The Sympathy Store: What It Is and How It Works

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The Sympathy Store is an online flower and gift shop that funeral homes add to their websites. It is run by funeralOne, which says it handles the store’s setup, merchandising, ordering, billing, shipping and customer service. On some funeral home websites, the store is powered by HelloFlowers.com. If you reached it from a funeral home’s site, you are using a third-party service, not a funeral home’s own shop.

Want to order directly instead? Shop Bloom Lane sympathy flowers. You see the exact design and size before you order, and delivery is included in every price, with only tax extra.

What The Sympathy Store is

According to funeralOne’s guided tour, the store is a plug-in. The funeral home installs it, and funeralOne runs the rest. The funeral home earns a commission on sales, which funeralOne describes as a “competitive commission.” That is a normal arrangement in the funeral industry, and it is covered in more detail in our guide to whether funeral homes get a commission on flowers.

Where you usually find it

Most people meet The Sympathy Store on a funeral home’s website, often in the main navigation or through a link on a memorial page. funeralOne’s blog says out-of-town relatives are a large share of its buyers, which fits the way many families use it: a person who cannot attend the service sends flowers to the home or to the service.

If you came to it from an obituary, our guide to sending flowers from an obituary page explains what usually happens after you click through.

What it sells

funeralOne’s guided tour lists several types of product:

• Flowers for the funeral service and for the family’s home or office
• Sympathy gift baskets
• Memorial gifts, such as candles, picture frames and figurines
• Comfort foods and gourmet meals
• Memorial jewelry
• Grief and healing books

funeralOne’s blog post on uses names only flowers, gift baskets and memorial gifts. The current product range may differ from both pages, so check the store’s own listings for what is offered and what it costs.

How an order is handled

funeralOne says flower orders travel through national floral wire networks, so local florists can fill them. It says flower orders are hand-delivered the same day, and that other items are shipped by funeralOne. Customer service and billing are also handled by funeralOne, which says it offers support around the clock and that visitors speak with a person rather than an automated system. Returns and exchanges are handled by funeralOne too.

Two points matter for an order:

• The florist is not always named. One customer account on a complaints site says the florist’s name and location were withheld. Ask funeralOne who will make and deliver the arrangement before you pay.
• The photo is a guide, not a guarantee. Ask for the finished size of the arrangement and check what is included, especially for a funeral piece that will be on display.

Before you order

A few checks help before you pay for any sympathy order, whether it is placed through The Sympathy Store or a florist:

• Compare the total cost, including service fees and tax, with a florist’s price for the same type of piece.
• Confirm the delivery address, the date, and the place where the family or venue will receive the flowers.
• Read the refund and exchange terms before you check out.
• Keep your order confirmation and any photos of the delivered item.

A complaints website lists several customer accounts about The Sympathy Store. They include arrangements that looked smaller or different from the photo, substitutions, delivery problems and disputes over fees. These are individual reports we have not verified. Some posts note the company’s response, such as a partial refund or a discount. Read them as one set of experiences, and weigh them alongside the company’s own terms. Our guide to whether The Sympathy Store is legit goes through the checks in more detail.

You can order from a florist directly

You do not need The Sympathy Store to send flowers to a funeral home or to a family. You can choose a local florist, ask for a specific design, and talk to a person about the venue and delivery time. Our comparison of The Sympathy Store and ordering from a florist sets out the differences. For the steps, read how to send flowers to a funeral home and what a florist needs for funeral home delivery.

If the family is out of state, our guide to sending funeral flowers from another state covers the extra planning.

Where Bloom Lane fits

Bloom Lane is a separate, independent florist. We are not affiliated with The Sympathy Store, funeralOne or HelloFlowers. If you want to compare a Bloom Lane design with what you are considering, our sympathy collections are a good place to start. Delivery is included in the price on every order, with applicable tax extra.

For a service display, White Standing Spray is a clear option to compare with a funeral home’s own choices. For a family’s home, Ivory Haven Bouquet and Gentle Embrace are quiet designs. Before you order any of them, confirm the venue’s rules and the family’s wishes.

More about The Sympathy Store

• The Sympathy Store: What It Is and How It Works (this guide)
• Is The Sympathy Store Legit? What to Check Before You Order
• The Sympathy Store vs. Ordering From a Florist
• Sending Flowers From an Obituary Page
• Do Funeral Homes Get a Commission on Flowers?
• Sympathy Store Order Problems: What to Do If Your Order Is Wrong or Late

Questions about The Sympathy Store

Is The Sympathy Store part of the funeral home?

Not usually. funeralOne says it runs the store, and the funeral home adds it to its website. Some sites are powered by HelloFlowers.com. The store is a third-party service, and the funeral home’s staff may not handle your order.

Who fills Sympathy Store orders?

funeralOne says flower orders are filled through national floral wire networks by local florists. The florist is not always named on the order page. Ask funeralOne who will make and deliver the arrangement before you pay.

Does The Sympathy Store sell only flowers?

No. funeralOne’s guided tour lists gift baskets, memorial gifts, comfort foods, memorial jewelry and grief books in addition to flowers. Check the store’s current listings for what is available.

Can I send flowers to a funeral home without using The Sympathy Store?

Yes. You can contact a florist directly, ask about the venue’s receiving rules, and confirm the delivery time with the funeral home. Our guide to how to send flowers to a funeral home explains the steps.

Does The Sympathy Store pay the funeral home?

funeralOne says funeral homes earn a commission on sales. The pages we read do not give a percentage. Our guide to whether funeral homes get a commission on flowers explains what is and is not known.

What should I do if my order arrives wrong?

Keep your confirmation, photos of the delivered item, and any messages from the company. Contact the seller first and ask for a refund or replacement in writing. Our guide to sympathy store order problems lists the next steps.

Further reading

• funeralOne: The Sympathy Store Guided Tour
• funeralOne Blog: Sympathy Store Uses
• Complaints Board: The Sympathy Store by HelloFlowers.com (customer reviews)