Billboards, cemeteries and an angry Lauren.
by littlemissfuneral
I have a bone to pick.
You see, I was driving home the other day on the thruway and do you know what I passed? A billboard. I know, whatever, right? I mean, I feel like everywhere I go I see new billboards. Well, this one really got under my skin. And it really shouldn’t have. You see, the message was great, however I wanted to jump out of my car and yell “FALSE ADVERTISING!”
It was a billboard for cemeteries. It had a nice smiling couple on it and it said just a few small words; Have you PrePlanned?
And this is what really made me mad. You see, A billboard for a CEMETERY was asking people if they had preplanned their death. And if I was not a funeral director I would look at that sign, think what a great idea, go to the local cemetery, buy my grave plot and think that everything was all nice and dandy. And I know that many people do think this way. I know because when we get a death call, one of the questions that our staff asks is if the services are preplanned. I have had a couple of instances where the sons and daughters of the deceased come in with cemetery paperwork and go, yes! Mom had said that everything was taken care of, here is her cemetery paperwork! And guess, what? It’s not even close. It gets me so upset because these people have come in with a preconceived notion and they still have the entire funeral home bill to pay for, which can really be a large sum of money depending on what services are selected. They are upset because they are caught off guard and I’m upset because I’ve made them upset; no one wins.
So I just wanted to give everyone fair warning. If you see these cemetery signs asking about PrePlanning, please be aware, YES it is good to buy a grave plot and get cemetery items in order, it is after all one thing that must be done when having a traditional burial, but that’s not the entire bill. There are still other costs that must be considered. So when all else fails, call up your local funeral home. Funeral directors would be glad to answer any questions you have or clear up any confusion. After all, it’s what we do! (Okay, I’m done ranting now. Really. I mean, I love the message, I just wish it was a little clearer. Okay, honestly, I’m done now. Thanks, bye!)
little miss funeral 
No, you are not angry. You just had a verbal diarrhea. I like your rant because you are being honest. It gave a little clearer message than the billboard advertisement.
So nice of you to say, thank you!
i like what you are saying. great post. lista de emails lista de emails lista de emails lista de emails lista de emails
Hey Lauren,
I think the reason why most people don’t pre-plan their funeral arrangements is because they probably don’t know funeral homes pre-plan. At least, most funeral homes don’t advertise pre-planning the same way or as publicly as cemeteries. I don’t believe cemeteries intend to slight funeral homes with their pre-arrangement advertisements.
I think it may seem a little more faux pas for a funeral home to advertise pre-arranging than cemeteries. With cemeteries, they can focus on the beauty of the land available. It’s similar to real-estate sales. With funeral homes, it may seem a little more grave(see what I did there?).
It’s difficult for a funeral home to advertise while staying in ‘good taste’ that’s for sure. And that’s also a wonderful point with cemeteries focusing on the land. I know I personally love walking around a cemetery on a nice day, it’s relaxing. I guess I wish that they would use a different word other than ‘Pre-Plan’. You can do so much with a grave! Will you be buried full body or cremated and laid to rest that way? While picking your burial spot is important there is still so much more to do!( end rant, again.)
You are an idiot and typicsl funeral director. Always trying to make the cemetery look bad. Childish nonsense.
You call me an idiot and claim that I’m childish.
This post was written by me over four years ago and in no way was I claiming anything wrong with the cemetery, only that I deal with many families who think that their loved one’s have their ENTIRE funeral prepaid/preplanned because they have a plot.
I hope that your commenting skills improve. It’s very difficult to have conversations when one is being attacked.