funeral notice in shop window (Scotland)

[QueryA]

DMIL passed away recently and I asked the funeral director about putting a notice in the local post office window, and the woman looked at me like I had two heads. I thought this was always done? Is this a just something niche to north Scotland? I thought it was quite normal, and actually think it's a good way of letting the more elderly villagers know (as they maybe don't use social media so much). The death notice will go in the local paper too, but this is just a A5 notice that goes in the local shop window.

I've googled it and have come up with nothing, no images or anything, but I'm sure it's a thing. Anyone else remember this? and has it completely died out with social media (no pun intended)?

Londoner. Never heard of that. Never seen a death notice in a window. I think it's quite a good idea though.

If I saw a death notice in a butcher's window, I'd be a little concerned about exactly what type of meat they were selling.

The regional radio stations in Ireland read out death notices everyday. That’s how a lot of elderly people would find out about local deaths.

@CaraMellow

If I saw a death notice in a butcher's window, I'd be a little concerned about exactly what type of meat they were selling.

@CaraMellow I’m glad someone else had the same thought as me 🤣

Like the time I was in hospital having a gallbladder removal and they offered me a dinner of “meat pie” but couldn’t specify what type of meat it was 😬😅 Not hungry, thanks 😬😂

@Witchinwardrobe

Normal in Peebles (window of local newsagent) Did this for both parents, most recently December 2020 Must have read for my mum for 20 years

Same town as me, totally outing myself but as P*s neighbour /friend, Totally normal

Ayrshire here. Our PO always puts up the funeral notices.

Dumfries & Galloway here (but raised in Ayrshire) very common to have it in a local shop window.

At home it was the paper shop, here it's the local butcher.

I've seen this on Mull but nowhere else

Yes normal here in Western Isles

I'm from the Highlands and Islands (live elsewhere now) and this is completely normal. Postcards in the shop windows letting folk know of the death (like to jungle drums haven't let the whole village and their dogs know already ) giving funeral details/collections/flowers etc

I'm from a town in the west coast of Scotland. Funeral notices went up in the butchers shops. I've always found it bizarre!

@Pogostemon ooh I live in Easter Ross
And yep normal here the papershop, the local garage places like that have cards in the window

We have them in the window of the village shop. Small village in Cheshire an the boarder with Wales.

Highlands of Scotland and this is what happens in my wee town! Wee bit of card slightly bigger than a postcard is put in the window of the funeral directors. Anytime my dad goes up the street he always uses it to see if anyone has passed!

Yes, my relative lives in a village in the Highlands and funeral notices go on a notice board in the Co-op.

I've never seen it done in Edinburgh but then I don't go to local shops all that often so it might be done and I've not noticed. When I was a kid (didn't grow up here) every newsagent and post office used to have notices in the window, I think they were mostly for sale ads rather than death notices though.

Butchers window in my home town, west coast.

Normal here too (smallish Town in Lanarkshire). They usually go in the florist's or fruit shop's window.

SW Scotland here and it's very much the done thing in our villages. Newsagents, greengrocers, post office and butchers. Also the local villages newspapers.

My MIL stops and reads them every time we walk past, usually making some comment on what a horrible person they were, or how lovely they were but their greedy nephew will be rummaging through the house before they're cold, or she'll try and describe them to me. "You know Nettie? Who was married to Bill? Live on the same road as Mrs smith who's husband used to be the butcher? She was best friends with the woman with the gimpy leg who lived next to the Churchyard..."

Reader. I never knew any of these people.

NE Scotland here and it's always been the case. Not so much atm as funerals are limited in the numbers who can attend.

Never heard of this. Good idea though.

Always in the butcher's window here in my village in West Lothian.

I live in a village in the central belt and regularly see notices in shop windows. The funeral director is in the village so notices (with photos) are in their window as well as the main shop.

They also announce funerals on FaceBook.

Almost nobody buys local papers these days so it makes sense to announce it this way.

In North Ayrshire the funeral director puts notices up of the funerals coming up

We're currently on holiday in Galloway and have seen loads of these notices. We're English so I wasn't sure what they were at first as it's not a tradition we have. Some general local convenience shops have had 6+ of them stuck to the side of the counter, possibly because the village had a post office van weekly, but no physical post office.