Funeral Directors Overstepping: The Shady Practice of Skimming Profits from Florists
When you lose a loved one, the last thing you want to worry about is being taken advantage of. Yet, many funeral directors are doing exactly that—by muscling in on the floral tribute business, taking commissions from hardworking florists, and leaving grieving families unaware of where their money is really going.
Funeral Directors Should Stick to Their Role
Funeral directors provide an essential service—handling arrangements, coordinating services, and offering support during a difficult time. But somewhere along the way, some have decided that isn't enough. Instead of simply recommending trusted local florists (as they once did), many now act as middlemen, taking orders for floral tributes and clipping 10-25% off the top before passing the job to an actual florist.
This isn't just unethical—it's a blatant exploitation of both florists and customers.
How the Scam Works
Here's how it plays out:
- The customer pays the funeral director for a floral arrangement—say, a £200 coffin spray.
- The funeral director pockets 20% (£40) and sends the order to a florist for £160.
- The florist now has to produce the same arrangement for less money, squeezing their already tight profit margins.
The result? Either:
- The florist absorbs the loss, making less money for the same work.
- The quality suffers, with cheaper flowers or less intricate designs to meet the reduced budget.
And the customer? They never know. They assume their £200 went entirely toward the flowers—not that a chunk of it vanished into the funeral director's pocket for doing nothing more than acting as an unnecessary broker.
Why This Hurts Real Florists
Floristry is an art. It takes skill, time, and care to create meaningful tributes for grieving families. Small florist shops—many of which are family-run businesses—already struggle against supermarket flowers and online giants. Now, they're being strong-armed into accepting lower pay just to stay on a funeral director's "preferred supplier" list.
Worse still, some funeral directors don't even disclose that they're outsourcing the flowers. Customers assume the funeral home is providing the service directly, unaware that a local florist is behind the scenes—getting shortchanged.
What Should Happen Instead
Funeral directors should stick to their lane. Their job is to arrange funerals—not to siphon profits from florists. If they want to help families with floral tributes, they should:
- Recommend independent florists without taking a cut.
- Be transparent about where the flowers come from.
- Let customers pay the florist directly, ensuring every penny goes toward the tribute.
What You Can Do
If you're arranging a funeral:
- Ask where the flowers come from. Is the funeral director taking a commission?
- Consider going directly to a florist. You'll likely get better value and support a local business.
- Spread awareness. Many people don't realize this happens—tell them.
Final Thought: Enough Is Enough
Funeral directors provide a vital service, but that doesn't give them the right to exploit florists or mislead customers. It's time they stopped lining their pockets at the expense of small businesses and grieving families.
Florists deserve every penny of their hard-earned profits—not a reduced cut because a funeral director decided to play flower broker.
Let florists do flowers. Let funeral directors do funerals. And let's put an end to this greedy practice once and for all.