Over the past 125 years the mattress industry has changed the way they make mattresses. The original mass produced mattresses were made by Stearns and Foster, which is why you have heard of them and why their name is one of the most recognizable names in any industry. What Stearns and Foster recognized is the people who travel desire comfortable lodging and that means a great mattress.
Originally, mattresses were stuffed sacks of hay and straw. That is why we use the expression “hit the hay” when we casually tell someone we are going to bed or going to sleep. But Stearns and Foster had the idea of using carriage springs under luscious foams and to make uniform sizes of mattresses. Then they approached hotel chains to sell the new creation and voila the modern mattress industry is born.
At first the manufacturers thought a firm mattress showed potential clients their mattresses were strong and worth the investment. People still believe that today, but it is wrong. A hard mattress will make most people, not all people, most people, miserable, which is why you have so many comfort options today. In those days men made most of the purchases and men being men thought hard meant good back support.
In today’s marketplace women make most of the decisions when it comes to buying a mattress. When I worked in the retail store men would come in with their wives and almost always say “I can sleep on anything, I don’t care what you get.” Inevitably they end up wishing they had more input in the decision or had become more involved in the purchasing process. So if you are a guy reading this go with your wife or girlfriend and talk, out loud, expressing what you want. Believe me, women are reasonable and do care about what you want too and they understand a mattress is an utilitarian product, it is a quality of life necessity.
The firmer mattress is a better mattress is false. Firm belongs in the support structure, but a mattress has three main components, the support coils or core, the comfort material, and the quilting. There are exactly three things to consider when buying a mattress as well. The first is the support, the second is comfort, and the third is how long your new mattress will last. I have written about this before as being a three legged stool; kick out any leg and the stool falls over.
Here are some tips before you head out to a mattress store.
1. Mattress stores have ridiculous mark ups
2. Mattresses are negotiable
3. You must visit three mattress stores to get the best price
4. You must compare online to ensure you are getting the best price
5. You must be willing to wait for a mattress to be delivered
So let’s take these in order. High mark up is a marketing tool mattress stores use to offer big discounts. Who doesn’t want to save fifty-percent? I know I do and they know it too. That is why they mark up their mattresses four to five hundred percent, so when they come down on price they are still making a good, healthy profit. Online stores are different, they mark things way down to capture the smart shoppers by accepting far less profit, but with online stores you must wait for a mattress to be manufactured and delivered to you. That takes about two weeks.
Mattresses are negotiable when you go to a retail store. It works like an infomercial, “But Wait, there’s more…” Then they offer you a better deal if you will buy it right now. Don’t fall for that or the leave a small deposit thing either. Get three prices and then verify online. You will get some terrific bargains this way. An exception to the rule is when you go to a department store. Department store salespeople rarely have the power to offer you a discount. Shop at a mattress store and you will normally get a better deal.
When you go store to store you will find the mattresses have different names. It is said this practice gives each retailer a unique line up. The truth is no dealer is going to advertise the same product when the next week he will see his
competitor offering it at a better price. If that were allowed to happen no retailer would advertise the product and the manufacturer would be out of business. So in some regards it is a necessary evil. You defeat this by taking a notebook with you and writing down the manufacturers name, model name, comfort materials, measure the height of the mattress, and the price quote. When you have all of this information you can be sure to compare like mattresses.
When you compare online it is fairly easy. Most online retailers have a list of mattresses names that crossover to their name. It will be the exact same mattress you looked at in the store. You will also save the tax and delivery fees when you buy online. The only drawback to buying online is waiting two weeks for a mattress to be delivered. Unless you have some sort of mattress emergency that isn’t too high a price to pay for several hundred dollars in savings.
Part Two
MATTRESS MANUFACTURERS AND RETAIL STORES IN THE 21ST CENTURY
There was a time when each manufacturer took a great deal of pride in the product they presented to the public. That isn’t so much the case any longer. That is one reason my company Bedding Hotline only sells the big brand names like Sealy,Stearns and Foster, Simmons Beautyrest, Tempur-Pedic and Serta. Those companies have something to lose if they turn out a terrible product and a loss of just one percentage point in market share could mean an unprofitable year for them. That is why today’s manufacturers’ representative presents his products to the retailer with a program of how to sell the mattress. They also train the retail salesperson to say this, do this, ask this, etc. It is through this training the retail salesperson learns the mattress components and can offer realistic advice to the client. My advice is to consider only quality mattresses made in the USA by one of the larger companies to protect you from poor quality. Otherwise you are at risk and could lose your investment in your mattress.
Many years ago your choices for buying a mattress were department stores or furniture stores. Mattress stores came on the scene much later with specialist who knew everything about mattresses and could offer good advice. The markup was tremendous and mattress salespeople made a great income on their commissions. Some mattress salespeople averaged well over $60K a year when people selling Mercedes Benz only made $40,000. Mattress stores also offered several manufacturers and you could view a Stearns and Foster right next to a Simmons Beautyrest or a Serta mattress. You would also get a better price from a mattress store since mattresses were a side line for department and furniture stores and mattress stores were built to offer discounts.
In the current marketplace mattress store advertising misleads you and usually appeals to the low price mindset over buying a quality mattress. They don’t tell you the special being offered is junk, they just appeal to the low price mentality. It is also unfortunate that these special prices are higher than you should pay for the merchandise and they make a higher profit margin on moving six of these over one quality mattress. To each person that reads this take heed, you health is at risk when you buy low quality mattresses and you may end up paying a chiropractor for such a mistake.
THE SALESPEOPLE
I mentioned above how the salespeople are trained by the manufacturers, what I did not mention is many big mattress chains have their own academy where they train the salespeople on how to extract the most out of the customer. They are taught to get you to buy at least one quality level higher than you anticipated when you left to drive to the store. Typically they will start you at the most expensive mattress on the retail floor and then work down to your tolerance level. In the end you think it is only a little more to go one step up and the quality will be better. Caveat Emptor!
SELECTING A MATTRESS
When you go to the mattress store lay on the most firm mattress your body will tolerate and set that as the starting point for your selection. Then move to the softest mattress you believe will work for you. The mattresses in between those two comfort levels will be the ones you want to consider. A proper mattress will offer you good spinal alignment. If your back dips down you will wake up with pain. Ensure you are making the right purchase by the way the mattress feels, is it comfortable, and if it offers the correct support.
Mattresses are enclosed. You don’t see what is inside of them and it is this reason you verify everything you saw in the mattress store by shopping online. You take your notes from your notebook and compare the specifications. Online retailers must have specifications in order to sell their products and this is the only way to compare the deal you are offered in a retail store. It may not surprise you to learn some salespeople occasionally stretch the truth, so before you plunk down a credit card or debit card verify your data.
Finally, always pay with a credit or debit card. This will protect you if there is a dispute. If there is something I did not cover that you want or need to know, call 800-385-8319 and I will be happy to offer you assistance.
Mary from Georgia called to inquire about a mattress that she saw in Sears. Mary found the Simmons Beautyrest Black Georgiana Ultra Plush Pillow Top and loved its feel and comfort. Unfortunately, the price tag was more than she had hoped for and needed to find a similar mattress at a lower price. Mary called Go To Mattress to see if we could help her get this mattress at a lower price.
Michelle called to ask if we could find the same mattress as the Simmons East Hampton World Class. We get this question often from people in her area of Texas because this wonderful mattress is listed so high in the retail stores. She wants to buy a queen mattress with regular (9”) box springs and was pleasantly surprised when I told her our price was $1,889 less 10% because of the current sale. She said it was almost four hundred dollars more in Houston.
Sandra called to ask if we could get her a better deal on the Simmons Contender Plush mattress she saw at Mattress Firm. She only needs to mattress and called us to confirm that a queen size World Class Simmons mattress was only $1099 completely delivered. She said the price she was quoted is over $400 more.
I received a phone call from Jack in Peoria, IL regarding some concerns he had when buying a mattress. It seems as though he and his wife have two very different preferences when it comes to selection of their mattresses. Jack prefers a plush mattress, where as his wife needs a firmer mattress to support her bad back. They had been to multiple mattress stores in Illinois and haven’t been able to find the right mattress for them.
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