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Go Ahead, Sprawl Out!
One of the most awkward things in mattress shopping is the "test drive" or maybe it should be called the "test snooze."
It is perfectly acceptable for you to lay down and even spread out on a mattress in the show room.
Not everyone is willing to do this and even those brave souls willing to risk embarassment for the sake of a wise purchase actually know how to test out a mattress in a show room.
First of all, you should stretch out completely on the mattress. Don't just sit at the end. Unless your shoes are very muddy or dirty, actually put them on the mattress. (Most stores have these test mattresses in plastic to protect them.) If you're in doubt, ask a salesperson if it's permissible.
Be sure to test the mattress both on your back and your side.
If you share your bed with another person, test the mattress with that person.
While on the mattress, lie on your back. If you can fit your hand, palm down, easily under your back, the mattress is too hard. If you can't get your hand under your back at all, it's too soft. You should be able to get your hand between the small of your back and the mattress, but it should be a snug fit.
Now, on the mattress, try to turn over both to the right and to the left. If you need your hand to help make the turn, the mattress is too soft. (If you're not physically fit enough to turn without using your hands for support, then you can't do this test.)
If at all possible, you should try to stay for several minutes on the mattress. A lot of times, your initial few minutes will be comfortable but you'll notice things after about 10 minutes. That's an eternity when lying in a showroom, but do the best you can to stay as long as you can.
Don't actually fall asleep, although I would guess that is a pretty good recommendation!
Mattress-Shopper
Marketing Techniques
Mattress Marketing Secrets Revealed!
When comparing prices for mattresses, be sure to factor in delivery costs and the costs of hauling off your old mattress. Sometimes you'll see a great deal but if delivery isn't included, you need to know that.
Not all mattress salespeople know what they're talking about. Some do, some don't, try to figure out which are which.
Mattress salespeople try to promote a sense of urgency by telling you that a sale is going to end or a deal with never be repeated. There may be some truth to that, but mattresses are an ongoing business in this country and you can pretty much count on mattresses being available, both at straight price and on sale, in the future.
If you leave a mattress store without buying anything, there is a very high probability you won't return to buy anything. That's why salespeople sometimes go out of their way to keep you there.
There is no standard expiration date on a mattress. How long a mattress lasts depends on how much it's used, the quality of the mattress to begin with, and how heavy you are. A good mattress should last five years, but not necessarily ten. Beware of mattress sales people who tell you that all mattresses need to replace automatically at a given date.
Mattress companies make mattresses for department and specialty stores to sell under their own name. Thus, one store's "ZZ Topper" may actually be the same mattress as another store's "Snore City."
The best time for mattress deals is January, but you can actually get good deals any time of year if you know what you're doing. However, January is the traditional season for mattresses to go on special.
Mattress-Shopper
We don't sell mattresses and have no financial interest in any company that does.
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Mattress Salespeople Know You Better Than You Think!
Marketing is not illegal, immoral, or unethical. It is widely practiced, and you’re going to run into a lot of marketing tactics when you shop for a mattress. If you’re a natural born salesperson or a person who works in marketing, you may know some of these techniques. If you’re not, this is a little introduction.
Urgency
No doubt about it, urgency sells. Most of us seem to enjoy a good rush of adrenalin, and marketers use this to make us think that we will miss the boat if we don’t buy the mattress right this minute.
There’s some truth in that fear. Market studies show that if you walk about of their show room without making a purchase, there’s a pretty good chance you won’t buy from that store ever. So in an effort to get you to make the decision to buy before you leave, the store and sales crew will encourage you to think that:
- There’s a major once-in-a-lifetime sale going on but it ends soon (usually at midnight that night)
- There’s a once-in-a-lifetime product available (a marked down display unit) that is bound to be snapped up within the hour if you don’t buy it now
- There’s a big change coming that will put you at a disadvantage (new models arriving, old things being phased out)
Fear of Loss
Fear is a pretty good motivation for most things and that includes buying a mattress. Your sales person may decide to convince you that you must replace your mattress or risk your health (bad back, developing asthma from the dust mites who live in your mattress).
This is particularly effective when the risk belongs to someone else (you must replace that crib mattress or your baby is at risk). The risk may be financial (you’ll risk paying more), physical (your arthritis will be worse), and even emotional (you’re not getting the sleep you deserve).
Appeal to Prestige
This doesn’t work on everybody but it works well on some people. Your sales person will convince you that you deserve that new luxury mattress, you really ought to splurge and invest in the pillow top cover, who deserves it more than you?
The sales person may point to new luxury materials (the memory foam), some great new design (the low-motion waterbed) or some fancy furniture. The idea is that you ought to get something appropriate to your station in life.
Fancy Financing
Some stores have a way of making payment seem sort of optional. They may promise you an interest-free loan for some outlandish period of time (I’ve heard them run into years, plural) or some other fancy financing method. While you may actually be wise to take advantage of some of these deals, be very careful and study the agreement before you sign. That interest-free loan can end up costing you interest plus late fees if your first payment doesn’t arrive by a specific date.
Now that you know a few of the more common marketing tactics that sales people and stores may try to use, what do you do? The most important thing is to be aware of them—they’re marketing tactics. Recognize that the threat of a sale ending doesn’t mean another sale won’t come along. Mattress stores—like any other store catering to the public—tend to have regular sales. If the sales person tries to convince you that you may lose out on a certain deal, realize this is a tactic but also realize, yes, you might lose out on a particular deal. Unless they’re giving the mattress away, don’t be too alarmed. You practically walked into that first deal, so why should you assume you’ll never run into another deal in your mattress shopping?
On the other hand, do take advantage of one of the best marketing “gimmicks” going: the knowledgeable sales person. Yes, they’re out there. If you get one of them, do take the time to listen to them. They make give you a sales pitch, but chances are they’ll share a lot of information and be willing to answer questions. If you’re able to spend the time, time with a knowledgeable sales person is almost always beneficial.
By the way, if you get a sales person who shares a lot of information, takes plenty of time, or otherwise goes out of his or her way to help you—do favor them. If you decide to buy the mattress from that sales person’s company, ask for the transaction to be handled by the sales person who helped you. They may or may not earn a commission (not all stores pay commissions to their sales force) but they will in some way benefit and get credit from the sale. And competence and integrity should always be rewarded!