.

Where does the word "coffin" come from?

From the French cofin and Latin cophinus, meaning "basket."

What were some of the earliest Egyptian coffins made from?

Mats, skins, reeds, wood, and earthenware baskets.

Why were early Egyptian burial containers used?

To keep the body from touching the ground or dirt.

Why did later societies use rigid burial containers?

To hold the remains and help with temporary preservation.

Who cared for the deceased during the Colonial Period?

Immediate family and friends.

Where were funerals commonly held during the Colonial Period?

In the family home.

Who typically built coffins during the Colonial Period?

Local carpenters or tradesmen.

Why were early coffins called "toe pinchers"?

Because of their narrow, six-sided, human-shaped design.

What were three advantages of the anthropoid coffin design?

It was lighter, smaller for burial, and cheaper to build.

What were the five main functions of burial containers by the mid-1800s?

Utility, status indication, preservation, protection, and aesthetic representation.

What change began in America during the early 1800s?

The transition from coffins to caskets.

Why did caskets become more popular than coffins in America?

Their rectangular shape avoided the unsettling human-body appearance of coffins.

What did an 1850 patent say about caskets?

They were adopted to reduce the disagreeable sensation produced by the body-shaped coffin.

Where are coffins most commonly used today?

Europe, Asia, South America, and many other parts of the world.

Where are caskets most commonly used today?

North America.

What options are available for modern caskets?

Materials, styles, colors, shapes, corners, and interiors.

What was the original purpose of early caskets?

To be practical and utilitarian.

How did the purpose of caskets change over time?

They became symbols of status, beauty, protection, and preservation.

What trend is influencing casket design today?

Interest in natural burials and eco-friendly funeral services.

How has the evolution of burial containers come full circle?

Modern trends are returning to simpler, more utilitarian containers.

What are the major differences between caskets and coffins?

Shape, utility, status, protection, beauty, and preservation.

How did early Egyptian sarcophagi differ from later coffins?

They emphasized preservation of the body.

What was the primary purpose of 19th-century coffins?

To serve as economical and functional burial containers.

What is the emphasis of modern 21st-century caskets?

Status, beauty, marketing, and sales.

How would most North American consumers distinguish a coffin from a casket?

Coffins are six-sided and used mainly outside North America; caskets are four-sided and used mainly in North America.

Are the terms "coffin" and "casket" synonymous to funeral professionals?

No. Funeral professionals consider them different burial containers and object to using the terms interchangeably.