Wooden caskets are being retailed by overseas suppliers for US$2,000- US$9,000 with the mahagony types being some of the most expensive.

Business, Business Observer

BY KELLARAY MILES Business reporter milesk@jamaicaobserver.com

January 31, 2024

Costly burials

Jamaicans spend up to $10b annually to send off loved ones

Funeral directors have said that while most Jamaicans have over the years tried to remain frugal when funding the last rites for loved ones, it is becoming more commonplace for a growing number of people to spend above average on the dead, with estimates that burials are costing Jamaicans up to $10 billion annually.

With more people these days viewing death as a celebration for the dearly departed, there is also a greater propensity for some to want to spend above average or, in some cases, extravagantly when making the funeral arrangements. Depending on the quality of the casket, burial vault, and other preferences, a traditional funeral and burial cost locally could be less than US$5,000 or in excess of US$10,000.

According to local statistics, funerals in Jamaica are said to be big business driven by average cost of some $250,000-$300,000 which, based on the growing number of deaths across the population, feeds into a $6.3-billion industry of directly related expenses when calculated at the most basic level. In other instances, when fashion, food, and more associated costs are factored, this could further contribute as much as $10 billion to the local economy.

Funerals in Jamaica, if not funded independently from the estate of the deceased, are financed from pooled family funds, including contributions from relatives overseas, family indemnity plans, and sometimes even from crowd funding platforms, welfare assistance, and other forms of government support initiatives.

For Calvin Lyn, owner and operator of Lyn’s Funeral Home, who is also president of the Jamaica Association of Certified Embalmers and Funeral Directors, he said that while splurging on the dead may not yet be widespread, it is becoming a practice which has most of its genesis rooted in some cultural antecedents.

“From where I sit, having been in this business for almost five decades, I have seen where over the years there are those persons/families who may want to compete with each other in terms of how extravagant they can get with funerals or how much they can spend to bury their loved ones, which, as a result, is sometimes what takes them over the mark and well above the amount that is really needed to finance an average funeral package or even one they truly can afford,” he said during an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

“While we have some basic packages priced as low as $300,000, it is seen where a higher percentage of clients are choosing those within the $500,000 and above category, as in most cases their intent is to give the deceased a proper send-off and respectable farewells. What is, however, interesting is that oftentimes these costs do not include that for the wake, grave digging, and repast events which comes as other expenditures,” he told the Business Observer.He said that while cremation comes as a much cheaper alternative, packaged at around $300,000 when compared to about $560,000 for burials, most people continue to choose the latter in keeping with religious reasons, even though it can be seen where more people are beginning to warm up to the idea of burning the remains of loved ones.

Locally, the cost of a vault when not burying on family-owned land can be between $125,000 to over $170,000 per half, double, or single vaults at larger cemeteries and about half the amount at municipality operated ones.

Also, for some families, the building of posh sepulchres often incurs more expense, especially when the desire is to have those structures that are framed in much grandeur. In recent times it was disclosed that approximately $3 million was spent to foot the design and construction costs for the mausoleum or grave house of dancehall artist Merciless, the inside of which is said to have been made of “pure marble”.

Annexed to these costs are also those that come with the horror stories of some ‘trash ghosts’, who are in some instances decked out in the most expensive designer outfits and buried with elaborate jewellery and other valuables, including money, perfumes, top-shelf liquor, among other possessions. A phenomena which, in a rising number of cases, has seen a raid on the dead by the living who go in search of these valuables, sometimes within mere hours of an interment.

Another popular industry player, though less forthcoming with information on client spend (based on confidentiality reasons) in commenting on the spending habits he has observed over the years, also agreed that there is indeed a growing trend which sees more Jamaicans spending exorbitantly on funerals.

“These claims are not strange as everybody knows this already. What I will, however, add is that what I’ve also noticed over time is that sometimes it tends to be the poorer class of people who are spending a lot of money on funerals,” he stated.

For Tommy Thompson, owner and director of Brite Lite Funeral Services, he too believes large sums are being spent on burials locally, though expressing some slightly contrasting sentiments.

For him, a lot of the elaborate funerals are mainly being done by a smaller subset of people, often those from the more affluent classes, which comprises a certain category and profile of people that includes deejays and other prominent Jamaicans who have the income to match the spend. According to the undertaker, who prides himself as a pioneer and trendsetter in the space, when it comes on to orchestrating some of the most elaborate burial affairs, he doesn’t consider the spending on pricey funeral packages as being a splurge but more about people spending on what they can afford.

Outlining a long list of items headed by the cost for certain types of caskets and other services, he believes these are what ultimately drive up cost, which he said is largely based on the choice, budget, finances, and spending appetite of mourners.

“There are so many things that can determine the cost of a funeral, but it all boils down to the demands of the customer. There are those persons who will request a special type of casket, programmes, floral arrangement, transportation, and these things also require a certain amount of money. When an operator buys a metal casket, for example, which has to be imported, for about US$4,000, when we add shipping cost and our own mark-ups to that amount that casket can easily be sold for over $1 million, but that’s beside the point, as we also have much cheaper alternatives from which persons can choose,” he said.

A check on the website of some overseas suppliers confirms the retail price for caskets ranging from US$2,000 to as much as US$9,000 for certain type of wooden caskets – the most expensive being the mahogany types. Some metal types made of bronze, copper, or stainless steel can fall within the US$1,800 range at the lower end and even greater than US$10,000 for more luxurious choices. As for the Promethean-type caskets often used for celebrities, these can easily range anywhere above US$20,000.

Listed among some of the most expensive funerals in the world are Alexander the Great, at US$600 million, who was placed in a gold casket and transported in a gold carriage pulled by 60 horses; former US President Ronald Reagan at US$400 million; and more recently Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022 and whose send-off was said to have cost US$200 million.

Thompson, in highlighting a number of the costs attached to some of the services considered elaborate, quoted as an example the price for limousine services, which he said could go up to as much as $200,000, while full floral arrangement at about seven feet high could be for about $300,000. For hearses and certain types of chariots, the prices across industry he said for the classier options could range above $80,000 as specially designed programmes of a certain quality, style, and print could range from about $25,000 per 100 as well as the use of marching bands and transportation services which both could trend above $40,000.

A Jamaica Beacon report recently pointed to a $250,000 floral arrangement cost which was spent to decorate a church for the funeral service of a slain police officer in St Catherine.

“These services cost, but what must be noted when looking at the final figure is also the cost for preparation, execution, and human labour involved, which is an important part of the process,” Thompson further explained to the Business Observer.

Notwithstanding inflationary pressures and other challenges of the current economic environment, Lyn, in acknowledging overcharging as a possible factor in some of the most elaborate expenses, cautioned fellow industry players and members of his association against this practice, instead urging them to deal fairly and reasonably in their transactions with customers. This, as he also called for greater regulation, more government support, and incentives for the industry. The local association, now made up of about 20 registered members, consists of popular directors such as Maddens, House of Tranquillity, Morgans, Romans, Sam Isaacs, and St Michaels, among others.

Costly burials

Jamaicans spend up to $10b annually to send off loved ones

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