Phone several funeral homes and have them have a price list waiting for you to pick up. Then expect a highpressure sales pitch. Or, you can get the prices by phone, but without reading the actual contract and the fine print you cannot possibly know what you're buying, or whom you're actually dealing with. Send your friend to collect the lists if you don't want to run the gauntlet of these slick salespersonnel. Expand your search, but be careful.
Funeral homes like to think of themselves as geographic entities.
They like to 'farm' a community, keep in touch with past customers' families, and count on a sort of loyalty from its citizens. The problem with this is, often you can find MUCH better prices and services only blocks away. The 'only frog in the pond' attitude allows some funeral homes to take unfair advantage of this loyalty. Realize your loyalty lies with the deceased and your family, get out and find your best option even if it means going to the other side of town. And if you do, it's my opinion you should go on down the road to another establishment.