Its that time again, the mother of all mattress sales – Labor Day. There are some stores that will do as much business the week of Labor Day as they do in a single month. Why? Its a combination of things. End of Summer, back to school, 3-day weekend and everybody and their dog will be advertising a mattress sale. This is a perfect storm for posting big numbers. Here is some advice for the coming weekend.

Shop Early – I will not rule out the possibility of some additional savings on the weekend, but more than likely any price reductions have already been made. The stores do get crowded and if you are serious about getting the RIGHT mattress for your body, get to the store when it is not crowded. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy the long weekend at the lake instead of the store?

Compare In Advance – Do your price comparisons early. Find a mattress or two that you like and compare prices early. Don’t wait until the weekend to shop around. Again, the sales folks are probably hungrier the week before anyway.

Ignore the Gimmicks – Free sheets, free gift cards, free stuffed animals, all of these may be nice, but remember, its never really free. A crappy set of sheets may have a cost of just a few bucks to a large retailer. Plush animals are dirt cheap in quantity. The value of the gift cards will be included in the price of the mattress. Don’t fall for the hype!

Compare Apples To Apples – If you find a mattress you like, make sure you compare the complete package and out the door price. Services like delivery and removal, mattress protectors, frames, pillows, comfort trial, warranty etc may cost extra. Get the bottom-line price for everything you need and compare that to other retailers.

Avoid the “Its Just As Good As” Con Artists – If a salesperson is continually bashing a top selling brand and pushing the latest and greatest “Purple Hippo 2000” as just as good as the name brand, there is a good chance that they make even more commission selling the Purple Hippo. If the knock off truly feels better and is a better value, maybe give it a shot. But make absolutely sure that you have the opportunity to exchange or return it if it does not work. There is a reason the top brands – Sealy, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic etc have dominated the industry for so long.

It Sounds To Good To Be True – That top brand queen mattress set selling for $199 is a piece of crap. There, I said it. You will not find a decent mattress for every night use for adults under $700. You will find many advertised for less than this and some may actually work for a short time, but if you want a mattress that will support you and be comfortable for a decade, there are no shortcuts. Retailers force manufacturers to create these horrendous loss leaders for the big sales. Its insulting to the major brands that their logo is on such a horrible mattress. Many of these will not even have the same coil system as their mainline beds and yet they will still sport the major brand logo. Let the buyer beware when it comes to prices that sound too low.

Buying Frenzy – If you wait until the weekend to shop, be prepared for chaos. This is not the time to kick tires. When you go to a mattress retailer, be prepared to buy.

Have a Happy Labor Day Mattress Sale and Enjoy Your New Mattress!