Costco in Australia now sells caskets and coffins
Caskets and coffins are something you'd never associate with grocery shopping Down Under, but that's just changed.
It's because Costco, a big box U.S. supermarket chain, has started selling coffins and caskets in some of its Australian stores. The chain is already well-known for its bizarre blend of bulk size groceries, jewellery and electronics.
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Coffins and caskets have long been a part of the Costco offering in the U.S., but you could say it might take shoppers a bit of getting used to in Australia. They're supplied by Sydney-based Scientia, which has partnered with the supermarket chain.
So what's the main advantage of buying these from a supermarket, compared to buying them from a funeral service? It's mostly about price, according to Scientia's founder and CEO Issac Leung.
"The most important thing is savings," Leung told Mashable Australia. "The cost of dying is increasing, you can see that being reported in the media. We're not trying to corner the market, we're there to provide another option for families."
Leung said it was clear some people needed cheaper alternatives. "You have people out there who want the best, like a Ferrari, but we're here as an alternative. There are always people who want Toyotas," he said.
On average, Scientia's coffins and caskets, which are manufactured locally, cost about 45 to 50 percent less than one you would purchase from a funeral service. Despite where they are sold, you can't just pick them off the shelf and you don't have to bulk buy them.
"The biggest misconception is that you can just put them into your trolley. It's a special order -- just as you would when you purchase tyres for your car, for instance," he said.
The coffins and caskets went on sale at Melbourne Costco stores in the first week of May, with Sydney stores to follow in the weeks after. If you're keen, you'll need to order them through the store, and then they will be shipped to you in two days, as long as you live within a 35-kilometre radius of the Costco.
If anything, it's certainly a different way to deal with the unthought business of dying.
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