Life is good in the 21st century, but mattress shopping still sucks.
Even if you ignore the fact that mattress ads are among the most annoying on television,
you've got the actual experience of being in a mattress store, where you just know you're
getting ripped off.
Here's how mattress stores trick you.
Customers walking into a mattress store will probably see a salesperson even before they
see any actual mattresses, and that's because they have a lot to try to sell a customer
on.
And a lot of what they're pushing doesn't actually matter.
Mattress quilting is one of the biggest scams.
People like things that look nice, but what are you doing at home?
Covering it with blankets.
How about extra thickness?
That doesn't make a good mattress more comfortable, it only makes a bad mattress look good.
Box springs?
Also unnecessary.
Then there are things like the special "no-flip" mattress.
The idea that mattresses need to be flipped regularly so they wear evenly is one of those
bits of wisdom that's been handed down through the generations.
But according to Business Insider, pretty much all mattresses are one-sided these days,
there's no need to flip them, and those salespeople are just trying to cash in on customers' outdated
beliefs.
Mattresses are expensive, that's just a fact of life consumers have grown to expect.
But they're expensive because most mattress stores mark them up an almost unthinkable
amount.
Mattress stores tend to mark up their product way, way above cost, then offer sales and
deep discounts to make customers think they're getting a good deal.
That super-soft, luxurious mattress that's on sale for $1,000 is a huge bargain, right?
It's marked all the way down from $3,500, so good timing, you lucky duck!
Not so fast.
The actual value is a lot closer to the $1,000 mark, and anyone who pays anything above that
is just gravy for the stores.
Consumer Reports gives this guideline: Take the non-sale price or the price they're advertising
as "regular," take 50 percent off, and that's about what they should actually be charging.
"I've got all the premium prices!
I’ve got $19.99 for sale, for $20!
You come to me when you want fine European prices!”
Mattresses with a green sticker on it can cost thousands, but some of those green labels
don't mean jack.
There's a whole slew of green labels that can appear on mattresses, and manufacturers
have to meet different standards to get them.
Some are good, like the Global Organic Textile Standard label.
They require 95 percent of mattress materials to be certified organic, but on the other
end of the spectrum are labels that just claim a mattress is made with organic materials.
"I'm with the mattress police.
There are no tags on these mattresses."
Legally, that label can be on as long as any part of the mattress - in any percentage,
even a tiny one - is made with organic materials.
There are no guidelines regarding how organic it has to be, and there are also no guidelines
on what chemicals can be used for manufacturing.
Is that worth paying extra for?
It's pretty much a guarantee that salesmen are going to try to convince you warranties
will help you sleep tight on your new purchase, but they're a complete waste of money.
In most cases, that warranty covers whatever is inside the mattress.
What's not covered is normal wear and tear or the outside of the mattress.
You know, the part that's going to wear out first.
Most even include caveats that void warranties entirely.
Use the wrong box spring, the wrong support frame, or stain it in any way whatsoever and
the warranty could be void, leaving you out of luck and out some cash.
Buckle up, because this one's going to get pretty gross.
With all those money-back guarantees and exchange programs, mattress stores are going to end
up with a lot of returned merchandise.
What do they do with all of it?
Consumer Affairs found there's a good chance some of the mattresses might be re-bagged
and sold as "new."
If a salesperson suggests they can give you a good deal on a mattress that's being discounted
because it was "scuffed" in the warehouse, that might not be the case at all, and the
wear might be because it's a return.
Be wary of great deals on "overstock" mattresses, too, and while the mattress is being delivered,
watch for tape on the packaging as a clue it may have been re-bagged.
How often does this happen?
Insiders say it happens so often it's practically an industry standard.
"This mattress looks just like your mattress at home.”
"What?
No, it doesn’t!
I mean sure, there are a couple of similarities, but…
Oh man, it’s the exact same one!
I have a dumpster mattress!”
Mattress Reports calls it the "comfort scam," and here's how it works.
Mary the Mattress-Buyer tests a bunch of different mattresses in the store, lying on them each
for just a few minutes.
She picks one she likes, buys it, and takes it home.
But soon, she finds out it's not nearly as comfortable as she thought it was when she
bought it.
What gives?
Manufacturers have figured out that both high-quality, expensive materials and lower-quality, cheaper
materials have about the same level of comfort in the store.
That's because potential buyers are only lying on them for a few minutes at a time, and once
they've spent a lot of money on a cheap mattress and taken it home, that lower-quality one
is going to start to shift and sag a lot faster.
No one will be happy about that.
There's another trick here, too.
Some mattress materials, like memory foam, soften in warmer temperatures.
That's why stores will keep their showrooms toasty warm, and it's also why that mattress
is suddenly not so memorable when it's unpacked in a cooler bedroom.
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