truly a global economy

I received an e-mail a few weeks ago from a supplier who wanted to share a new product with me. When I asked him what the product was, he replied “caskets”. I tried breaking it to him gently that this was a piece of merchandise that Oakey’s had been carrying for 144 years, but he informed me that the point of origin of his casket line would be an eye opener for me. China.

I had been reading about how Chinese caskets were infiltrating the American market, but had always thought that obtaining our caskets from American companies such as Batesville, Aurora, Mastercraft, and Edgecomb would be the best way to go for our firm. I knew that some of the aforementioned companies had been “jobbing” out some work to Canada and Mexico, but by and large our company has always been able to say that almost every casket we carry is American made.

Last Wednesday, two trucks pulled slowly into our parking lot with a plethora of burial units from various parts of China. And while I halfway expected to see caskets with handles falling off, cheap interiors, and overall poor workmanship, what I witnessed were caskets that look EXACTLY like one of the major American companies that we buy from. I practically tore one of the caskets apart trying to find something that I did not like about it, only to finally admit that it was an attractive (well, as “attractive” as caskets get!) piece of merchandise.

When the seller showed me what the prices would be for the caskets he was repping, I had whatever the reverse of “sticker shock” is. Unbelievably lower prices than what we have been paying to the companies we utilize. If we decide to purchase some of the foreign caskets, it translates into lower prices for the consumer as well as higher profits for our corporation. Which leads me to my current dilemma: what in the world do I do?

I always thought that saving American jobs was important and that American workmanship is hard to top, and still believe it. But with today’s “Wal-Mart mentality” and foreign cars zipping down the roadways, maybe mixing some Asian caskets into our selection rooms makes good business sense. On the other hand, being able to boast that almost all of our caskets are made in America can be comforting to families we serve, particularly when a veteran dies.

So again, what to do? I’m sending one of my officers to the Chinese casket warehouse (never thought I would utter those words!) to inspect how the units are stored and shipped. In the meantime, however, I am harbouring huge doubts about making this kind of change. I invite anyone to weigh in on the matter by calling me at 800.638.0710 or e-mailing soakey@oakeys.com. By the way, I ate Chinese the other night at Szeuchen, and my fortune cookie said “what you seek is right next to you”. Hmmm.