May 4, 2005

Costco Adds Silk Urns to Funeral-Items Line

Chicago, (Reuters) - In addition to caskets, now Costco Wholesale Corp. is selling silk urns along with the usual warehouse-club assortment of bulk food, office supplies and bargain clothes.

“Today many families are choosing to scatter their loved ones and often they need to travel via airplane to different parts of the country our world to do so,” Renaissance Urn Co., the product’s maker, said. The company produces the urns, which are available at www.costco.com in a variety of colors including green, maroon or steel blue. They sell for $64.99.

The products are designed to meet U.S. transportation security guidelines and allow families to carry loved ones’ remains on board, rather than having to check them as baggage.

The urns are basically plastic lined boxes covered in silk material. According to Costco’s website, “these lightweight fabric urns are ideal for memorial services and scattering.”
Costco last year began selling caskets in a handful of stores in Illinois. Its Web site also lists traditional stone urns for $89.99.

Costco’s Web site said standard delivery for the urns was seven to 10 days.