Cremation of a hamster charges 700 yuan, Porsche pick-up? Revealing the "business experience" of pet funeral

Upstream News

2024-05-31 19:36Posted on the official account of Chongqing Upstream News

Recently, Xi'an netizen Mr. Sun (pseudonym) posted on social platforms that someone in his group posted a receipt from a pet hospital, showing that the cremation fee for a pet hamster after death was 700 yuan, which sparked discussion among netizens. On the 31st, upstream news (newspaper mailbox [email protected]) reporter investigation found that pet funeral fees ranged from three or four hundred to thousands of yuan, and there were even luxury cars to pick them up. Many young people who keep pets choose to cremate their beloved pets and put their ashes, spars, etc. at home as spiritual sustenance.

Cases

The hamster death cremation fee is 700 yuan

Mr. Sun's post on Xiaohongshu has attracted more than 3,000 comments. The bill shows that the dead pet breed is a hamster, and in addition to the "cremation alone" fee of 700 yuan, there is also a package fee of 49.9 yuan.

The receipt shows that the cost of cremation of hamsters alone is 700 yuan. Network diagram

For such a charging standard, many netizens expressed surprise, "It's so expensive" and "I feel that pet funeral is a new track". Netizens who also have similar experiences left messages saying that pet cremation is divided into individual cremation and collective cremation, and the cost of individual cremation is indeed more expensive. A netizen whose IP address is Zhejiang said: "My family has raised hamsters twice, and I also found this kind of company after I died. 600 yuan, pick up and clean, chant and chant a single furnace cremation one-stop. The owner can go with him, or he can choose to send the pet ashes by courier. ”

On the 31st, the reporter tried to contact Mr. Sun through a private message, but received no response. The reporter then contacted a netizen in Dalian, Liaoning Province, Miss He (pseudonym). She told reporters that she had raised a total of 4 hamsters in the past, and they died one after another after raising them to more than 2 years old. She was reluctant to throw it away at will, and chose to be cremated alone. When the first hamster is cremated, it costs 499 yuan. After being familiar with the merchant, there are also some discounts in the price, and after the death of the last 3 hamsters, the cremation fee alone is reduced to 300 yuan.

According to Ms. He, there are many businesses that provide pet cremation services on Dianping and Meituan, and the specific charging standards are also related to the selected service, "If you want a farewell ceremony, the price will be more expensive." If you only want ashes, the price is much cheaper. "Although the price is more expensive, Miss He chose to be cremated separately." Pets have always been with me, and I feel that they deserve such a farewell. In addition to cremation, I also keep their ashes and photographs, which I keep in a corner of my home so that I can see them at any time. ”

Miss Ho's four hamsters were cremated separately and photographed to commemorate the occasion. Photo courtesy of the interviewee

There is also a netizen from Chengdu told reporters that a cat was cremated the year before and this year, the cost of the year before was 480 yuan with an urn, and this year's price is 420 yuan without an urn, and the cats weigh less than 10 pounds. "It feels like the price has gone up now. If you buy the urn alone, there are dozens or hundreds. ”

Survey:

There are many practitioners, and the highest bid price is tens of thousands

On the 31st, upstream news reporters searched for many businesses that provide related services with "pet cremation" as a keyword on Dianping and Meituan APP, with prices ranging from three or four hundred to thousands.

A farewell ceremony for pets provided by merchants.   Network diagram

Generally, pet funeral services include cremation and hospice memorial sessions. In addition to cremation, there are other charging items, such as burying pet ashes into potted plants to make a tree of life, which costs about 200 yuan; A pet paw print box costs 150 yuan; The pet ashes are buried in the tree, and the fee for "one tree and one pet" is 800 yuan; The farewell ceremony invites the band to play live for a fee of 1,200 yuan...... There are also some more high-end merchants, and even provide luxury car pick-up and drop-off such as Porsche Cayenne and BMW 5 Series, which are expensive.

A Chengdu merchant told reporters that small pets like hamsters, the appropriate hospice care program in their store charges 711 yuan, suitable for pets weighing 0.1-1 kg, and the specific items include cremation alone, small pet hospice video, baby collective blessing, small pet urn cup, etc. The host will first consult by phone, and then a special car will arrive at the designated place to choose the pet hospice plan, followed by cleaning and farewell ceremony, and then send to the crematorium. At the time of cremation, the owner can either accompany or wait at the store, and choose commemorative ornaments such as ashes into cans, pet crystals, etc., and finally draw an emotional end. The most expensive plan in the store costs 2,800 yuan, and the group purchase price is 2,582 yuan, which is specifically for large pets of 40-50 kg.

The charging item of a 5981 yuan package of a merchant in Chengdu. Screenshots of the network

On the Dianping APP, the most expensive pet hospice farewell ceremony package of a pet hospice service center in Chengdu is priced at 19,858 yuan, and the activity price is 5,981 yuan, and the specific services include: door-to-door pet pick-up within 40 kilometers, appearance sorting and disinfection, pet paw print retention, hair and beard retention, tooth bone retention, life crystal, commemorative photos, luxury farewell ceremony, deceased lantern, first seven prayers, etc., very comprehensive. The reporter saw in the business comment area that a customer left a message in early May this year: "I contacted the pet funeral for 'X sister' in advance, and the 18-year-old is considered to be the end of life, thank you for giving it a decent ride." ”

A shopkeeper in Chongqing told reporters that in recent years, some of the customers who buy cats in their stores choose to cremate their pets after they die or die unexpectedly. "After all, there are feelings, and I am definitely reluctant to bury them directly or throw them in the trash."

Regarding the charging standard of "700 yuan for the cremation of hamsters alone" mentioned by Mr. Sun, the shopkeeper thinks it is relatively expensive, "Generally, small pets like hamsters, even if they are cremated alone, the cost is generally about 400 yuan." 700 yuan, it is generally the price of a medium-sized animal like a cat. ”

In the comment area of Mr. Sun's post, some netizens left messages saying that if they do not pursue the so-called farewell ceremony, they can contact the animal harmless treatment center in the relevant location. In Shanghai, for example, if you choose harmless treatment, the relevant cost is only 30 yuan.

The reporter contacted the Shanghai Animal Harmless Treatment Center. A staff member said that if it is a centralized cremation, the cost is 30 yuan, but the ashes of the pet cannot be obtained. If you choose to be cremated separately, the cost is 600 yuan, and you can get the ashes.

Observe:

Be wary of excessive consumption in the pet funeral industry

With the rapid development of the pet economy, in recent years, pet "afterlife" has begun to enter the public eye, and the emerging industry of "pet funeral" has quietly emerged in the city. Tianyancha data shows that as of September 21, 2023, there are 4,581 pet funeral-related enterprises in the country.

Why is animal burial on the rise? The Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that the carcasses of animals that have died due to disease and animals whose cause of death is unknown cannot be sold, processed, or discarded at will. For many people who have pets, pet funerals have become a "rigid need". A netizen told reporters that she had thought about burying the dead hamster in a flower pot at home, but she heard that maggots may grow, and it may even cause pollution to the soil and even the air, coupled with emotional bonds, she finally chose to cremate her pet.

According to media reports, the "2021 White Paper on China's Pet Consumption Trends" shows that in 2020, the market size of China's pet industry will be close to 300 billion yuan, but the proportion of pet funerals is not high. In China's urban pet (dog and cat) consumer market, the consumption penetration rate of pet funerals is only 3.6%. It can be said that pet funeral services in many cities in China are still in their infancy. In other words, it is a market with a lot of potential, and it has also attracted many merchants to join.

With the rise of the pet funeral industry, there have also been some cases of quick success and blind pursuit of profits. In April this year, according to Chao News, the person in charge of a pet funeral shop in Gongshu District, Hangzhou, introduced that the gross profit of the pet funeral industry reached about 80%, and the gross profit of pet funeral derivative products reached more than 90%. For example, an ordinary urn that costs about 30 yuan can be sold for 300 yuan in stores. Pet ashes and crystal fired pet spars are sold for as much as 1500-2000 yuan. Under the banner of "love", some businesses bind pet funerals to "anthropomorphic" packages, and use professional marketing techniques to sell, such as "pets are family, provide it with the best treatment" and so on, creating an atmosphere of excessive consumption.

In the view of many "shovel officials" and practitioners, with the increasing number of pet owners, the top priority is to standardize relevant policies and reasonably meet the needs of consumers for pets.

Upstream news reporter Jin Xin

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