How To Shop For A New Mattress

It’s that time of the year we all enjoy – MATTRESS Shopping Season!!! As the spring moves along, every other radio and television advertisement is for “the greatest mattress sale ever” and “you must buy your new mattress now”. May arrives and all of a sudden the view along Glenwood Avenue changes. As we approach Memorial Day drivers will be entertained by large blow up gumbies flapping their arms in the wind, folks dressed as mattresses, and very creative dancing sign-flippers – all advertising the big May mattress sales. We will be having our Memorial Day sales this year but rest assured no big blow up gumbies from us.

Each year some of the larger well-known mattress retailers have unannounced contests to see how many signs they can put on the street. Last year the big winner seemed to have had about 35 signs in a 15-foot track of median. The local newspapers will be full of big inserts all showing the same mattresses at up to 800% off retail! How can you not take advantage of that?

We love mattress-shopping season. No, not because we enjoy the hokey advertising that we don’t participate in. We enjoy it because we know that our customers come in after having done a lot of research about mattresses and they understand the benefits of mattresses that don’t contain harmful and toxic chemicals. Our customers have made a conscious decision to buy a natural and healthy mattress and they don’t need a dancing mattress on the street to tell them why.

Here are some considerations when starting your new mattress search:

1. Do I need a new mattress? If your mattress is over 10 years old it is probably infested with dust mites, skin cells, years of sweat, etc. In addition, an older mattress could have contained PBDEs, which were legally added to many mattresses sold years ago. If you wake up with pain your mattress may not be providing proper support. Do you sleep better away from home? Many times this is a sign that your mattress is old. Do you want more space? Maybe you need to move from a queen to king size.

2. Where do I start in this process? I think we all know how enjoyable it is to come into a brightly lit showroom with too many people in cheap suits following you around and begging you to lay on a mattress. The experience can be brutal and tiring. Here are a some suggestions to make the process more fun:

• Wear comfortable clothes. Don’t wear your pajamas because that’s a little weird but do wear shorts, t-shirts, workout clothing, or anything that moves with you. Ladies, skirts and dresses are tricky!
• Either come in with your own pillow or pick one out at the store and take the same pillow to each bed. It’s best to try out mattresses using a consistent pillow.
• What 3 things are most important in a new mattress? Know why you are shopping for a mattress and what you are looking for in a mattress. Do you sleep hot? Do you have pain? Do you sleep through the night? Do you have a CPAP machine? Do you need a bigger mattress? It is extremely important to know what you are looking for as you can be sold on all the new gimmicks and end up with something you didn’t even want or need. And you’re probably paying more for the gimmicks you didn’t need.
• Know your budget. If you know how much you can and want to spend on a new mattress you won’t get oversold. In our store, we will discreetly work within you budget and try to find a mattress that meets your needs and if we can’t we will tell you.
• Try several mattresses. It is important to understand how different surfaces feel. We have many people coming in saying they want a very firm mattress but they end up choosing a nice combination of a firm base with soft comfort layer. If two people are purchasing the mattress together they should both try the mattresses together. Once you have narrowed down your choices, stay on your chosen 2-3 mattresses for 10-15 minutes in the position you sleep in most.
• Know your bed. Do you need a box spring (foundation)? Do you have a slatted platform bed that is designed to work with a mattress only? Do you need a bed frame?   Are you changing sizes? If so, do you have a bed? This is VERY important information to come in to a store with – your budget depends on it.
• Know the gimmicks? If a retailer can sell a mattress for 80% off then it was highly marked up to begin with. If a retailer can offer a "free" wide screen tv, a "free" adjustable base or other offers which seem too good to be true then guess what they are! They are simply building the "free" stuff or other special offers into the price.
• Have fun. Guys – go along with the process. Try the mattresses, talk about the benefits, and try to stay engaged. Many of our customer’s comfort exchanges come from the guys who weren’t engaged and said they can sleep on “anything”. Ladies – be patient and “drag” your guy in when he doesn’t have anything else going on. It is very difficult to get the participating you want or need if your guy wants to be fishing and you have them in a mattress store.

3. How do I choose the right mattress? Go back to the items that are most important to you. If you have gotten this far than you probably believe that a natural product is a given. What else is important? That is for you to decide. With natural mattresses you have a longer lasting product, superior pressure relief with the all-natural latex options, elimination of motion transfer when couples are sleeping together and a much cooler sleeping surface when you combine the natural latex with the wool filled cover. In addition you eliminate the petro-chemicals that are found in the polyurethane in traditional mattresses and the chemicals found in flame retardants and stain resisters. Stay within your budget. Make sure the mattress is comfortable and meets your criteria. Buy from a local retailer that can make sure you are getting the right mattress for your needs, deliver and set it up for you, remove your old mattress, offer accessories like pillows, sheets and protectors, and continue to offer service after the sale. Also you will keep your local money in the local economy.

4. Watch out for the internet. Buying a mattress on the internet can be cheaper but like anything, you get what you pay for. To sell mattresses on the internet a company needs a warehouse, a stack of latex layers, some warehouse workers and a handful of customer service telephone sales reps. They don’t need a showroom and they don’t need knowledgeable and passionate staff. They need people who can run a credit card. Yes, the internet companies offer “free” returns. But where do those returned layers of latex go? I can’t speak for any one company but I bet they don’t go to the local landfill. How do you know you are getting what you paid for? You don’t. There is no way to know because you never saw what you paid for. Be aware and shop local.

Now you have been educated you are ready for the May sales. We can help you with your natural and organic mattress purchases. There are many options that all offer various benefits. Come by and let us help you make a choice that will provide years of comfort and happiness. The best gift you can ever give yourself is a great nights sleep! AND OF COURSE - WE WILL BE HAVING OUR ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND SALE!!!

Also in News