The Secret to Mattress Shopping

I read an article 9 years ago, written by a guy named Seth Stevenson, who lives in the U.S. I came across this article again just a couple of days back and it striked me how similiar the mattress industry was like in the U.S. in the year 2000 as it is with Singapore now, in 2009.

The article is titled “Going to the Mattresses” I would strongly recommend a reading, it contains the secrets in the mattress industry – unkown to the average mattress shopper.  I have summarized the article in point form, in case you are super busy person….

• the mattress industry is one big scam

• mattress salespeople could never be trusted

• mattress manufacturers rename their mattress for different stores so that you can’t compare apple to apple. Thus, they can mark-up the price however they want to, and you can’t compare prices.

• most mattresses manufacturers get their spring from the same company, we should ignore brand names and focus on the actual piece of mattress.

• Coil counts are just overrated, we should simply ignore them.

• Thickness of mattress is just a ploy to make mattress look comfy in showrooms. No other benefits.

• Box springs, totally uneccassary and waste of money.

• Firm mattress is good for the back – It’s not true, it is a myth.

• Extra Features like Ticking and Quilting, Non-Flip and warrenties are purely marketing gimmicks, don’t even think about it when deciding your purchase.

The parting shot of the article…. “If you can’t tell the difference between a $200 and a $900 mattress, go for the cheaper one…….. Once you’re asleep, every mattress feels the same.”

Well, that’s my summary of the article, here is the link to the article again “Going to the Mattresses”

So… any tips I have for you?

Yes, 2 tips i have.

First tip

Since, you can’t compare apple to apple, because of the way the mattress industry works. You can get the specifications and price of a certain model/brand from one mattress store. Then, walk into another mattress store (or call us) and ask for the equilevant model. Chances is that the other mattress store (or us) is able to get the exact same model for you, but with a different label (does it matter at all if the label is different?) The price would be cheaper.

Second tip

Don’t listen to salespeople, listen to other consumers who had bought the same mattress. Your fellow consumers have no incentive to cheat you. Where to get these mattress reviews? You could search on the the internet, or visit our site www.beds.sg, our site is full of mattress reviews from consumers who have bought them. (sorry I can’t help myself, I just have to promote Beds.sg)

Happy Mattress Shopping!