Mattresses

This is absolutely the lowest price you will ever find on this mattress.

“Today is the only day we can offer you this price.”

“No one else carries this mattress at this price.”
All of these can be heard from sales people when it comes time to buy a new mattress. Sifting fact from fiction takes determination and a bit of knowledge about how the industry works.

Trying to comparison shop for mattresses is often like trying to compare apples to oranges. It is to the store’s benefit to keep it that way. At store #1 you liked the Allison model mattress, but try as you might, you just can’t find another Allison anywhere in town.

Manufacturers who create different models for every store it sells to cause this problem. A company may make five basic mattress models, but they change the fabric and call them by different names so that each store can have an exclusive model. Say the Allison is a level three Sealy mattress and it has a pink fabric cover. The Sedona may also be a level three Sealy mattress at another store, but have a blue cover. And at a third store, the level three Sealy mattress may be called the Elite and have yellow fabric.

If this all sounds confusing, it is meant to. Retailers do not want you to be able to compare apples to apples. All of the mattresses are comparable but you are not supposed to know that. Bouncing up and down on the edge and a five second lie down test won’t reveal it either. The best thing you can do is to figure out what features you are looking for and look for the best price available with those features.

Another way mattress retailers confuse consumers is by running sale after sale. They want you to feel pressured to buy your mattress today. If you don’t buy from them right then, chances are you will not come back. To try to keep you from comparison shopping, you will be told that the sale is over at midnight and tomorrow you will have to pay full price.

What about that full price. Does anyone ever pay full price for a mattress? Most retailers have an inflated retail price so that they can run their perpetual sales. This causes consumers to feel pressured to make quick decisions. In truth, the sale price is the actual retail price, so don’t feel pressured to act too quickly. Chances are higher that if you wait, the sale will still be going on by another name next week.

When it comes time to invest in a quality mattress, remember to take the time to compare features and not model names. Also, do not give in to the fear that the one day sale offered to you by the commissioned sales person will not be available tomorrow. If they can sell it to you for a good price today, they can match that good price tomorrow or next week.

Next: How to buy a mattress