UPDATE to this BLOG: The online mattress business is a brand new concept. Therefore the changes are occurring rapidly. At this point what I have seen with these online stores is an average mattress at best. When you compare our mattresses that cost less, you will find that our mattresses are much better quality.
Online advertisements for mattresses have popped up everywhere in the past few years. This type of sales / advertising is successful because of a few factors.
- People tend to buy a mattress a lot of times on impulse. They get up and decide that their mattress was not so comfortable last night and “hey, it’s seems like a good day to buy a mattress”
- People often buy a mattress based on online reviews. (Reviews work good when buying a refrigerator or lawnmower… So why not mattresses?)
- We are all busy these days and do not have time to get in the car and visit a few stores. (It’s much easier to just sit on the computer, do some research and buy)
Unfortunately buying a mattress is not the same as some other items. It’s a pretty big investment and unlike buying a new shirt, you will be wearing that new mattress 8 hours a day, 7 days a week for the next 3-10 years.
Another factor is: These online reviews are not reliable. They are often controlled by these new online mattress companies. I have seen brand new online mattress companies enter the market the first day with 5000 top rated reviews (that they wrote about themselves).
Almost all of these online mattress stores have one thing in common. They ship lighter weight mattresses to save money. (Our mattresses are much too heavy to ship). If you don’t believe me just come in and try to lift one. The only way to ship a heavy mattress is via common carrier truck line (which is much too expensive). So what do these new mattress stores do? (They reduce the weight). They usually ship by vacuuming the air out. This combined with low density foam allows it to work. (Our mattresses are heavy foam or filled with heavy steel and will not compress).
Online mattress stores can only describe what the mattress will feel like. (Hey, if you don’t like it, we’ll refund your money). That policy usually works because most people are usually replacing a terrible mattress so that any new mattress is an improvement.
A mattress store however is a much better option! They will have a showroom and display many different options, some of which are very similar with the same type of construction. Buying a mattress is like buying a new pair of shoes, some slight variances make a difference. (A few more inches of foam on top feels better so some people while less is better to others). It is much better to have options and get the right fit for you).
Price? (Mattress stores are generally going to beat online stores when it comes to price). It does not matter if you are getting the low price or the high price. When you compare retail to online the retail store will win out. These online stores are top heavy in advertising and shipping costs. They simply cannot compete with a store that gets a truckload of mattresses delivered all to the same place while cutting out some middle men.
The bottom line is that you will probably get a better mattress, sleep better and get a better quality mattress for less money at a local store that specializes in mattresses. It’s worth a few hours of your time to visit a couple of stores if it means that you will be getting better sleep and rest for many years to come.