If you go out and by a brand new BMW, would you attempt to save a few bucks by buying your tires at Walmart? I mean it is the ultimate driving machine, doesn’t it deserve high quality tires?

I ask this because we are in the season of fairs, conventions and events around the country. Often at these types of events, vendors set up shop and sell mattresses. Sometimes they even sell major brand mattresses. These events are usually staffed by some of the biggest writers in their respective companies. They will do whatever it takes to earn your business – because “they are just there for the day.”

Recently, I visited one of these events. The carnival barker/used car salesman/mattress expert was firing on all cylinders. He had an answer for every objection. I even learned a few things that I did not know were true about certain products – I doubt the manufacturer even knows some of the factoids I heard during this visit.

I was hanging around listening to the presentation. One of the big selling points was the limited time offer and the BIG savings they were having on Tempur-Pedic. As readers may well know, Tempur-Pedic sets their prices, and any discounts are verboten. I was curious how this young firecracker was getting this customer their big deal, so I hung around a wee bit longer. It seems that he was selling a Tempur-Pedic mattress with another manufacturer’s box, but it was “just as good as Tempur-Pedic.” By doing this, the customer was saving a few hundred dollars. And the customer would get the full warranty!

Anytime a salesperson suggests a different box, it is ALWAYS for their benefit, not yours. The savings has to come from somewhere, so they are giving you an INFERIOR box. In the case of Tempur-Pedic, their box is solid, and made entirely of premium fiber boards with molded corners. It rarely squeaks and is designed to handle both the weight of the mattress, and two humans for the life of the set.

The box that is substituted, most likely is a few wood slats with a cardboard top. That’s right, cardboard. These cheap boxes are used for very low end bedding and will squeak and break under the least amount of weight. They are not designed to support a 100lb mattress AND a couple of hundred pounds of human activity. These substitute boxes may be compliant with fire safety, they may even meet Tempur-Pedic’s minimum warranty threshold, but you will be out of luck if that box splits, breaks or squeaks. Most of the cheaper boxes have little or no warranty. And I guarantee you Mr Slick Salesman will not be easily found after the event ends and things go south. If the box does break, causing damage to your mattress, you may have compromised your Tempur-Pedic warranty coverage. And all this was done to save about $300 for a queen box – that’s about $0.03 a night over their 25 year warranty period.

I know all of the above from experience, seeing it happen firsthand, and dealing with the carnage of broken dreams later on. Don’t feel pressured to buy because its the last day of the Cherry Hill Lawn & Garden Show. Sleep is too important to let some temporary event and some part-time salesperson force you to make a quick decision on something so important as a mattress.

And when it comes to substituting boxes, ask to see and TOUCH the box you will receive as a replacement. Look at the construction and materials used. Lift it and feel its weight. And then, do the same for a Tempur-Pedic box. You will definitely see and feel the difference. Is this worth a nickel more a night? I’ll let you decide after a month of snaps, crackles and pops coming from that super replacement box that saved you so much money.