[eclipticplane]

To a lesser extent you can throw funeral homes into that mix. A few companies control many of them and buy more of them every year. They keep their local names. You still work with "Jacobs And Sons Funeral Services, established 1912" but really you're just paying Service Corporation International.

[bombcar]

Yeah, and a big part of this is they used to be generational family businesses, but now the "and Sons" often don't want to carry on, so after they've serviced Jacobs they sell.