On July 10th, a funeral home in Jinan City, Shandong Province, charged 13,800 yuan for 8 flower baskets, which quickly became a hot search topic on Baidu on July 11th.
According to a netizen in Shandong, mainland China, on July 10th, a little angel fighting cancer, known as “Little Apple,” passed away in Jinan. Little Apple’s mother asked the Jinan funeral home to arrange some flowers for the child’s memorial service. However, the fee details displayed by the funeral home showed that 8 flower baskets cost 13,800 yuan, leaving the single mother shocked by the bill.
In response, a staff member from the Jinan funeral home explained to media outlets on July 10th that funeral services are carried out according to procedures and tailored to the requests of the deceased’s family.
The staff member mentioned that the funeral home did not originally have fresh flowers in the viewing room. However, upon the family’s request, they bought fresh flowers from a supplier. Notably, the amount of flowers purchased exceeded the 8 flower baskets mentioned, as flower arrangements were also made in the farewell hall, surpassing the initial quantity.
The staff member stated that they are currently investigating the situation, and official updates will be provided once the investigation is completed.
In the afternoon of the 10th, officials from the Jinan Civil Affairs Bureau of the Communist Party also acknowledged the reports of the “Jinan funeral home charging 13,800 yuan for 8 flower baskets” and mentioned that the matter is being addressed.
This news sparked discussions among mainland netizens, with over a hundred participants engaging in discussions on Baidu.
Netizen “Spring Blossoms XZT6F” expressed concerns, saying, “For them, making money from the deceased is the easiest because the families are in mourning, not in the mood to haggle over prices. If they do haggle, they might feel guilty towards the deceased as it’s their final farewell.”
“Great Monk Dongshan7f” questioned the reasonableness of the price, stating that fees in the funeral industry seem high and that more supervision is needed to protect consumer rights.
“stonepig777” commented, “The two most profitable industries nowadays are temples and funeral services. You can investigate this yourself.”
“wwjwydf1234” pointed out, “The issues in the funeral industry go beyond just flower baskets.”
Netizen “Sunny Day n5Z” revealed, “An average flower basket from outside costs around 200 yuan, not too shabby, for commercial use. How many flower baskets do you get for 13,800 yuan?”
“Floating Smoke in the Wind” added, “After the pandemic restrictions were lifted, there was a shortage of flower baskets. They were 100 yuan each, now down to 50 yuan, with bulk production, they could be cheaper.”