Buy From Monument Specialist
In this digital age, there are a lot of options available when it comes to buying a head stone. Headstones can be bought from Cemeteries, Funeral homes, Florists, casket stores , local monument shops, and now more popularly on the web. If are you reading this you already are aware of the impact of the internet in your everyday purchase. Know the strengths and weaknesses of each entity before you decide to buy from one.
Cemeteries
Cemeteries are in the business of selling and maintaining cemetery lots. They do not process the monuments themselves. Usually cemeteries represent a local monument dealer and work on a commission basis. You can get a cookie cutter type out of the catalog from a cemetery at prices no lesser than a monument shop.
Pros
- One stop source where you buy monument lot, pay for burial services and choose a monument.
- Some good cemeteries provide a package deal that will work out cheaper compared to buying the products and services with different sources.
- You do not have to drive around or deal with 2 different companies, one for the cemetery services and another for the headstone.
Cons
- You may not be able to customize a memorial. A cemetery salesman is not an expert monument designer, so he probably will not be able to guide you to creating unique memorials.
- If monuments are not their primary business and if they sell for someone else you are paying for the cemeteries share of profits other than the monument dealers.
- Monuments may not be backed by a warranty provided by the cemetery you buy from.
Funeral Homes
Similar to cemeteries funeral homes are not in the primary business of selling monuments. They provide funeral services and offer monuments as an additional service and an additional source of income. You probably will not be able to customize a memorial.
Pros
- One stop source for all the products and services including funeral services, cemetery services, cemetery plot, burial services, flowers and monuments.
- If there is an attractive package deal, which is provided by only those service oriented small town funeral homes, the prices may be cheaper than buying individually.
Cons
- Customization is limited. Knowledge about the materials, processing, accessories may not be readily available to customize the memorials.
- Usually the prices are exorbitantly high compared to buying elsewhere.
- Warranty not backed by the funeral home.
Florist And Local Casket Stores
Similar to cemeteries and funeral homes they don’t deal primarily with monuments. However since they are competing with the funeral homes and cemeteries to earn your business, they probably can be competitive and offer good deals.If you are looking for customizing a memorial florist or a casket shop is not an option to buy a memorial from.
Local monument dealers
Local monument dealers that do their sand blasting and have been in business for years with a good reputation are a very good source to buy a monument from. They know what it takes to get a monument done right. They know the sources, methods and process that go into creating a unique memorial.
Look for the ones that have done custom designs in the past. Look for custom design display. If they do not have much on the display, they probably are not going to be the right fit to work with. Find information from your friends and family and shop a few places locally to find out the ones with better deals and capabilities. The local monument dealers know the cemetery regulations well and know what can go and cannot go in a particular section.
Online Stores
There are plenty of companies selling memorial headstones online. Considering the competitive nature of the online selling process, most of the companies provide good deals, wide selection and promotional offers like free shipping, free accessories.
Verify the sellers background. Make sure they are a monument company with physical address that has a monument shop. There are a lot of online selling companies that work out of an office suite and outsource the orders to other monument dealers. Make sure you buy from a monument company that sells it online. When you buy online, you don’t get to feel the product and see the different features.
The best way to get a good deal and a good product is to do the homework right. Visit few local monument shops. Get an idea of what you would like to get. Check online to see various options available. Try to get a layout from a few of them and price quote so that you can compare the offers.
Remember no matter what you do, get a unique memorial that reflects the personality of your loved one.