RANT: Who is behind the mattress scam??

[Lud]

Who is behind the mattress scam??

So I'm trying to buy a new bed. I am honestly surprised nobody has ever gone postal and just started shooting up a mattress store. It is ridiculous the way they try to hide everything, change names for the same exact product between every retailer just to make it hard for you to compare, etc. And of course everything is always On Sale! Today! Only! Hurry! What will it take to have you sleeping in this bed tonight?!

Household appliances aren't much better, but at least with those I can actually see differences. All the freaking beds look the same to me except some have a "pillow top" which I'm pretty sure I can duplicate with some egg crate foam or a feather bed topper (which I already have). Is the Super Elite Fluffy Cloud DreamSleeper Pillowtop better than the Ultra Meridian World Class Gold Plush? Are you freaking kidding me? Is it just a shell game scam where they have 100 different beds that are virtually identical and they just put different names and prices on them to unload people of however much money they are willing to part with?

Yet with a price range of $500 to $5,000+ it seems there must be some sort of differences that really matter somewhere between the two. Has anyone with more patience than me actually decoded their secret little society and figured out what the real differences are between mattresses? I'm pretty sure I don't need silk damask ticking because I use sheets. I guess that might be important for people who sleep directly on the mattress. Or something.

I don't think lying on a mattress in a store for 30 seconds is going to help me figure it out and the sales drones are worse than those found on a used car lot (i.e. lots of platitudes, no useful information.) I don't mind spending more if there is a real difference in comfort or quality, but I'm not inclined to spend more just to spend more.

And what's up with these memory foam beds? Are they any good? I started to look into them but the various manufacturers were arguing that their density of visco supertastic memory foam was the best and the foam from the other manufacturers was likely to cause crippling back injuries so I gave up. And how are they simultaneously "NASA Technology" and "A Swedish Sleeping Innovation?" Nevermind, I probably don't want to know.

I also heard something about latex mattresses but that just sounds uncomfortable. Then the guy told me that they were popular many years ago. I figure they were probably phased out for a reason, yes?

Should I just get a couple eye bolts and put up a hammock? I like hammocks. And I'd never have to make the bed again!

Seriously any insight or advice would be appreciated.

 

[sjs]

As they say, I feel your pain. I got just as frustrated as you sound, so I walked in to Sam's and picked out a name brand in extra firm for not much more than the cheapest junk I saw in other stores. I've been using it now for nearly four years and remain pleased.

I think the memory foam is worth a look for people with comfort issues. However, there are a couple toppers made from the stuff now and I suspect they can work just as well if made right, but for a lot less.

 

[FuryNSX]

Wow!! You got me big time scared now. I'm gonna be in the market to change our mattress set soon. Now I don't know what to do. We have a neighbor who has a bedroom furniture store that I hope can give us a straight answer.

 

[len3.8]

OMG!! Lud & SJS, Lud nailed it. I was out shopping with the wife and Kids for this today.... You handled it better than I did. I was so frustrated that I barked at the sales person, about the deception that they were displaying, and he was so obviously practicing. My wife was just looking at me in disbelief. After leaving the Matress store, I went to Sams and bought theirs and save many $$$$'s. Excellent post.

 

[KGP]

On the foam toppers: I boought one at Costco. Twas a good decision. Love the thing.

Do you StL guys recall a new undercover story a few years back where they exposed some so called mattress manufactures for taking used mattresses, re-furbing then selling as new?

 

[steveny]

Wow!! You got me big time scared now. I'm gonna be in the market to change our mattress set soon. Now I don't know what to do. We have a neighbor who has a bedroom furniture store that I hope can give us a straight answer.

Good luck, I too have a friend that owns a furniture store. When I was looking for a mattress about 4 years ago I became really frustrated and went to see my friend. He was as clueless as I was about what was better and how to get the best deal. He did however let me know that mattress dealers make a ton of profit on mattress sales. That made me feel a lot better for sure. I ended up buying a 1k mattress that made my back feel like crap. Like Lud said its impossible to know what the bed will feel like from laying on it for 30 seconds in the store. Needless to say mattresses are not returnable. So I put that one in the spare bedroom and blew the wad on a 3k mattress and love it. I would post the name but the girlfriend is sleeping on it right now. I think it was either a Serta or Sealy Deveraux pillow top.

BTW these guys make a great mattress
http://www.stearnsandfoster.com/

 

[Kinan]

I too didn't think any bed could be worth all of the money some of these places were asking so I spent $500 on a mattress from Costco and couldn't be happier.

It's a Sealy and has some of that new memory foam built into it and has been very comfortable for the month that I've had it.

 

[ANYTIME]

Lud,
Look no further than Costco online. With a no questions ask return policy, you can order and try it out, with no worries on returning it. You can get a full refund, including any shipping charges(most prices include shipping). I was in the same boat as you, and I was set on the more expensive brands and left all the stores no more smarter about matresses than before I started, feeling like an idiot, thinking the more I spent, the better the mattress. So, we ordered online, with the whole intention of returning it. How can you buy a sight unseen or felt mattress? It worked out great and we must have been lucky on the first try. I too, did not like laying on a mattress in the store for 10 minutes, trying to decide if it felt good. This would be the perfect way to give mattresses a test drive before you actually commit to buying something expensive for the long term. If you are not a member, let me know, my wife works in the membership department.
Good luck,
John
BTW, I would have bought it this way, even if the wife did not work there.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Sorry to hear about your frustrating shopping experience, Lud. That's why I haven't replaced my mattress, the choices all too confusing and the pricing make no sense. I've made do with foam toppers and down toppers for now, but I will have to bite the bullet sometime.

On the topic of the Tempurpedic mattresses, can those of you that own(ed) one give your honest assessment of the product, good or bad? I'm curious, thanks.

 

[Russ]

Re: Who is behind the mattress scam??

And what's up with these memory foam beds? Are they any good?

I have a memory foam pillow. It's a little weird at first but can be pretty comfortable. The downside is that because the foam is so dense, that unlike a regular pillow, where your body heat warms up the pillow in a few moments, the memory foam tends to chill you for several minutes before it finally comes up to body temp.

 

[NSX 3.0]

Your right it's sure frustrating...we just bought a King Sealy Plush Pillow top I've been watching the adds and sales since Xmas and was happy at the price we got $890 frame,pad,and delivered. I think we laid on every bed there the most expensive one was around $4000 and man that thing was so comfortable I couldn't believe it...I still like ours and so much more room in a King compared to a Queen.

 

[lemansnsx]

Just went through this about 2 months ago. Was absolutely dreading the experience knowing that many of the mattresses are the same darn thing with different names in different stores plus having heard all the horror stories about refurbished used bedding - gross!
Anyhow, we went into the local mattress super store and couldn't be happier with the experience - except for the amount we spent - but I'll get back to that. We apparently lucked out in that the guy wating on us was the district manager and he could not have been more knowledgeable or professional. We spent probably 2 hours trying different beds and kept going back to the top-of-the-line Kingsdown Dormo Diagnostics which we eventually bought. This is the most comfortable mattress that I have ever been one - just awesome. My wife suffers a lot of back pain, has joint pain from Lymes, plus works very hard - on her feet all day. This bed has made a huge difference in the quality of her sleep.
Everything that I believed about mattresses was pretty much wrong as far as a hard bed being better for you - this bed is soft as can be! We paid a fortune - $3K - but so far I consider it money well spent. Did they make a killing on us? Probably - but at least I feel that we got the best mattress we could buy and my wife is sleeping better!

 

[NSXLNT]

Intesting site from a local mattress manufacturer:

http://www.norwalkmattress.com/


Lots of good info. Aren't there any local manufacturers like this in your areas?

Keith

 

[KGP]

Costco Rules

I agree with John 1000%. Costco's return/warranty policy is simply awesome. Can't go wrong. A few great choices:
Their Sealy with memory foam layer here .
Or, their Airbed with top foam layer here . A neighbor of mine bought one of these air bladder beds and loves it. Kind of hard to tell if I would like it without sleeping on it though.

 

[DutchBlackNsx]

Doesn't any of you guys ever tried a waterbed?

I bought one a few years back, and omg, i absolutely love the thing.
If you see what is left on top of the plastic after a month or so, you never want a normal matress again...



Mich

 

[kgb_agent]

Lud, I went through this shell game as well about a year ago. I did some research. MSN.COM had a great article about the ethic-lacking deception in this industry on their "bcentral" website. Maybe you could do a search on it. In any other industry, these things would be considered crimes.

Imagine one Honda dealer selling an Accord. Then another dealer has an Insight for sale, calling it an Accord. Yet another is selling a Civic, calling it an Accord. You get the idea...

Apparently, there are only one or two manufacturers of the springs that go into nearly ALL beds. And, of course, the coils are what the mattress dealers stress as the selling point. And how are you going to verify the coils per X # of inches in your new $1000 matress....cut it open and count?? They've got you there, too.

If you get a price on one model from one dealer, just make sure you buy it from them. Otherwise you'll need to start the process all over with the next dealer.

 

[RPM217]

Business Section yesterday's NY Times

Had a big article on this topic in yesterday's NY Times business section. It's a must read. My wife is the manager of the Furniture/Mattress/Rug department at Bloomingdale's in White Plains, NY. This is a very valid question that many of you are bringing up. FYI, the major department stores can be just as competitive as 1-800-mattres, and Sleepy's etc. They tend to carry the same name brands, and yes, everyone calls it something else. Everybody has an exclusive feature, and in many cases, there are things that are exclusive (ticking, etc) but the basic foundations are all similar. The department stores also have a very liberal return/exchange policy and most of their salespeople are more "educated" on their products than those that you will speak to at the mattress superstores, or through the on-line community. Yes, it's very difficult to get on a bed for 10 minutes, and decide if it's "right" for you. My wife tells all of her customers that in many cases it will take a couple of weeks for you to get accustomed to your "new" bed, and not to make any decision until then. We've had many beds over the past 10 years, when something better comes along, my wife magically gets a deal we can't refuse. We both have bad backs, and I have to tell you, the bed does make a difference. If you're in the NY tri-state area, and are looking for a bed, PM me, and I'll give you the "Boss's" contact info, maybe she can help you, or educate you. Yes I do have a vested interest, she does receive compensation on the sale, but as the NY times article stated, people spend more money on a car (didn't we all?) and spend less time in it than they do on a bed.

 

[steveny]

Dumb Question:
If a mattress is returned is it resold=gross.
Are retailers less likely to sell a "used" mattress if they do not accept returns. I chose to buy from a place that would not take a return so I would be less likely to get a return sold to me.

 

[SNDSOUL]

I bought a Sterns and Fosters mattress a little over a year ago and man I really love it, but I'm so glad I didnt pay retail for it. I have a friend that works at Rhodes furniture and let me use his employee purchase program. I thought the car audio industry had a pretty good profit margin until I bought that mattress. It was on SALE for $2100., I paid his cost of $300 with shipping!!! When I found out how much it was marked up I was floored. I guess thats why the guy that owns the mattress store down the street has an NSX too.

 

[PHOEN$X]

Doesn't any of you guys ever tried a waterbed?

I did, and I hated it! I could never feel comfortable on it, I guess I like a sleeping surface that doesn't move every time you shift a body part.

 

[TucAZNSX]

It was on SALE for $2100., I paid his cost of $300 with shipping!!!

I guess I know what business I should go into!

 

[I Grok NSX]

I sleep on an air mattress that I got from W-Mart for $29 which included the pump. It's very comfortable. Been using it for over 6 months now with no problems.

 

[NSX-Ster]

On the topic of the Tempurpedic mattresses, can those of you that own(ed) one give your honest assessment of the product, good or bad? I'm curious, thanks.

I've had a Tempurpedic matress for 8 years. I actually have 2, 1 queen and recently upgraded to a king. IMHO it is an incredible product. The NSX of matresses-well worth the money. PM me if you have any specific questions.

PS-This thread reminds me of the old Zaino vs. Zymol thread

 

[CokerRat]

Re: Business Section yesterday's NY Times

but as the NY times article stated, people spend more money on a car (didn't we all?) and spend less time in it than they do on a bed.

You don't wear $3000 underwear do you??

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

The key is to buy a mattress from a place that has a good return policy. If you don't like it, return it with no questions asked.

I've slept in many different mattresses, and I know what kind of mattress I like. Everyone will like different kinds, so try it out!

The Tempurpedic mattresses never worked for me. They were too stiff, got too hot, and were generally too uncomfortable for me. Again, this is different for everyone. You have to try it to see if it will work for you.