I like to help people and occasionally my skills as an ex-furniture store manager help me to do that. A friend recently asked me to share some advice about mattresses and this is what I wrote for them. They knew I wrote a blog and thought I should post what I shared with them. I hope you find it useful as well.
- Research before shopping. Begin with customer reviews of the merchants you plan to visit. Look specifically for comments about customer service and reliability. Plan to visit three or four stores. Try to avoid buying at the first store you visit. Most people spend 6-8 hours a day sleeping, so it is worth taking time to shop around. Think about what you want in a mattress.
- What you expect for pricing is likely wrong. Most people do not buy mattress sets on the regular and are surprised at the pricing. Comparing features is important because some merchants have a substantial markup. Beware of retailers who use gimmicks like advertising “Don’t Pay Retail!” or “Factory Direct Pricing!” – both phrases are meaningless. Whatever you pay, wherever you buy, you are paying retail pricing.
- Comfort and support should balance the price. For most adults, a low-priced bed may not provide the comfort and support you need, which is why shopping and comparison are so important.
- Read advertisements. The vast majority of retailers have integrity and have legitimate sales … a few do not. Use comparison shopping to determine appropriate pricing, and never trust the manufacturer’s suggested price. In my opinion, box springs should never cost the same as a mattress. Education and knowledge are the best tools to have when shopping. If you are being pressured excessively to purchase something you are not comfortable with, leave, there will always be another sale. Read the fine print in the ads.
- Terms and Sizes. The most common sizes are Twin (39” x 74”), Double (54” x 74”), Queen (60” x 80”) and King (78” x 80”). Foundations (box springs) are the same sizes but can be purchased as low-rise (meaning they are about half the height), split size for Doubles, Queens, and Kings (usually there is a price premium), and some retailers can order ready-to-assemble foundations which allow delivery into very tight spaces. Many King-size models have a built-in hinge that allows coil-type mattresses to be bent about 25 degrees. Mattresses can be specially ordered for custom sizing from certain manufacturers, expect to pay a premium of 25% or greater.
- Terms – Part 2. Coils are the number of springs in a mattress. Foams, there are many kinds of foams available, ask about latex and off-gassing for people with allergies. Bed-in-a-box has become very popular online, but remember mattresses are like shoes, you should really try them out before buying. Hybrid beds are a mix of coil and foam construction.
- Pillows. Bring one with you when you shop. Spinal alignment is very important and having a pillow with you helps to ensure that your body’s alignment is the same in the store as it is when you get home. Also, buying a new pillow when you buy a new mattress is a good idea – neither lasts forever.
- Understand “B” labels. You may find it almost impossible to compare mattresses from the same manufacturer at different retailers because the names are different. Certain manufacturers will have different names for the same or similar beds. Using “B” labels allows retailers to seemingly differentiate their beds from other retailers. Many times, the beds are almost identical, and it is merely the “name” or the “label” that is different. When shopping ask your salesperson for the specs or the base name of the mattress to allow you to make an informed decision.
- Nothing is free. A common gimmick, especially pre-Covid, was to include free items such as a television with the purchase of a certain mattress. Remember, buy a bed for comfort and support, not the free TV. No matter what the advertising may say, you are paying for exactly what you get. Another common gimmick is the “bowling ball” test. A famous bedding manufacturer used to demonstrate that mattresses had less transfer motion by having a bowling ball bounce on a bed while someone lay undisturbed beside it … almost every bed will do the same thing. Avoid gimmicks.
- Be wary of Used beds. Many retailers offer returned beds at deeply discounted prices – they are often referred to as Comfort Guarantee beds. You do not know where these beds have been and even whether the previous customer used a mattress pad or not. Mattresses are one purchase that I would always recommend you purchase new, if possible.
- Understand Mattress Warranties. Non-pro rated is better than pro-rated and a mattress warranty does not cover normal wear and tear. It only covers manufacturing defects like broken springs or boards which can be rare. As an extra note: warranties do not cover loaner mattresses or transportation.
- Buy a good mattress pad. Any kind of stain will void your mattress warranty period! Expect to pay between $75 to $100+ for a good mattress pad. Buy one that will compensate you if it leaks – this is not something to buy from a department store. If you do not use a mattress pad or pillow protector, understand that after about five years more than 25% of the weight of your pillow or mattress will be dead skin, and dust mite critters.
- Don’t tolerate unhelpful salespeople. Many retailers rely on a turn system to assign salespeople to customers. If your assigned person isn’t listening to what you want or is trying to sell you something you don’t like, ask for someone else, it is your right. All salespeople are not created equally. Understand that certain salespeople will direct you to specific beds because they receive an incentive (spiff) for selling specific beds, which may or may not be the right bed for you.
- Understand the value of “Top-down Selling.” Most retailers will begin by showing off their most expensive or best beds and moving down their lineup until you find one that you like. It is a great way to see what is available, but don’t allow yourself to overspend, you should always make the best-informed decision that is right for you.
- Never buy the first mattress set you try. Mattress shopping takes time, lay on the bed, if you have a partner, bring them, lie on the bed together, do not be embarrassed, or just sit on the edge guard. Try to lay in whatever position you normally do without squirming around for at least five minutes. If you are comfortable, then the bed may be a good fit.
- Center support. For double mattresses and larger your bed or bed frame should have a center support to prevent warping.
- They will try to sell you more. Merchants call them “add-ons,” some can be helpful, some less so. New sheets with deep gussets for thick mattresses are likely less expensive at a department store. Pillows fall into the same category. Bed frames with center support are important if your current bed doesn’t have them. Many stores offer a comfort guarantee only if you purchase their mattress pad, comfort guarantees should be rare if your salesperson did a good job and you comparison shopped. Watch for add ons; some are good, others are not.
- Understand the sales process. A really good salesperson will start by genuinely establishing rapport and trust with you. Then they will listen and ask you questions about what YOU want. Then they will explain and educate you about the different choices you have in their store. Based on your feedback, they will demonstrate which mattresses will satisfy you. They will then ask you to make an informed decision. They will stay in contact with you until your delivery and really good ones will follow up to make sure you are happy with your purchase. If they don’t do this, ask for someone else to help you or go to the next store.
- Be-backs and dealing with your favorite salesperson. Good salespeople are trustworthy and appreciate your asking for them. If you want to deal with a certain person in a certain store, call ahead and see if they are working, and make sure you ask for them when you arrive. Ask for them by name, don’t just wave at them; many stores have very inflexible rules about what seems like common sense, but isn’t always common in some stores. This holds true if you leave and then come back the same day.
- Ask for a better deal. This never hurts, but timing is important as well as try not to “grind” them too much. The best time is when they are waiting for you to decide. Ask questions like, “Is this the best you can do?” “Could you give me a deal on the bed frame,” or “Is there a sale coming up?” Some retailers will have a price guarantee and use that as a reply, knowing their products are all “B” label beds and price guarantees are unlikely. Some stores will “rock and roll,” but only if you ask. So try it.
- Ask what box spring you are going to get. Box springs really are just foundations these days. Some retailers show their mattress sets with matching foundations on their showroom floor but deliver beds with a black box. This saves them money and allows them to avoid carrying heavy inventories of different foundations. Ask about low-rise foundations if your new mattress will be too high for your existing bed.
- Finishing the sale. Ask about a delivery, what is the cost, what day they come to your neighborhood, what services they provide, and what they won’t do, protect your floors because, by law, they cannot remove their boots. Is your purchase in stock? Estimated arrival dates from manufacturers are notoriously unreliable, so try to purchase from a retailer who has your mattress set in stock. When you take delivery, check your invoice against the manufacturer’s tag on the head of the mattress; mistakes happen and can be difficult to correct after the fact.
- Remember that there is a breaking-in period. The first few nights you may think you made a mistake. Give it time, normal mattresses usually take between one and three weeks to become totally comfortable.
- Ask what happens if you are unhappy. Many stores will have some kind of comfort guarantee policy. You may have to wait until after a “breaking in” period, you will likely have to purchase their mattress pad. There may be a reselection fee and they may limit the number of times you can change your mind. This is a key part of your comparison-shopping mission. Remember, any stains make warranty claims and reselections a not-starter.
- Body Impressions or humping (crowning). Contemporary mattresses will have body impressions, up to 1.5 inches is normal about the size of a ping-pong ball. Crowning or having a hump in the middle of a king-size bed is also normal as there will be body impressions where you and your partner normally sleep. Neither is a manufacturer defect.
- Plan on replacing your mattress set every eight to ten years. Our bodies change over time as does our need for different support. Mattress may be warranted for far longer than ten years but consider replacing them as your needs change.
- And one more thing. Understand and ask about financing. Financing can be a valuable tool if you understand the rules. Ask what happens if you do not pay by the due date, interest should only be on the unpaid balance. “Gotcha interest” rolls back to the date of purchase on some financing plans. Ask about “administration fees” and “what the actual APR (annual percentage rate) is before agreeing.
I know this edition of “Tools Every Can Use” is a little longer than 1,500 words (and has 27 points instead of 21) but these are the basic tools to use when shopping for a new mattress set. Please use them, share them, and comment on them.
Good luck,
Paul.