Typically, the fall is referred to as guest bed season. It is the time of year families get together for the holidays, and you usually have a few extra guests who need places to sleep. All this is true.

However, the REAL guest bed season is Spring. Starting in March and ending before the Summer selling season, mattress manufacturers change out their lines. Why does this matter to you? The old floor models have to leave the store. Floor models usually have a much lower cost, so retailers can sell them often far below the normal sales price. A queen set advertised around $1400, might be snapped up for under $700.

Floor models make excellent guest beds.

If your budget is only $200, this may not help you. And if you are truly someone who does not care about the quality of the guest bed mattress, or the comfort of your guests, this may be worthless advice. Let me caution you though, over the life of a guest bed, you are likely to sleep on that mattress much more than your guests. If someone is snoring, sick, or you are painting or remodeling, you might end up in that spare bedroom. If a child moves back home, or a relative comes to stay with you, do you really want them sleeping on that $199 special?

Buying a floor model gives you the opportunity to acquire an “every night” mattress at a guest bed price.

The downside is that they will usually not have any warranty or trial period. If it is not being slept on every night, warranty is meaningless. Same goes for a test period. Just make sure you test it carefully while in the store, because you cannot return it. Floor models will have some wear – check for stains, tears, impressions, and fading around pillows or foot guards. You might use some excessive wear to your advantage in price negotiation. Also, check the Law Tag for date of manufacture. If it is more than year old, this might help your negotiating position. A date more than two years old may indicate a comfort or warranty return being passed off as a floor model. Always do your homework.

The good news is that nobody has slept on it, and unless it is a very busy store, probably far less activity on it than you would think. I would recommend finding the slower, smaller stores, as their mattresses may be in the best condition. Note the retail environment as well – cleanliness of the store, surrounding shops, traffic etc., this will usually help in deciding if the mattresses will have been cared for properly.

Happy Guest Bed Season!

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