# When did a pillow become one of lifes major expenses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 6, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577 "2017-03-06T20:21:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/1 "2017-03-06T20:21:57Z")
I’m sure by now many of you have seen [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djYiWhCSk6Q) goof hawking his pillow that has received tons of negative reviews. They want 50 dollars for that ! :eek: But yesterday I was in Kohls and there was a pillow that supposedly always stays cool and it was $169! :eek::eek: The best [pillow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_wkdDKKfWE) I ever owned cost a buck three ninety-eight at Target. I get that people want a decent pillow, but come on. Almost $200 for one pillow? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/2 "2017-03-06T20:25:25Z")
Since when did Target start pricing in mils? ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/3 "2017-03-06T20:31:28Z")
Since they no longer have those cylindrical bolster type things seen in pre-WWII hotels, 8 pillows are kinda a minimum. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/4 "2017-03-06T20:37:52Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > 8 pillows are kinda a minimum. You’d spend almost $1600 on [pillows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0_TbWDPOfE)? ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/5 "2017-03-06T21:24:59Z")
I buy only down surround feather pillows because they give me the exact amount of support I need and age well. They run around $90 a pair but are worth every penny in avoidance of sleepless nights, cricks in the neck, headaches, etc. I find those My Pillows to be an enormous scam - torn up pieces of foam? really? - but I do know a few people who use them and love them. We sleep (or attempt to sleep) a lot in our lifetime. I believe in making oneself as comfortable as possible while sleeping. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/6 "2017-03-06T21:29:28Z")
My husband has what I consider to be a stupid expensive pillow, but after multiple spinal surgeries, including 3 on his neck, I was willing to let him try anything, and he says this particular pillow is wonderful. I think it cost $150, or maybe $100, and since he’s now sleeping better, it was well worth it. I, on the other hand, use a wedge and an old, flattened WalMart pillow and they work just fine for me. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/7 "2017-03-06T21:34:40Z")
I flinched when I bought a Tempur-pedic Cloud Soft pillow for $140, but I have to say it is the best pillow I have ever had. Dropping your head on it is like resting on a rock. Then you realize that the pillow has slowly conformed to your head and neck and is giving you perfect support. So worth the money. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/8 "2017-03-06T21:56:33Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > I find those My Pillows to be an enormous scam - torn up pieces of foam? really? - but I do know a few people who use them and love them. I’ve had the best pillow ever for more than 20 years, and it’s filled with chopped up foam. It’s not worth $50, though. You can get that foam fill at the craft store. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/9 "2017-03-06T22:14:56Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I think it cost $150, or maybe $100, and since he’s now sleeping better, it was well worth it.. It’s worth whatever they can get someone to pay for it. If more people were like me I bet the prices would drop like a rock! ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/10 "2017-03-06T23:30:35Z")
Americans have been conditioned to think simply everything is or should be free or dirt cheap. i blame McDonald’s. the “burger, fries, and soda - pLUS! Change back from your dollar!” Good stuff costs good money. Keep track of that Target pillow. In 1982 or so, I paid good money for real pillows. I wish I had bought 4 instead of 2. I have spent the last 3 weeks in bed. No, not my idea - acute kidney failure. You would not believe how glad I am for those pillows and a good mattress - MUCH more confty than the hospital (whose beds are WAY over-rated, btw) Spend the money once or spend it 20 times. Your choice. If you think the wealthy buy home furnishings at Wal-Mart, I got some news. Just as “it is the dull knife which cuts you” (you need to force the blade, thereby losing control), the poor quality stuff costs more than the good stuff. How many sofas have you owned so far? How old do you suppose the furniture in the Rockefeller houses? The only thing where cheap beats quality is the literal “use once and throw away” - for a single use, you can put up with crap. My first car was 40 years old and had a broken frame member. i was 18 or so. I had been sawing at that thing with a dime-store hack saw when a HVAC guy from the club stopped by, saw what I was trying to do, and retrieved his saw from his truck. It tok him all of 10 seconds to cut through that. Lesson learned. I did buy cheap pipe wrenches to deal with some (long obsolete) steel water pipes in a very old house. 30 years later, I still find myself using them. Food, otoh, IS a “use once and throw away” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/11 "2017-03-07T00:07:52Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I’m sure by now many of you have seen [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djYiWhCSk6Q) goof hawking his pillow that has received tons of negative reviews. > > They want 50 dollars for that ! :eek: > > But yesterday I was in Kohls and there was a pillow that supposedly always stays cool and it was $169! :eek::eek: > > The best [pillow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_wkdDKKfWE) I ever owned cost a buck three ninety-eight at Target. > > I get that people want a decent pillow, but come on. Almost $200 for one pillow? You would probably not be interested in [Scandia](http://www.scandiahome.com/luxury-pillows) pillows, then? ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/12 "2017-03-07T00:18:55Z")
I want a latex pillow. Been looking and the king size is a little over $100. Can’t pull the trigger yet. The one I have now has out lived it’s lifespan but I will made do a little longer. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/13 "2017-03-07T01:43:53Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Americans have been conditioned to think simply everything is or should be free or dirt cheap. That’s not it at all It’s just that’s it’s ridiculous to pay hundreds for a pillow. But spend your money how you like. I’m just sick of every other commercial on TV being for a pillow. It’s getting ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/14 "2017-03-07T02:33:33Z")
I do not watch TV. Sometimes, I miss nuance because of this moral failure. There may well be pillows as the new Beanie Baby - obscenely overpriced crap. But those pillows were about $30 in 1982. I have seen Wal-Mart “feather pillows” for little more, but would not trust their take on a quality product. Somewhere, there are good, feather/down - real feathers, real down, from real birds - available somewhere. They will not be found at Target for $5. I did some work on the road and put together a knock-down apartment… The pillows seemed to be acceptable and cheap. It turn out that they had a sheet of stiff plastic in the center to keep the thing rectangular. Those pillows came from Target. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/15 "2017-03-07T02:55:37Z")
My last pillows came from Bed Bath and Beyond. $35 each. It is a bit ridiculous. Pillows should be replaced at least every 4 or 5 years. They lose their flexibility and get hard. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/16 "2017-03-07T03:26:33Z")
When the first time ABC broadcast the original The Haunting. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/17 "2017-03-07T15:37:05Z")
> [@Buttercup\_Smith](#): > > I want a latex pillow. Been looking and the king size is a little over $100. Can’t pull the trigger yet. The one I have now has out lived it’s lifespan but I will made do a little longer. I got one last year when I bought a new mattress. It’s a Sealy pillow I believe, something like $70 for a queen. I’ve enjoyed it so far and it’s just as good today as it was a year ago! Prior to that I was going through a phase where I would buy $5 pillows from Target or Wal Mart and use them for 3-4 months until they wore out and I had to get another. But I realized that it was wasteful from an environmental standpoint. And also the prices of the pillows had gone way up, above $10. It wasn’t worth it. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/18 "2017-03-07T15:54:57Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > It’s just that’s it’s ridiculous to pay hundreds for a pillow. Why? I switched to a memory foam pillow about a decade ago and it was one of those “Holy shit, why didn’t I do this sooner!?” decisions. Well I know why, because I couldn’t rationalize paying $100+ for a pillow, even though I paid like a grand for my mattress and I use a pillow every day. The problem is that it seems like a raw material, a basic hunk of foam cut into a pillow shape. How does that cost anywhere close to $150 to produce? The profit margins on these things must be insane. Or must it? The free market being what it is, there’s nothing stopping a competitor from releasing a $30 hunk of foam cut into a pillow shape. I would buy that. But I can’t, because it doesn’t exist, and until it does, I’m going to pay up to $200 for a good pillow every 5 years because it’s worth not waking up in pain. That’s like, 11 cents per use. I think I can swing it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/19 "2017-03-07T16:00:43Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > We sleep (or attempt to sleep) a lot in our lifetime. I believe in making oneself as comfortable as possible while sleeping. Unassailable definition Number 54: If you’re sleeping, you’re comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/20 "2017-03-07T16:02:56Z")
> [@stillownedbysetters](#): > > I buy only down surround feather pillows because they give me the exact amount of support I need and age well. They run around $90 a pair but are worth every penny in avoidance of sleepless nights, cricks in the neck, headaches, etc. > > I find those My Pillows to be an enormous scam - torn up pieces of foam? really? - but I do know a few people who use them and love them. > > We sleep (or attempt to sleep) a lot in our lifetime. I believe in making oneself as comfortable as possible while sleeping. Unassailable definition Number 54: If you’re sleeping, you’re comfortable. I have had, from time to time, sleepless nights. It’s never the pillow’s fault. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577.md?page=2)