Purple mattresses are an exciting innovation that keep you supported, cool, and comfortable.

When I first heard of the coming split between Mattress Firm and Tempur Sealy, I imagined it would proceed like most cable negotiations, there would be lots of threats, but in the end they would simply make up, and all would be well. This has not been the case. All of Mattress Firm’s corporately owned locations coast-to-coast have been busy removing all mentions of Tempur Sealy products, and selling off their floor models. The divorce is really happening.

I have heard much from both sides, and the media has published their opinion. I’m sure both feel justified in their decision. Both parties need each other. But maybe some time apart will help them both realize that working together is so much better for everyone, especially consumers.

What Is The Best Mattress Brand?

Some honest words from the trenches.

I’ve been asked numerous times, “What is the best mattress brand?” I can say without hesitation that the best mattress brand on the market is Tempur-Pedic. I sold all the top brands including the leading air mattresses and virtually every major brand of memory foam, latex, and innerspring mattresses.

The human body was never designed to sleep on steel springs. Too many comfort layers may cause alignment issues. Too few will cause pressure issues. There is a fine line between the two. And it is very difficult to find one good compromise that will work for both sleep partners. Air beds suffer the same body impression challenges as traditional mattresses, and with pumps, and things that may leak, there are plenty of opportunities for failure. Comfort life for even your luxury mattresses is often just 4-6 years, and their warranties often allow for as much as 1.5″ in body impressions. Yikes!

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.

What size mattress should you purchase?

There are four common sizes for mattresses: king, queen, full, and twin. With the exception of luxury mattress sets, all mattresses will be available in these four sizes. Choosing the right size is important for the best sleep experience.

King – 76″ X 80″ – In an ideal world, every couple should be sleeping on a king mattress. The king size is the equivalent of two twins (38″ x 2), with 5″ more length. This provides the maximum sleep space for each adult, and a little more room for maneuvering throughout the night. The extra space is also helpful for any additional critters that may join you in bed – kids, dogs, cats etc.

Getting The Best Mattress Price.

If you don’t learn anything else from this post, plant this deep within in your heart.

THE PERCENTAGE DISCOUNT IS MEANINGLESS!

I don’t care if the salesman claims that the mattress is 99% off, it is meaningless if the starting price has been inflated. All that really matters is the final price. Imagine if Mattress Store #1 is having a giant mattress sale and everything is 50% off. You find a mattress you like for $500 that was supposedly $1,000. You go to Mattress Store #2 and find a comparable mattress set for $450, which is 30% off of their regular price. Which would you choose? Believe it or not, I had customers pay more because they thought they were saving more!

That ugly black and white tag on your bed that scarily tells you “Do Not Remove Under Penalty Of Law” is your best friend when it is time to mattress shop. Let me give you an example of how it helps you.

Suppose you read online that latex mattresses are the perfect mattress for your sleep needs. You head down to the local mattress megastore and are greeted by Ed, the friendly salesperson. You explain that you want to see a latex mattress. He is most agreeable and takes you over to a wonderful mattress, proclaiming it to be 100% latex. You try it out and it does not quite feel like you expected, but the price is right and Ed proudly boasts that it is “on sale for 50% off!”

Hybrid mattresses are the latest fad in the mattress industry. These are beds that combine memory foam and innersprings. Actually, this is really not that new at all since that is essentially the way mattresses have been manufactured for many decades. The big change is getting rid of the fluff – fiber and upholstery, the stuff that flattens like a pancake, and replacing it exclusively with memory foam, or some other more durable pressure relieving substance. The marketing types are already feverishly working on names for these new products. Look for names and descriptions like hybrids, half-breeds, duos, crossbreeds, and combos. I’m sure whatever verbiage the experts put together will be most exciting.

Its here again, a mattress salesperson’s favorite time of the year – Summer Mattress Selling Season! Where mattress sales abound and customers, like a cross between zombies and lemmings, flock to their local mattress shop to buy their new mattress.

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about Memorial Day mattress sales.

1. Will you save the most money by waiting until Memorial Day. – Unfortunately, this is a common misconception. Most retailers have more aggressive pricing the weeks leading up to the final weekend. Since the holiday falls on the final weekend, most salespeople are out of time to get product shipped by then. This impacts their budget/goal, and their June paycheck. You are likely to save more by heading to the store before the holiday weekend. Plus, you will avoid the crowds, get better service, and can enjoy the holiday with your family.

As we wind down 2012 in the ever evolving mattress industry, it is time to reflect on the good, bad, and ugly in the memory foam category. Here are my rankings for the “S” brands (yes, I know one brand starts with a “T’). These rankings are based on my personal observation, as well as customer and salesperson feedback.

1. Tempur-Pedic® – Is still by far the best overall brand. It was always my best selling and least returned brand, and that continues to be the case. The line has been extended to the point that anyone can afford them, and there are now enough comfort options to accommodate just about any body shape, size, or comfort preference.

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.”

The industry is flooding the market with all sorts of memory foam products, including many mattresses that have some sort of gel additive designed, in theory, to reduce heat. As I have posted previously, I, the hottest man on the planet, sleep on a Tempur-Pedic® and sleep cooler than at any time during my time on the S-brand mattress before.

I sold Tempur-Pedic for a decade. It was my number 1 selling brand, least returned, and NEVER during that time did one come back for heat. You can see a related post here: Tempur-Pedic Sleeps Hot.

What’s your best deal on a mattress?

I’m looking for a good mattress deal?

What mattress deals do you have?

I have heard all of the above statements often from mattress customers through the years. I always wonder why they are shopping for a “deal” when they should be looking for ways to improve their sleep.

What exactly is a deal?

When people use the word deal, generally they are looking for some sort of savings story. In the mattress industry, stories abound. You will find mattresses for 50, 75 and even 80% off. The problem is that the discount is normally taken from an inflated, unrealistic starting price. Assuming that is not entirely the case, then it will be a mattress set that you would not even allow a family pet to sleep on because it is so bad.

Shopping For A Mattress Is As Easy As CAPS.

C is for Comfort. This may seem almost elementary, but you would be amazed at how many times people will purchase a bed primarily because of price or even brand. They slept on that S-brand mattress for 20 years, and so they want the same thing. The only problem is that mattress no longer exists. Try out the mattress lying on your back, side and natural sleeping position for at least 5 minutes before you make a decision. If you have a special pillow that you cannot sleep without, take it with you to the store. Make sure the new mattress and the pillow work together providing optimal comfort for you.

Should You Buy A Floor Model Mattress?

This is the time of the year that many manufacturers and retailers change out mattress models. In preparation for the Summer selling season, they will update the line and/or lose slow moving mattresses. It is also the perfect time to pick up a quality mattress at a bargain price.

Floor models typically have a much lower cost from the manufacturer. That means when its time to sell, the retailer can sell that pillowtop that was sold all year at $1000 for only $500. Depending on how desperate the Manager is for space, you might get some incredible deals.

Tempur-Pedic® Releases the Tempur-Simplicity™ Line of Mattresses!

Long before I entered the world of marketing and advertising, I had an experience with a brand extension that would stay with me throughout my career. I was a young kid working at a mega grocery store in the produce section. But when things got busy up front, I had to help bag and carry out groceries.

I remember one instance where I carried a basket full of stuff out for a sweet senior citizen who was talking about her brand new Cadillac. Now, I was not a big car person, but at that time Cadillac was the luxury brand to have. It was a status symbol, but also a well built vehicle.

I recently encountered a customer that had bought an S-brand mattress. After a couple of days of “research” on the Internet, she became convinced that her mattress was lethal. First it was the Fire Retardant process (a Federal mandate), then it was memory foam and finally it was all foams. Within a week, and convinced by the online wizards of smart, she had to return her mattress before it killed her.

Nothing irritates me more than companies or salespeople attempting to make a sale by employing fear. In the case above, the sites she was visiting were created by companies that manufacture “green” mattresses, and they were sowing fear to sell their brand.

Stearns & Foster was the original luxury mattress, with its origins dating back to 1846. It was not uncommon to see people sleep on their Stearns for 20 years and pass it on to their children. For most of their history, they were the one of the very best mattresses on the market. Joining forces with Sealy gave them national distribution, a marketing boost and teamed two of the best brands in the business.

I loved the S&F product line and sold them successfully for many years. But it was obvious that the quality was slipping and the attention to detail that made them famous was declining. This allowed other brands to step up their game and compete for the luxury mattress dollars.

A gentleman walks into the mattress store and is promptly greeted by the salesperson. After exchanging names and pleasantries, they begin to discuss his mattress needs. It turns out he is looking for a California King set, good quality of course, for himself. His budget…. $500.

Let me be really frank for a moment. NOTHING exists of any quality in a California King for $500. There may actually be a product available at that price, but I would suspect it would be of horrendous quality, re-manufactured or used/clearance. And even that would be doubtful since Cal King sizes are usually a special order product and often cannot be returned.

You go to a small chain of mattress stores and the salesperson gives you the hard sell on the brand new Purple Hippo 9000. This mattress boasts Platinum, 5 in 1 coils wrapped in 100% silk. It has both memory and amnesia foam, latex and a hundred other foam layers that have really sexy names. You try it out and it does feel awesome. The salesman has the hook in you, now its reeling time. It comes with a lifetime warranty and we are the only chain that carries this exclusive product.

In fact, he is SO confident that he WANTS you to go down to his competitors and have you ASK them if they carry the Purple Hippo 9000. He may even warn you that they will try and talk you OUT of such an awesome product.

What a wonderful 2011 in the mattress biz. We recently saw the introduction of “flavored” memory foam, double and now triple coils and even an air conditioned mattress. What will 2012 offer? Only the mattress gurus know for sure.

Here are a few tips as we wind down the last week of 2011:

1. Remember, even if your mattress includes fabric made from virgin llamas raised by blind, Tibetan monks, a solid gold innerspring and fur taken, with much toil and effort, from honey badgers that just don’t care; if the mattress is not comfortable, don’t buy it. I have watched people drive themselves nuts trying to figure out specs for a given mattress. It means nothing if the mattress does not fit you. Lie down and try the mattress. Only refer to specs when it becomes time to compare to similar models in other retailers.

If you find yourself needing a mattress, this may be a very good time to shop. The week leading up to and through Thanksgiving, retailers are spending gobs on advertising and promoting all sorts of mattress specials. Per earlier blogs, the savings may not change that much from the rest of the year, but there is something else in play.

CHRISTMAS

For those commissioned salespeople who get paid monthly, what they sell in November directly impacts their paycheck just before Christmas. In other words, they are hungry. November is a very depressing month until the final week. There is a whole lot of pressure to hit the monthly goal, earn bonuses and sell enough so the little ones at home will have a happy holiday.

I have been waiting for the day that foam beds take up the majority of floor space for mattress retailers. That day is at hand. Visit any major mattress retailer and you will see a variety of non-innerspring options from latex to air to memory foam to hybrids. I would suspect in the coming decade, you will see innerspring mattresses playing only a supporting role in the mattress sales/selection process.

While Tempur-Pedic is still by far the very best on the market, the me-toos are catching up. All the S-brands have launched and/or relaunched products in hopes of grabbing a piece of this growing market. Sealy has the Embody, Serta the iComfort and Simmons has the ComforPedic. Each has its merits. You should sample a few before making a decision.

To all my readers who have served in the Armed Forces I say thank you for your service to our country. And a special thank you to the families of wounded veterans and those that paid the ultimate sacrifice. America is eternally grateful for your sacrifice.

Friday is of course Veteran’s Day and probably the biggest mattress sales weekend of the fall. If time permits, do some shopping around before committing the dollars. There will be a whole lot of hype surrounding the sales event, but don’t fall for it. Find the right mattress that fits YOUR body and THEN seek out the best value for your money.

Dirty tricks used to be a staple of some of the sleazier folks in the mattress industry. Fortunately, most of the purveyors of this activity have either left the business or closed down.

Caveat emptor – Let the buyer beware.

New or Used Mattress – If you are buying “clearance, discontinued or floor models” there is a really good chance that you are buying used mattresses. Some states require inspections and some sort of sanitation process. This can be as simple as spraying on a disinfectant.