A Dead End

Wal-Mart starts selling coffins online

Wal-Mart has started selling a range of coffins and urns on its website.

The US supermarket offers 14 different coffins at cheaper prices than many funeral homes, Sky News reports.

The 'Dad Remembered' steel coffin costs $895 (£541), while the 'Sienna Bronze' option is priced at $2,899 (£1,754).

The caskets are delivered within 48 hours and the website also offers consumers a range of urns.

However, Pat Lynch, president-elect of the National Funeral Home Directors Association, claimed that the prices aren't much cheaper than those at funeral homes.

He added that customers would miss the personal touch of a funeral director if they ordered coffins online.

"There's no question in my mind as a funeral director for more than 40 years that the most critical element is the human contact," he said.