Community Chat

[KathyPet]

It Seems to me that just about every strip mall in my town has a mattress store in it.  You name the store and we have at least one of them,  Sleepy's, Mattress Discounters, Mattress Warehouse etc.  Do people really buy enough mattresses to support all these stores?  I buy a mattress maybe every 10 years.  When my DD was looking for a new mattress a few months ago I went with her and we checked out every mattress  store in town.   We were shopping in the middle,of the day on a Saturday and we were the only customers in every store we went in.  Who is buying all these mattresses so these stores can stay in business?

[chrystaltree]

I don't know if it's true but I read somewhere that you should never buy a mattress from one of those mattress stores.  There is a racket out there where some sleezy entrepeneurs buy used mattresses or take them from town dumps.  They strip off the covering, add some stuffing and padding and a new covering and a fake tag and sell them to those mattress stores.  Who know what the deal is but look the other way.   That's why they can sell them so cheap.  They look new but if you were to slit open....you'd see all kids of disgusting stuff inside. 

[Shawnie]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

I don't know if it's true but I read somewhere that you should never buy a mattress from one of those mattress stores.  There is a racket out there where some sleezy entrepeneurs buy used mattresses or take them from town dumps.  They strip off the covering, add some stuffing and padding and a new covering and a fake tag and sell them to those mattress stores.  Who know what the deal is but look the other way.   That's why they can sell them so cheap.  They look new but if you were to slit open....you'd see all kids of disgusting stuff inside. 

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So where are you supposed to buy a mattress?

[SahmIam]

I spent a little over a year researching mattresses and found out many things that saddened me regarding how they are made and what is now available. The last time I had purchase a mattress was 12 years or so ago for my then 2 eldest boys (now 16 and 19). Twin size and with a pillowtop. Boxspring and mattress, on sale via a dept. store (now gone) ran me around $800 for each set. One is still in great condition; the other needs to be replaced (disabled son is in bed for 15 plus hours a day so....).

I had to buy a queen size as mine was going on 20 years. THey are NOT what they used to be. Between the chemicals sprayed on them (which triggered my asthma and caused everyone to get headaches), having that weird gel-foam (which is terrible for lower back injuries) and NOT being flippable, they have a lasting rate of 3-5 YEARS according to all the consumer sites I went to (not to mention the negative reviews left by customers). 

Where do you go to find a flippable, extra-firm, no gel-foam mattress that will last 15 years plus? Bloomingdale's or the direct site of mattresses that run $10,000 PLUS in cost. I bought one; yes I did. On sale and being replaced with a newer version so my queen set ran me just over $2000. LOVE IT.

The more I learned about the product, the more I realized that bargain basement is junk, the turnover of mattresses is astronomical and the caustic fall-out to our health is criminal. People buy them because they wear out quickly and the warranty is a joke. Many order over the phone ( I just did that for another set from Bloomingdales' for my son- twin set). It shouldn't be THIS HARD to purchase a mattress but for someone reason, it's up there with buying a car. 

Just....why?!

[sueeich]

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@KathyPet wrote:

It Seems to me that just about every strip mall in my town has a mattress store in it.  You name the store and we have at least one of them,  Sleepy's, Mattress Discounters, Mattress Warehouse etc.  Do people really buy enough mattresses to support all these stores?  I buy a mattress maybe every 10 years.  When my DD was looking for a new mattress a few months ago I went with her and we checked out every mattress  store in town.   We were shopping in the middle,of the day on a Saturday and we were the only customers in every store we went in.  Who is buying all these mattresses so these stores can stay in business?

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It's so funny that you're bringing up this subject!  It's kind of the running joke in our family.  Everytime we see a new store opening up, we joke that it's another mattress store.  On the main drag where all of our shopping is, there a Mattress Firm on the west side of the street and then another Mattress Firm is directly across the street on the east side.  Recently, there was an old building on the main drag that was torn down and a new strip shopping center was built in it's place.  We pass it everyday on our way to school and my kids and I were joking that they were going to open another mattress store.  Sure enough our hunch was correct - they opened yet another Mattress Firm in this new strip and this is only about 1/2 mile away from the other two stores! 

I recently needed to buy a "bunkie board" for my son's bed and so I had to go to the Mattress Firm in order to buy it becasue it's not a very common item outside of a mattress store.  When I walked into the store, it was like a tomb.  There was nobody else shopping and there were two salesmen behind the desk!  Sometimes I think these places are a front for illegal activity. 

Honestly, I hate mattress stores.  Buying a mattress is like going to a used car lot.  High pressure sale tactics and no way to compare apple for apple what you're buying.  I've already decided that next time we need a new mattress, I"m buying a Casper which will be delivered to my front door!

[chrystaltree]

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@Shawnie wrote:

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@chrystaltree wrote:

I don't know if it's true but I read somewhere that you should never buy a mattress from one of those mattress stores.  There is a racket out there where some sleezy entrepeneurs buy used mattresses or take them from town dumps.  They strip off the covering, add some stuffing and padding and a new covering and a fake tag and sell them to those mattress stores.  Who know what the deal is but look the other way.   That's why they can sell them so cheap.  They look new but if you were to slit open....you'd see all kids of disgusting stuff inside. 

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So where are you supposed to buy a mattress?

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        Huh?  Where we always bought them, before those mattress stores started popping up in vacant stores.   Furniture stores, department stores, specialty stores like Castro Convertibles.  If that store still exists.  They even advised against buying mattresses from those big box stores.  It struck a cord with me because at the time we were looking at new beds. 

[Lipstickdiva]

I know what you mean.  My DH and I mattress shopped last year.  We didn't need to go far to get from one store to the next.  Not to mention all the furniture stores that sell mattresses as well.  As you said, most of the mattress stores we entered....we were the only customer.

Levins just opened a mattress only store not too far from me and about 3 minutes from me a mattress store of some sort opened. That's in addition to the Mattress Warehouse that is about 2 minutes from that.  I predict the one that opened closest to me will be closing within the year. 

[Lipstickdiva]

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@Shawnie wrote:

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@chrystaltree wrote:

I don't know if it's true but I read somewhere that you should never buy a mattress from one of those mattress stores.  There is a racket out there where some sleezy entrepeneurs buy used mattresses or take them from town dumps.  They strip off the covering, add some stuffing and padding and a new covering and a fake tag and sell them to those mattress stores.  Who know what the deal is but look the other way.   That's why they can sell them so cheap.  They look new but if you were to slit open....you'd see all kids of disgusting stuff inside. 

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So where are you supposed to buy a mattress?

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I bought my mattress from a mattress store and it was far from cheap, I can tell you that.  Maybe there are some off brand mattress stores out there that are gross and sell reconditioned mattresses but I would bet my last dollar that Mattress Warehouse, Mattress Firm, Original Mattress Factory, etc. aren't doing that. Those stores have been in business for years and years and are all over the US. They wouldn't be in business that long if they were doing what that poster suggested.   

My mattress came with a 10 year warranty and I believe it's a Sealy.

Most of these mattress stores have mattresses made just for them so you can't price compare. There is always something just a little different about them all from store to store.   

[Caffeina]

This Consumer Reports article says QVC scored highly for overall satisfaction, while mattress stores did not.

www.consumerreports.org/mattress-stores/best-and-worst-mattress-stores

[sunshine45]

i have no problem buying mattresses from a mattress store. i have purchased from sleepys and from mattress discounters......and they were NOT cheap. the mattress stores around here seem to have been in business for a LONG time, so they must be doing well.

the only time i have bought an inexpensive mattress was when my daughter was in her senior year at college. we found a mattress in big lots for a decent price...... around $300 for the mattress, frame, and boxspring. she sold it a year later to someone who was moving into her apartment for about $100. it was a lot easier to sell it then have to drag it back home.