2 Most Important Criteria for Choosing the Perfect Mattress

Think its all about the price?

All too often so many of us get confused in the shopping process for some reason and associate value specifically to the price we pay for our new bed. While price is one significant factor of value by no means is the most important aspect. Doing your homework and researching details are the best ways to determine real solid value when buying a new mattress.  It’s no accident when someone gets more value than what they paid for and savvy shoppers are able to distinguish the difference between real noticeable value and a so called good price when buying a new mattress.   Value and price important keys to choosing the perfect mattress.

Industry mattress sales entice consumers with huge savings and discounts, but simply getting 50% off doesn’t necessarily translate to a good value. No one wants to pay for lower grade building materials that won’t last and can be much more expensive over the long haul. The word value is subjective and means different things to different people but defining value by price alone is a very risky investment when it comes to beds. The fact is value is a fair price for money exchanged and equivalent quality or better than expected quality of that mattress for the price paid.

Compare apples to apples for best value

Take into consideration the knowledge shared by professionals and by those who purchased said mattress before you. Their tips and positive business reviews can be priceless information for perspective mattress shoppers. Knowledgeable sales associates sharing their tips and experience rather than just savings and discounts can often be a sign of high level of a business’s good service. Excellent customer service before and after the sale is an undervalued intangible when making a mattress purchase.

Consider the quality of various raw materials like ticking, quilting, and hand tufting used to construct your new mattress.  Give thought to the overall amount of steel used in the bed not just the number or coils, gauge, and coil type which are often hyped by stores and can be misleading. An old saying in the mattress business is: “if you don’t know anything else about a mattress, purchase it based on weight”.

No matter how you define value the common feeling needs to be when you get it home that you would have paid more to buy that mattress because the retailer gave you what you expected or more for your dollar. It could be a costly mistake to buy a mattress that was built using low grade building materials. Perhaps a feature you would have benefited from was not included and was only available in a higher quality mattress. Consider this fact sometimes these mattresses don’t cost more and in many cases actually cost less. Homework homework homework is the key to realizing real value and avoiding costly mistakes that can lead to lack of sleep, being uncomfortable, and even experiencing pain due as a result of mattresses failing quickly and developing problems and issues.   Shop local stores and compare models between competitors. Don’t be afraid to do some online price comparisons as well you may find locals stores willing to bargain down their prices. Never under estimate the importance of a test rest. For most people proper mattress support and mattress comfort represent real tangible value. Smaller mom and pop specialty sleep shops may offer unique mattress choices you won’t find elsewhere introducing you to selections you didn’t know about or would have considered. Some small stores purchase through a shorter supply chain and can be more particular about the quality of mattresses they sell making for a particularly good value.

Online Mattress Shopping Value or Not?

While many shop online retailers can save you money on things like free shipping, comfort guarantees, and even not having to pay sales tax the real costly expenses are hidden in the details and fine print. The consumer often handles the entire warranty claim process including shipping costs to send the mattress back and ship out the new one. These combined fees can be from a couple hundred dollars up to five or six hundred dollars after protective packaging and freight bills are added all of which can be a huge inconvenience and are again handled by the consumer.

Don’t put too much stock in warranties as many who have tried to exercise them can tell you they are basically worthless. Body impressions, ridges in the middle and holes where we lay are not covered under the guarantee unless they are measured deeper than 1.5″ – 2″ one of the only standards found within the industry and this is measured without any weight on them. Breakdown of materials less than those measurement are considered normal no matter how uncomfortable the mattress might be. The length of a warranty should not be interpreted or confused as the actual comfort life span of a mattress which most fall well short of rather it only covers manufacturing defects when properly cared for.

Build your own mattress approach

Quickly growing in popularity throughout online retailers and even some brick and mortar stores these mattress kits if you will include a zippered cover called an encasement. This encasement can be filled with a wide variety of comfort and support layers. Not only can each firmness layer be customized for personal feel but these very same layers can be changed, exchanged, or even replaced if defective. We consider these to be no or low cost solutions that don’t necessarily require exchanging out or buying a whole new mattress. In some cases a simple rearrangement of the layers can change the feel just enough to make that perfect level of support and feel.