Mattress Accessories

“Thanks for your insight. The shopping experience made so much more sense.”

 
Mattress salespeople are trained to push all sorts of add-ons when you buy a mattress. This is a significant source of revenue for them. Some are important and a good value. Others are completely worthless. Here is a list of some common ones offered.

Delivery – Unless you have the means to haul a king size mattress set home, and I don’t mean tying it on top of your GEO Metro, you will need it to be delivered. As mentioned often here, there is no such thing as FREE delivery, or anything else for that matter. There is a real tangible cost for delivering a mattress. Some stores bury the cost in their higher prices, some offer rebates knowing that half their customers will never request the rebate. The bottom line is you will pay for delivery somewhere. You want to make sure that the total price quoted includes delivery so you can make an apples-to-apples comparison between retailers. Remember that $799 mattress with “free delivery” sounds good, until you see the same mattress for $700 + $50 for delivery.

Delivery should be flexible enough to work around your schedule. A retailer telling you that they will deliver between 8am and 6pm is not acceptable. At the very least, the windows should be morning or afternoon. Also, if they are late, or fail to show up, you have every right to request a refund, if you paid for delivery. My experience has been when people pay for delivery, the service seems to improve greatly.

Protect your mattress with a good mattress protector.

He may be cute, but an accident on your mattress will destroy your bed.

Mattress Protectors – This is the second most important add-on. Whether you buy it at a mattress store or from another retailer, you need a mattress protector. A mattress protector is NOT a mattress pad. If you are buying a good quality mattress, it will have enough comfort layers that you will not need any additional padding. Plus, the traditional mattress pads are not waterproof, which is the most important function of a mattress protector.

Every night you perspire and loose skin cells by the thousands. Sometimes you get sick or spill things on your mattress. Pets and children are some of the biggest source of mattress accidents. You absolutely do not want anything to get into your mattress. All the things that come from your body become a bacteria breeding ground and a perfect environment for dust mites – a leading allergen. To make matters even worse, oils from your body can break down foams/fibers and may cause deeper body impressions. And the greatest problem of all, mattress warranties do not cover stains or soiled mattresses.

A mattress protector needs to be breathable, washable and most importantly waterproof. I would not recommend vinyl or plastic linings, because those will just make you hot and you will be very uncomfortable sleeping on it. Without naming brand names, there are a few vendors that offer quality protectors that do all of these. Many offer warranties that cover both the pad AND the mattress if a failed protector causes your mattress to be stained. The warranty kicks in when you purchase it WITH a mattress. Keep this in your mind when you are shopping.

Stain Insurance/Stain Protection – NEVER EVER buy any stain protection or insurance. Never allow someone to tell you that you must purchase this for a warranty or trial period. Both items are almost completely pure profit for the retailer and they are worthless. You need a real waterproof barrier between you and your mattress. Some chemical spray, that might not get applied correctly or at all, will not do that. Insurance after a spill becomes a nightmare to claim and get the company to take action. And more times than not, they will tell YOU how to clean it. Keep the spills out of your mattress by purchasing a waterproof protector.

HOT TIP
Never buy stain insurance or any kind of spray treatment to protect against stains. Use a true WATERPROOF mattress protector. The better quality ones come with a stain warranty and are a true moisture barrier. Stain insurance is the highest profit margin product on the mattress floor. Also, if a store requires you to purchase insurance or treatment for a trial period or warranty, walk away. You should never have to pay for a trial period.

Frames – If you currently have a frame that is working properly and not making any noise, there is no reason to purchase a new one. If you are changing sizes or buying for the first time, you need to buy a good quality frame. Here are some things to consider. If you are planning to buy a bed in the near future, you can always place the mattress on the floor until the bed arrives – there’s no better support than the floor. You can also purchase a less expensive frame for temporary use. BUT, if you plan on staying on a frame for the next 10 years, buy the strongest frame offered. It will be well worth the few extra dollars.

Pillows – Some mattress retailers offer pillows for sale. In some ways pillows are like mattresses, you need to test several to get the one that feels and fits your body just right. Most mattress stores only offer a small selection and they tend to be higher priced than your average linens store. Unless they offer one that is just right for you, I would probably shop somewhere that has a much larger selection to make sure you find the right fit for your size, shape and preference.

Linens – Same thing as above goes for sheets. Mattress stores will never match selection and price with stores that specialize in linens. BTW – don’t buy a mattress because of a free sheet set. The sheets are probably not the quality or color selection you want and the cost of the sheets is most likely added to your mattress purchase. Be smart and avoid the hype.

Beds/Furniture – Mattress retailers sometimes offer beds and furniture. You may find a really good deal, but more than likely the selection and quality will be limited. Mattress stores tend to specialize in mattresses and furniture stores in furniture. I’ve found that usually neither does the other well.

Trinkets & Trash – I’ve seen all sorts of premiums from teddy bears to sheep offered as a gift with purchase. Don’t ever make your decision based on freebies. Find the best mattress for you and the best price for what you need. Don’t fall for the hype.

Image: federico stevanin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
_____________________

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.