Merchandising Exam 3

monument

defined as a structure, usually of stone or metal, erected to commemorate the life, deeds, or career of a deceased person

monumentum

the term monument is derived from the Latin word __________________, ‘to remind’

marker

a small headstone, usually of one piece, used to identify individual graves; usually identifies one person in one grave; usually flush or semi-flush to the ground on which they are placed

monuments

most often associated with a statue, building or other similar large structure built to recognize the life of a famous or well-known person; may identify more than one person in several graves in the same cemetery lot; normally stand upright

epitaph

an inscription placed on a monument to commemorate the deeds or qualities of the departed; usually include a short phrase or statement to convey a message that honors, compliments, or acknowledges a characteristic of the decedent

cenotaph

frequently used to recognize and honor those who died in a war or military conflict; for a memorial location in which human remains are not present

1. flush

2. beveled

3. slant

permanent markers may be described as being any one of the following three designs:

flush

a headstone with the face set parallel in relationship to the terrain

beveled

a headstone with a face set at an angle of less than 45 degrees in relationship to the terrain

slant

a headstone with a face set at an angle greater than 45 degrees, but less than 90 degrees, in relationship to the terrain

a base and a die (tablet)

permanent upright monuments have two major components:

base

defined as the lower or supporting part of the monument, and some monuments may have more than one base stacked one on top of the other (singles, doubles, triples, etc.)

tablet/die

the main part of the monument; the upright portion above the base where the inscription is located

bench

a type of cemetery memorial consisting of a top piece supported by two standards; a favorite addition to a grave lot and often complement a traditional monument rather than replace it

granite, marble, slate, and bronze

cemetery monuments and markers are meant to be permanent fixtures and are therefore built to withstand the tests of time, the most common such materials are:

mausoleum

an above ground structure or building containing crypts or vaults for entombment of caskets, which may also include space for cremated remains

crypt

a single chamber in a mausoleum large enough to hold the casketed remains of one person

feet first

most crypts are designed to have the casket placed inside ______ _________, with the head of the decedent located directly behind the face plate

couch crypt

a single chamber in a mausoleum designed to have the casket placed inside widthwise, with the side of the casket directly behind the face plate

columbarium

a structure, room, or space in a mausoleum or other building containing recesses or niches (rhymes with ditches)used to hold cremated remains

niches

an opening or space in a columbarium used for the permanent placing of cremated remains and, when located inside a mausoleum, may have a glass face so the urn is visible from the exterior

ossuary (catacombs)

a receptacle for communal placement of cremated and/or skeletal remains; date back to when bodies were buried in temporary graves until the flesh decomposed and the skeletal remains were moved

cemetery

an area of ground set aside and dedicated for the final disposition of human remains, while a memorial park is a cemetery or section of a cemetery with only flush to the ground markers

section, block, lot, and grave

cemeteries and memorial parks use these terms to identify where individual burial spaces are located:

lawn crypt

a grave space where two or more persons may be buried in grave liners stacked one on top of the other; made as single and double depth units; an unlined outer container burial product that has drainage holes in the floor of the crypt

scattering gardens

gardens accommodate consumers that have elected cremation as a final disposition and thereafter want to scatter the cremated remains in a convenient location and dignified setting

two

for a cremation funeral families need at least _______ containers

- one for the cremation process

- a second to safeguard the cremated remains

the two containers needed for a cremation funeral:

cremation caskets

specialty caskets engineered and constructed to provide a container for a traditional viewing and funeral service and thereafter used for the cremation process; usually a lower cost than a traditional wood casket

alternative containers

an enclosure for human remains in preparation for cremation, and are an FTC required option when offering direct cremations

- be composed of an appropriate combustible material

- rigid enough for handling

- capable of protecting the safety of the crematory operator

- provide a level of privacy and respect for remains

alternative containers must:

robust corrugated cardboard and a minimal amount of wood

most standard alternative containers today are made from:

cremation pouch

a non-rigid, combustible cremation-friendly bag used for human remains; a leak-proof container used for delivery to a crematory facility

rental casket

rented by families who want a traditional visitation and funeral with the body present but prefer cremation for the final disposition

rental insert

usually slide in and out of the rental units from the foot end of the casket, thereby making the process quick, simple, and easy

urns

a container for cremated remains

temporary container

most often plain boxes made of corrugated cardboard, rigid plastic, or light-duty tin; typically sealed with shipping quality tape and may be mailed to the intended recipient or retrieved at the crematory by an authorized person

temporary container

following the cremation process, cremated remains are secured in a _______________ _____________

permanent container

the container may be sent with the human remains to the crematorium and used instead of a temporary container; not offered in all crematories in the U.S. and an additional fee may be included

single urns

designed to hold the cremated remains of one adult

200 cubic inches

common minimum volume of a standard urn container:

200-230 cubic inches

common minimum volume of a single urn:

double urns

can be double or single chambered; meant to hold two adults

portion urns

chosen when family members want to divide cremated remains into two or more individual containers; may be used when a family wishes to bury/scatter cremated remains in more than one location or divide them among several relatives

15-70 cubic inches

common volume of a portion urn:

keepsake urns

hold a small quantity of cremated remains as a keepsake, memento, or remembrance

10 cubic inches

common volume of a keepsake urn:

scattering devices

special containers meant to safely hold cremated remains pending a memorial service or ceremony in a scattering garden or other suitable location

scattering tubes, wands, batons, or capsules

scattering devices may be referred to as:

urn vaults

same materials and concepts as burial vaults just smaller and used for inurnment

transfer container

the general term used to define an outer enclosure utilized for the protection of casketed or uncasketed remains during transportation beyond local destinations

four

there are _______ types of transfer containers

1. air trays (casketed human remains)

2. combination cases (human remains only, no casket)

3. wood boxes/shipping crates (human remains in caskets or metal shipping cases)

4. metal/Zeigler shipping cases (human remains only, no casket)

the four types of transfer containers:

air trays

commonly used for the transfer of casketed human remains; have a solid composite wood tray bottom with a corrugated cardboard cover, lifting straps, and cinching straps to secure the top, most also have corner protectors to prevent damage during shipping and add strength to the base of the unit

combination case (combo case)

used for uncasketed human remains and consists of a particle board tray with a cardboard cover

wooden box (shipping crate)

these boxes are rugged containers designed specifically to carry casketed human remains or metal Ziegler cases; built specifically to hold and protect a casket or metal case containing human remains for transportation, especially those being sent internationally.

metal shipping case (Zeigler Case)

gasketed containers used as either an insert inside a casket or as an independent shipping container; they may also be placed inside a wooden international shipping box

20

metal caskets are usually manufactured using ____-gauge carbon steel

three

there are __________ additional miscellaneous containers used in the funeral service industry:

1. Casket liners

2. Pouches

3. Combination units

the three additional miscellaneous containers used in the funeral service industry:

casket liners

these are made of metal and placed inside a casket shell to provide additional protection for human remains; they are rarely seen today, having been replaced by metal caskets, metal burial vaults, and concrete burial vaults with metal liners built into them by the manufacturer

pouches

leak resistant, zippered bags used to hold human remains and any body fluids; they provide important sanitary protections to those individuals tasked with handling human remains to ensure containment of any body fluids that maybe present

combination units

a container designed and intended to be used as an all-in-one casket and outer burial receptacle

plastic or polymer

combination units are usually manufactured using a __________ or _____________-based material and often produced specifically for infants and children

Four main components of merchandising

purchasing, pricing, display, sale

purchasing

purchasing funeral goods an establishment intends to offer for sale to consumers requires considerable research and investigation.

research

before merchandise is purchased for resale, an establishment owner must set sales objectives and develop a sales plan

Six elements of research

demographics, economic base, population trends, disposable income, competition, existing social/business climate

selecting suppliers

availability of product, standard product delivery, expedited product delivery, service options, purchase discounts, support services.

Consignment

another payment option. Wholesaler offers to give the funeral home the merchandise for display at no charge until sold to a retail consumer.

Quantity Discounts

wholesaler offers an establishment a discount if they sell a minimum quantity of certain goods.

Rebate

payment option where the supplier returns a portion of the payment. Often used in conjunction with other payment terms.

Customer value-based pricing

setting prices based upon the buyers perceived value.

Cost based pricing

pricing based on the cost of producing, distributing, and selling the product, plus a fair rate of return for effort and risk

Competition based pricing

setting prices based on competitors’ strategies, prices, costs, and market offerings.  This strategy lends itself well for the sale of goods and services that are similar, if not identical, to those being sold by a competitor

Fixed Multiple

price method where the casket wholesale price is multiplied by a constant factor to arrive at the retail price

Fixed Percent

wholesale prices are all multiplied by a fixed percentage instead of a fixed multiple

Fixed dollar

same dollar amount is added to all of the wholesale prices across the board

12;30

minimum recommended number of caskets is ____ and the maximum ____

40;60

floor space of between ___ and ____ feet is recommended per casket

bier

a sturdy stand on which a casket is placed for viewing and services but may on occasion be used for a merchandise display

Casket rack

a device upon which caskets are placed one above the other for display or storage

Casket stand

a stand upon which a casket rests in the selection room. generally non-collapsible units designed to support a single casket and will have wheels attached for easy positioning.

Church truck

a wheeled collapsible support for a casket used in a funeral establishment, church, or home.

Fluorescent lighting

type of lighting produced by a tubular electric discharge lamp, with the fluorescence of the phosphors coating the inside of the tube creating the illumination

Incandescent lighting

type of lighting that provides illumination from the glowing of a heated filament.  It is the least cost effective of the lighting alternatives and wastes a considerable amount of energy through heat loss

Halogen lighting

high intensity light source that produces a white light approximately natural daylight

LED (light emitting diode) lighting

a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light

Natural lighting

illumination by the sun

three mandatory disclosures

legal requirements, embalming, cash advance