Mattress Purchase Questions

Factual Questions
1

It’s amazing how at 41 I still find things I am doing for the first time…

I’ve decided I need a new mattress. This one is oldish, and my (now ex) wife made the purchase back when we were married. I realize that I have no freaking clue about shopping for the things, other than hearing lots of radio ads and seeign the inserts in the Sunday papers.

I’m looking for a King size mattress. But I don’t know whether one has to buy a new box spring each time? I also have no clue how much the things cost - the price range in the ads is huge. I am reasonably well off, so don’t mind spending money on this, but I don’t want to get burned.

I also have no clue as to the brand or type that I should be getting. I am easily confused in this type of situation and just see myself as a mark for the salesman. I am looking for a firmish mattress. For reference the best mattresses I have ever knowingly slept on are those in the Four Seasons.

Any help would be really appreciated - I am totally clueless.

2

Contact the Four Seasons and ask what brand they use. Seriously - I’d bet they get that question fairly regularly.

I can’t imagine why you’d have to get a new box spring. However, the mattress salesperson will tell you that if you don’t, you will void the warranty on the new mattress. The salesperson is, most likely, lying. Ask for that warranty info in writing if they pull that line (actually, ask for it regardless).

Consumer Reports has a lot of good info. They recommend going to the store, and lying down on the mattress for at least 15 minutes - they say something to the effect of that giving you plenty of time for your body to relax, so you have a good idea of how it’ll really feel.

This site has a lot of good info as well:
http://www.mattressscam.com/

3

Four Seasons sells them, but I remember them being insanely expensive. Then again, this is an area like hookers and car mechanics - I have no idea what the “reasonable” price is.

4

I feel your pain. I went through matress hell a few years ago, and went crazy trying to compare one brand to another, and even within the same company. The terminology seemed to mean whatever they wanted it to mean. And all I needed was a mattress, yet most companies wouldn’t sell one without a box spring.

Just on a hunch I visited the Original Mattress Factory (no, I don’t work for them). Their mattresses are easy to compare, with consistent terminology, and you don’t have to buy a box spring if you don’t need one. And you can try out the different models in their store.

I wound up buying one of their king-size mattresses, and it’s the best bed I’ve ever slept on. And the kitties love it too.

5

If you buy a box spring, consider the room you’ll be moving it into and the size of your doorways and hallways, and decide whether a split box spring would be better. Nothing worse than having your new bed delivered, only to discover that you can’t get it upstairs.

6

Well I have the box spring up there. I remember the mattress being a bitch to get up the stairs, but we got it eventually. And the box spring was in two halves.

Can anyone give me a ball park figure on how much I will be paying for a good brand, king size mattress (with or without box spring) if I go for a regular one, not one of the crazy NASA ones I can bounce a bowling ball on while drinking wine on my head?

7

I bought a queen-sized mattress about six months ago, paid $1200 at a mattress store (in the D.C. area, relatively high-cost area) and am really happy with the mattress.

That said, the whole process seemed like a parody of classic commission-based sales. I (by chance) did not want to be there that day, Mrs. Kdeus was ambivalent, and we had the kids with us. So when I said, “Screw it, lets get out of here,” the prices started falling and delivery became free.

So my advice is: go in at a slow time, be ready to leave, pretend to do so, and see how much the list price comes down.

8

I remember, my mattress did “fold” in half somehow, so there was no problem getting it up the stairs and into the room. And I don’t feel any kind of ridge going down the middle.

9

I’m in the DC area too - unfortunately it seems like Original Mattress Factory has nothing less than 90 miles away. However justifiable that is, realistically I know I am not going to do it.

I hate haggling. Hate hate hate it. Is there a Carmax of mattresses? Not that I want a used mattress, mind you.

10

Go get a mattress and frame at IKEA - no haggling. I buy mattresses there specifically because I don’t feel like I’m getting ripped off. Or even if I am, at least I know I’m paying the same price as everyone else.

Their top of the line mattresses are pretty good, and reasonably priced compared to the other stores. Their beds use slats so you can forget about the box springs (one less huge piece of furniture to deal with when moving/cleaning = good in my books)

11

I would reconsider the need for new box springs. Springs do lose their springiness over the years and so the mattress you like in the showroom may not be as nice when you get it home. Furthermore, if you’re doing a significant upgrade, the new box springs will be much better than your old ones.

Regardless, the last time we bought a new mattress most stores were willing to sell just the mattress. But then the one we ended up buying combined the box spring with the mattress as a single unit. It cost way more than most of the the other mattresses and quite a bit more than we initially budgeted for. But it was much more comfortable than other beds in the showroom. I made an offer that I thought was a low ball and then the salesman agreed so quickly I wondered if I could have gone lower.

12

Absolutely. The last time we got a mattress, they were advertising “Buy the mattress, get the box spring free”. We chose the mattress we liked, then heard the salesman offering free delivery to another couple. So we said “Hey, we want free delivery!” and he said “Well, you can have free delivery or a free box spring, but not both” and we said “Oh, OK, nevermind”. By the time we walked out, we had a free box spring, free delivery, haul-away of our old mattress, two pillows and new sheets! :slight_smile:

Having said that, if the OP belongs to a warehouse club like Sam’s Club or Costco, definitely check there, first. The price is what the price is, no haggling.

13

If you don’t haggle, you will pay about twice as much for your mattress as you should. No exaggeration. If you’re no good at haggling, take a friend who is better.

I bought a mattress (no box spring) a few years ago, and from my experience, you should usually be able to get a mattress for slightly more than half of the stated retail price. Free delivery and removal of the old mattress should be standard, no matter what price you negotiate.

First, find out what type of mattress you like: firm or soft, pillow-top or plain, etc. You have to lie on them for a long time, and in the positions in which you sleep. Relax, take it easy. Take your bedmate so that both of you can try it out. Do you roll in to the middle? Do you like that?

This could take quite a while if you check out a number of mattresses at three or four different stores. They’ll each have different models with different features, and each manufacturer seems to provide each store with its own unique model names, so you can’t get the same model from different stores. Very annoying.

Once you find a mattress you like, find a salesperson and say that you’ll buy that one today for half the price on the tag. And you want free delivery and removal of the old one. If they say no, you say, “Okay. Bye,” and head for the door. As others here have reported, they’ll stop you and make an counteroffer. (If they don’t, leave and go to the next store.)

If they’re willing to sell at half price, you can let them charge you a moderate delivery/removal fee, say $100. But if you pay anything more than half price, free delivery is a must. You should aim for no more than 60% of full price and free delivery. Paying more than 75% is getting ripped off.

Do not buy a box spring if you don’t need it, and don’t let them make it a bargaining point. If they keep trying to sell you a box spring, walk out.

FYI, if you can come out to Columbia, MD, there are three or four stores within a few miles of each other. I got my mattress at Mattress Warehouse of Columbia, MD. They gave me a pretty good price without too much haggling, but I probably could have talked them down a little lower.

Good luck.

14

Ohhh. Costco! Why didn’t I think of that. I’ll look at their prices. I’lls ay I haven’t been overly impressed with Ikea bedding, though I do have to go out there to buy a dresser so I might check it out when I am there.

I can haggle, and am not bad at it, I just hate it. Especially for something like a mattress. It just seems so cheesy. It’s not a freaking house.

15

Buying a mattress is very similar to buying a car. Which is to say, a pain in the ass.

Generally, you should buy a mattress and box spring together; they are matched. (I have heard this many times but suggest you confirm this advice from another source, because it might be Mattress Propoganda.)

I bought a mattress last year. It is a king mattress for a platform bed so I don’t need a box spring. I went to three different mattress-only stores (there are at least 5 within two miles of my home in Tysons), and then ended up buying at Macy’s. I did not negotiate a price. I chose Macy’s because they were the least sleazy and also had the mattress that I liked the best. I may not have gotten the best possible deal there but that wasn’t my goal.

There are many different types of mattresses; traditional spring, foam, hybrids, “green” materials, etc. You may want to narrow that down before you walk into the first store. Being overwhelmed or confused in the store gives the salesperson the advantage.

The industry does everything possible to discriminate its models so it is very difficult to make direct price comparisons. Also be aware that the exact same mattress may have different model names at different retailers, for a similar reason.

For spring mattresses get familiar with specs like coil gauge and number of coils, both of which can affect comfort and durability.

16

Around here, the local Giant Mattress Chain has an outlet store for mattresses that have been returned, have small defects, are discontinued etc. You can get a mattress there without the box spring (some of the “defective” ones are there because there’s no matching box spring). Some of the “defects” are things like tiny rips in the mattress covering. There seems to be less sales pressure and less haggling - prices are already half what they were in the showroom.

In terms of mattress price/quality/etc. I’m at a loss too, but I employed my usual system for buying: get five prices for acceptable solutions and take the second lowest. I don’t want to be at the very bottom of the market, but I just can’t fathom getting $5,000 worth out of the top-end mattresses.