# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/21 "2017-03-07T16:07:06Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > 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. That’s funny. My wife bought some overpriced memory foam pillows about a year ago, and it turned out to be a “what was she thinking” decision. After a few days of waking up with a stiff neck, I went back to my 7+ year old Walmart cheapies and never looked back. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/22 "2017-03-07T16:11:01Z")
semi-off topic: I drove past a tire store that had a sign that said “ask us about financing.” At what point did a loan become necessary to buy a set of tires? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/23 "2017-03-07T16:12:50Z")
Most people will spend approximately 1/3 of their lives in bed. I invested in an excellent and very expensive memory foam mattress and pillows. Worth every penny. ---
**Author:** ![Waxwinged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@Waxwinged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waxwinged)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/24 "2017-03-07T17:35:02Z")
Ever since the Snoogle got invented, really… (And it’s worth every penny.) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/25 "2017-03-07T17:38:51Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Somewhere, there are good, feather/down - real feathers, real down, from real birds - available somewhere. > They will not be found at Target for $5. Seems weird that Target stuffed my pillow with fake feathers to trick me when changing the pillow case. I bet it would have been cheaper to just use real fathers than whatever elaborate ruse makes quills poke through while the pillow itself is stuffed with old newspapers and plastic sheets. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/26 "2017-03-07T17:45:29Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > 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 Granted, it’s on sale but [this was the first hit](http://i.imgur.com/0KDFja1.png) on Google when I typed “foam pillows”. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/27 "2017-03-07T17:45:56Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Unassailable definition Number 54: If you’re sleeping, you’re comfortable. :dubious: Not if you wake up with a stiff neck or an aching back. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/28 "2017-03-07T18:42:18Z")
Ikea has the best pillows for pretty cheep. They have a feather pillow for $10 that I love. The have 60% down and 90% down for $45 and $65 respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/29 "2017-03-07T18:55:41Z")
Sigh. [IKEA, folks](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/20533/). [Online, too.](http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/departments/bedroom/20533/?filter=online) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/30 "2017-03-07T19:07:43Z")
If someone right now put a gun to my head, I couldn’t tell them what kind of pillow I use. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/31 "2017-03-07T19:30:52Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > 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. It’s entirely possible that they have realized that they can make more money pricing their pillows high like their competition than they could trying to undercut them. This is for two reasons. One, the profit margin is higher, and means that the sales volume needed is lower relative to a lower price point. Second, consumers often equate price to quality via some kind of misguided notion that price and cost are directly related. So if you price yours at $35, and your competition at $60, many (most?) consumers are going to perceive yours as inferior, even if they’re the same exact cheap stuff made in the same factory in China, just in different pillowcases and boxes. And… **Cardigan** , my guess is that sometime in the past 15 years, a lot of car tires have become very expensive. For my pickup, a 12 yr old Dodge Dakota with boring tires (no low profile, not huge, etc…) the \*cheapest \* non sketchy house brand tire is $129 each. So a set of 4 will run me $675 all in. That’s well within the total price range that people often look for short-term financing for things like televisions, etc… ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/32 "2017-03-07T20:17:45Z")
Those aren’t pillows! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/33 "2017-03-07T20:50:28Z")
I enjoyed Carrie Whites dirty pillows. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/34 "2017-03-07T20:58:15Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I enjoyed Carrie Whites dirty pillows. 😛 Breasts, madsircool. They’re called breasts, and every woman has them. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/35 "2017-03-07T21:40:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If someone right now put a gun to my head, I couldn’t tell them what kind of pillow I use. Really? I pictured you as more observant than that. I use a rectangular, white one on top of a rectangular, white one. I would highly recommend them, but I ain’t selling. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/36 "2017-03-07T21:45:08Z")
Rectangular, you say? Hmm, I will have to look into that. I like Ikea and all, but I just can’t trust a 1.99 pillow. Even if it is regularly 3.49. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/37 "2017-03-07T22:04:09Z")
I need a firm pillow, one that doesn’t list its shape. Where can I find that? ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/38 "2017-03-07T22:15:16Z")
I bought two pillows for Ikea and I love mine. I can’t remember the fancy Ikea name, but they were about $12 each. It’s just floofy and smushable enough to get it just right under my head and neck. I’ve mentioned on this board before that we sleep on a full-motion-bag-of-hot-water bed and finding the right pillow for the job was hard. When I slept on a regular mattress I preferred my memory-foam pillow, but for the waterbed I finally realized I needed something more malleable. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/39 "2017-03-07T23:18:29Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I need a firm pillow, one that doesn’t list its shape. Where can I find that? For each style Ikea has a firmer and softer version. With no other information, I’d say you want a firmer polyester pillow. Like a standard hotel pillow. Something like the the firmer version of the **HYLLE** in the Ikea link above. ---
**Author:** ![mistymage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mistymage/32/459_2.png) [@mistymage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mistymage)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577/40 "2017-03-07T23:41:25Z")
I use a rectangular couch pillow: firm enough to give me support but stuffed with that soft fuzzy cloth stuff (not polyester) so that it slowly shifts into a tunnel around my head. For me that’s a good thing because by the time it needs to be punched/fluffed back into shape I am rolling myself over and flipping the pillow to have the cool side. Finding another like this one has been next to impossible. Any time we are at a store that has pillows I check them all no matter how ugly. This one is starting to lose the “velvet” that was part of the design and is showing signs of stress on the seams so it is almost time to sew a pillow case around it as tight as I can. This pillow goes with me on any long trips for use at hotels, while camping and even in whatever vehicle we are driving since it provides a bit more cushion than arm rests alone and the change in height on a 6-8 hour trip is nice on the wrists, forearms and shoulders of the front seat passengers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-a-pillow-become-one-of-lifes-major-expenses/781577.md?page=3)