Mattress Upselling – Is this mattress best for me, or the salesperson?

“Let me show you some much better mattresses” – You have done your homework, maybe even slept on a similar mattress, and now are ready to go purchase the mattress of your dreams. You tell the salesperson that you want to try their very best Sealy mattress, but instead he gives you a 10 minute tirade on how bad they are, followed by 10 minutes on the virtues of the Purple Hippo 5000, the latest and greatest knock off.

Ask yourself this question, who actually wins in this situation? A top Sealy isn’t cheap, but somehow the PH5000 is just about the same price and yet the salesperson is quite eager for you to commit thousands of dollars for an unknown mattress brand and mattress manufacturer.

Who do you trust? – Salespeople are notorious for upselling, or cross-selling, merchandise that makes them more money. And in some cases, a lower priced mattress might yield a better commission for the salesperson, but still be the wrong mattress for you.

Trust what you heart tells you about the mattress salesperson, and more importantly, what your body says when you test a mattress. Try not to be influenced by negative feedback on a mattress brand. If you have had previous success with a certain mattress brand, try them first. But don’t be quick to rule out other mattresses, for the right reasons of course.

If you think your mattress salesperson does not have your best interests at heart, move on to the next mattress store. There are too many mattresses and mattress salespeople to waste time with someone who is not looking out for you. Sleep is much too important.

It is possible that the Purple Hippo 5000 mattress could be exactly the mattress you need. But more times than not, you would be better off with a major mattress brand, with a proven history of quality mattress manufacturing behind it.

An example from the field – I like to visit retailers to see how they sell mattresses. The presentation was going well until I asked if they carry Tempur-Pedic mattresses. I was curious to see how they sold that mattress brand. The salesperson turned on a dime from being this helpful, understanding guide to an angry critic of memory foam mattresses generally, and Tempur-Pedic mattresses in particular. But “if it was his money, he would spend it on…” and then the mattress salesperson began to describe the virtues of an unknown memory foam mattress brand.

I surmised that he was much better compensated for the knock off mattresses. What else would explain such a negative approach for one the top selling mattresses?

I visit mattress stores and listen to many mattress presentations. Few focus on what is right for the consumer. I don’t care if you spend $100 or $10,000 on your mattress, if it does not give you good support AND comfort, you have wasted your money. And if the mattress salesperson is not willing to help you find the right mattress, you need to seek help elsewhere.

Click on page link to the right of the page for tips on how to spot a good mattress salesperson.