What Are People Thinking?

This new location I am at seems to attract a different kind of clientele than I am used to dealing with. Not that they are bad, they're just different. For example, we've had a run of families that have been very indecisive when it comes to their final arrangements. And not because the death took them by surprise; in many cases the family has known in advance their loved is dying, yet even after the death they cannot make up their minds what they want to do (bury, cremate, full service, no service, etc.) We have had several bodies in the past few months that have been dead a day or two before we are finally given permission to embalm. Needless to say, after a couple of days in the cooler the results are usually less than optimal. Also, people we serve pick the strangest times to call in and discuss their questions. For example, we recently received a call, after hours, from a person who is losing their spouse. They want to come in and show the urn to the rest of the family. Really? You had to call after hours, on a weekend, no less, to come see an urn? How long has your loved one been ill? Why exactly do you need to do this right now?

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but when you call a funeral home after normal working hours, there is NO ONE at the funeral home who can help you. We are out of the office and do not have all the prearrangement files in front of us. We don't know precisely which urn you are speaking of unless we can check the file. Chances are we may not even have one on hand, because some urns we only order as we need them.