# The Mattress Industry
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 24, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268 "2001-10-24T05:29:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/1 "2001-10-24T05:29:20Z")
In the neighborhood where my boyfriend lives, there are three mattress stores in a few blocks, as well as a Sears at the mall (in the same neighborhood) which also sells mattresses.
Is the mattress industry really that big that there can be several mattress stores in one town? Every time I’ve been to the mattress store (twice in my life, maybe?) there has been NO ONE else in the store.
I suppose the mattress industry might be almost as good as the auto industry, if you assume that people buy as many mattresses (or maybe more) in their lives as they do cars. I can imagine a greater need for an Auto Mile than a Mattress Mile, though. Then again, do mattresses differ by brand as much as cars do?
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### Author:  [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/2 "2001-10-24T05:44:21Z")
_Is the mattress industry really that big ?_
Here is some [basic info](http://www.verlo.com/franchise/industry/) about the mattress industry. In 1999, 38.2 mattresses and foundations were shippeed at a _wholesale_ value of $4.3 billion. The typical connsumers, couples aged 34-44 with children pay significantly more at retail. That makes sense to me. When the kids outgrow their cribs, they have to sleep somewhere! That demo is probably followed closely by the just married crowd. That’s about one new bed for every sixth person each year.
Shopping for a mattress doesn’t take much time and many consumers are dialling for mattresses anyway. I wouldn’t ever expect one of those stores to be crowded.
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### Author:  [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)
#### Post date: [October 24, 2001, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/3 "2001-10-24T06:18:12Z")
I don’t think I could ever buy a mattress over the telephone.
I’d have to lie on it for an unspecified amount of time before I could even consider making a purchase.
You’ve got to bear in mind that 25% of your life (hopefully more) over the next few years is going to be spent on your new mattress.
Also, if you share your mattress regularly with other people, it’s only fair that your friends should test the product for suitability of purpose, even if you only let them sleep on the left hand side of it.
I can’t understand why mattress stores aren’t constantly bulging with people lying down on their mattresses, with vast queues outside waiting to get in.
Very strange.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/4 "2001-10-25T01:02:01Z")
Well who goes mattress shopping in the middle of the day anyway? You’d think those places would only be open for a few hours, maybe 3-6 on weekdays and then on weekends full-time.
I guess many mattress salespeople don’t visit the SDMB 🙂
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### Author:  [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/5 "2001-10-25T01:38:22Z")
I always thought an element of sleaziness with mattress sales, along the same lines as used car and vacuum cleaner sales. For some reason, every mattress salesperson I’ve always encountered has used a high-pressure sales pitch, even when they are just in the mattress section of a larger furniture store. Mattress store commercials aren’t that much different than the cheesiest commercials for auto dealers – lots of flash, lots of screaming, lots of gimmicks.
In my hometown, it seems as if mattress stores use the Chinese restaurant method of naming stores, picking from a pool of only a few words; there’s Discount Factory Mattress Outlet, Factory Warehouse Mattress Outlet, Factory Direct Mattress Warehouse, Discount Mattress Factory Superstore, Mattress Discount Factory Outlet, Direct Mattress Warehouse Superstore, and so on.
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### Author:  [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/6 "2001-10-25T01:50:00Z")
I always thought an element of sleaziness with mattress sales, along the same lines as used car and vacuum cleaner sales. For some reason, every mattress salesperson I’ve always encountered has used a high-pressure sales pitch, even when they are just in the mattress section of a larger furniture store. Mattress store commercials aren’t that much different than the cheesiest commercials for auto dealers – lots of flash, lots of screaming, lots of gimmicks.
In my hometown, it seems as if mattress stores use the Chinese restaurant method of naming stores, picking from a pool of only a few words; there’s Discount Factory Mattress Outlet, Factory Warehouse Mattress Outlet, Factory Direct Mattress Warehouse, Discount Mattress Factory Superstore, Mattress Discount Factory Outlet, Direct Mattress Warehouse Superstore, and so on.
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### Author:  [@IBBen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IBBen)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/7 "2001-10-25T02:31:17Z")
I dip into my knowledge of the transportation industry when I write the following:
I used to ship for a gentleman who bought mattress returns from brand name mattress companies. Yep, these were mattresses that were “tried out” and returned to the place of purchase for a unknown reasons, only to be sold at a cheap price to unwitting people like you and I. In Seattle we have radio/t.v. ads which promote sales on mismatched mattress/box-spring sets, “who cares about color they are when all you’re gonna do is cover them with sheets?” These are the very same mattresses returned by other unhappy customers.
I also must mention my years of delivering Craft-Matic adjustable beds. I am sure you have seen them advertised on late night television. In my opinion, this was a despicable product which seemed to indiscriminately charge whatever price they could for identical products (i.e. Ms. Jones, a 102 year old widow buys the “top of the line” Craft-Matic bed for $1500.00 but her neighbor Ms. Anderson, a 98 year old widow gets the exact same bed for $500.00… go figure) The majority of our deliveries were to the elderly who bought the bed as a cure for many ailments… damn I hated that job!
Yes, I _firmly_ believe the mattress industry is a sleazy one. Be sure to make your decision only after _sleeping_ on it. Hope _springs_ eternal!
_This commentary is based solely on the beliefs of one individual, the board upon which this editorial is posted bears no responsibility for the statements made hereupon_
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/8 "2001-10-25T02:43:42Z")
Is it possible your boyfriend lives in the Mattress District? This would account for the density of mattress outlets. If so, watch for gentrification, as the Mattress Districts of many cities have recently undergone redevelopment into trendy bedroom communities in the heart of urban centers.
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### Author:  [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/9 "2001-10-25T03:17:55Z")
It’s the same reason McDonalds tries to set up a franchise as close as possible to a new KFC franchise (or Burger King or whatever…) - covering the market.
You see this phenomenon in many retail sectors: ‘Beds-R-Us’ don’t want to allow ‘BedKing’ to get a geographical advantage and they want to pick up any overflow so they set up as close as possible.
If the region gets the reputation as the mattress district, so much the better - that just increases the geographical catchment.
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### Author:  [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/10 "2001-10-25T03:40:35Z")
> [@](#):
>
> _Originally posted by Nostradamus_
> if you share your mattress regularly with other people, it’s only fair that your friends should test the product for suitability of purpose
Don’t do it. They kick you out for that. Its embarrassing. Trust me.
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/11 "2001-10-25T04:18:14Z")
But I’d always thought that mattresses came from a particular planet where they are bred, culled and (I think) dried, before being shipped to consumers around the universe? Do you think maybe the proliferation of mattress stores around particular locations has to do with their proximity to landing stations for interstellar mattress traders?
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### Author:  [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2001, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/12 "2001-10-25T12:16:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> In 1999, 38.2 mattresses and foundations were shippeed at a wholesale value of $4.3 billion.
I always thought mattresses were expensive, but that’s outrageous!
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### Author:  [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2001, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/13 "2001-10-29T19:42:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Princhester \*
> **But I’d always thought that mattresses came from a particular planet where they are bred, culled and (I think) dried, before being shipped to consumers around the universe.**
Sqornshellous Zeta (they seldom come alive again).
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### Author:  [@Hilow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilow)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/14 "2001-10-31T05:02:19Z")
Where I live, there is a company that I don’t want to name, but it rhymes with Vegas (as in Las Vegas), that actually scavenges old mattress frames from the dump and re-pads them and sells them as new. I understand this is quite common. I even remember a story about it on one of the national evening newsmagazines.
The scavenging company’s main advertisement is that they have mismatched mattresses for sale cheap. If you see this
regularly from a company, I believe it is an obvious sign of what they are really doing. Watch out for cheap mattresses.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2001, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mattress-industry/89268/15 "2001-10-31T05:45:11Z")
Hilow…
> [@](#):
>
> The scavenging company’s main advertisement is that they have mismatched mattresses for sale cheap. If you see this
> regularly from a company, I believe it is an obvious sign of what they are really doing. Watch out for cheap mattresses.
I worked for Sealy Mattress[sup]TM[/sup] for 20 years. We made what was called crazy quilts all the time. It was just to use up materials that we had overstocked not because they were used.