Home / Customer Service / Shop Internationally Planning a visit to the United States? Or have friends and family in the U.S.? Shop at Sears to get everything you want—including great gifts for yourself or others. You'll be happy to see how online shopping in the U.S. couldn't be easier. Simply use an international credit card. shop Sears U.S. now Free U.S. Store Pickup Order something online but need a little help picking it up? You (or someone you know) can pay and pick up online orders at a Sears store. find a Sears store | U.S. Shipping & Delivery Looking to keep it simple? Get your order shipped or delivered to any address in the United States—including hotels. Get a little help from friends and family to get what you want—simply have your order delivered right to them. Did you know Sears ships to over 100 countries? Take advantage of this major convenience and get whatever you wish, shipped to wherever you want.
Shop in Puerto Rico Now it's easier than ever to shop at Sears in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Whether you're living there or just visiting, you can pick up your order or have it shipped to you. shop Sears Puerto Rico If you are planning to visit the United States, or have friends and family here, shop at Sears to get everything you want—including gifts for yourself or others. Shopping online in the U.S. at Sears could not be easier. You can pay for your order in a store or even use an international credit card. Once you place an order, you (or someone you know) can pick it up at a Sears store, have it shipped to over 100 countries—whatever is most convenient for you. Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Purchasing A Mattress In Chicago Before buying a mattress, there are certain things every consumer should know. In most parts of the country, including Illinois, used mattresses can be resold as long as they meet certain labeling and processing requirements.
Also, in the City of Chicago, the law requires that deteriorated, secondhand, reconditioned, or altered products cannot be advertised or sold as new. How to Know If You Are Buying a Used Mattress: By law, there must be a conspicuously posted label describing the contents of themattress and any bedding. The label must state whether the bedding is made from all new materials, or is made in whole or in part from secondhand material, otherwise called “refurbished.” Requirements for selling refurbished mattresses: All used bedding must be taken apart by a refurbisher, and inspected for stains, pests, odors. No material or component of used bedding that is soiled, has odor, or is infested may be reused. Ask if the retailer sells used or refurbished bedding. Look at the label attached to the mattress to know if you’re buying a new or a used mattress. If you’re looking to buy a new mattress, make sure your mattress has a “new” mattress tag.
Ask the retailer to write “new” on your sales receipt if you’ve been told you’re buying a new mattress. If you don’t see any tag, consider doing business with another retailer. Otherwise, you simply don’t know what you’re buying. Ask about the retailer’s return and refund policies, and get copies in writing. Beware of Bed Bugs: When buying a used or refurbished mattress, the possibility of bed bugs arises. Bed bugs are small wingless insects that bite people and pets and do not transmit diseases. Their name comes from their preferred living quarters: mattresses, sofas and other furniture. A bed bug problem may not be detected in the store and typically begins after bringing it home. Signs to watch out for are clusters of black specks on your mattress. Bed bugs have an oval body and range in color from white, to a golden brown or orange. If you suspect bed bugs, take immediate action by contacting the retailer. If you feel you have been a victim of fraud click to file a consumer complaint with the City of Chicago or call 311.
Click to download the Purchasing A Mattress in Chicago Fact Sheet/2016/05/02/world/why-are-there-so-many-mattress-stores/popout" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="240px">Amy Arens-Terpstra is a social researcher who lives in Chicago. Last year she started losing sleep over a sudden change she observed in the retail landscape. On her daily commute through the South Loop, she began noticing lots and lots of mattress stores — two stores just down the street from each other were from the same company.“At my last count there were five mattress stores either on or right off Roosevelt Road between State and Halsted Street,” she said.On the city’s North Side there’s a shopping strip with 10 mattress stores in less than a mile. Retail clustering is nothing new, but unlike a burger and fries, a mattress is not exactly an impulse buy.“Honestly, I have bought one mattress in my adult life, and I cannot conceive how a city can sustain so many mattress stores,” Arens-Terpstra said.
And it’s not just Chicago. In the past decade the number of stand-alone specialty mattress stores has jumped from 7,000 to nearly 10,000 stores nationwide.According to Dave Perry, bedding editor for the trade magazine Furniture Today, the majority of mattress purchases were once made inside department stores and mom-and-pop furniture outlets. Today, the specialty mattress chains have more than 50 percent of the market, compared to just 19 percent in 1993.“It is a hotbed of activity,” Perry said. “Literally, of course, we hope it’s somewhat of a cool bed, since they say a cool bed actually promotes a better night’s sleep. So how about, it’s a cool bed of activity?”Perry, analysts and other industry-watchers list a few reasons for the ongoing trend. There's an ongoing awareness of the health benefits of a good night's sleep. That's led to shorter purchase cycles for new mattresses, once every 10 - 15 years (Mattress Firm's slogan is "Replace every 8"). Baby boomers are upgrading to fancier and more expensive mattresses.
The housing market's rebounding, and there's pent-up demand following the recession. And, despite some online startups, so far, mattress shopping is largely internet-proof. "The only way you can really test the comfort of the mattress is to lie down on it," Perry said. "So I think the brick-and-mortar stores have a very big advantage."Then there’s the cost factor. Mattress stores have low overhead, low labor costs and higher-than-usual profit margins, Sam Woods said, Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations for Mattress Firm.“If you sold three or four beds a day, and your average ticket is $1,000, that’s a $4,000 day, times 365. All of a sudden you’ve got more than a million-dollar business there,” he said.That, he added, is why a single store can get by on just a few customers a day. Plus, each store — complete with a big, bright sign — doubles as advertising.Since 2007, Houston-based Mattress Firm has been on a national buying binge, taking over 17 mattress retailers, including Bedding Experts and Back to Bed.
Its acquisition of major competitor Sleepy’s, completed in early 2016, brings its total store count to nearly 3,500 in 48 states — almost one-third of the market. That nearly doubles Mattress Firm’s footprint in Chicago to 237 stores.“When that consumer says, ‘I’m fed up, I can’t sleep on this bed any longer,’ we want them to think, ‘hey, there’s a Mattress Firm right over there,’” Woods said.Of course, as we’ve seen, there are sometimes two — or even three — Mattress Firms “right over there.”Which begs the question, how long will the mattress boom last? Mattress Firms’ Sam Woods isn’t sure, but he’s bullish on the trend continuing, saying “we have yet to hit peak mattress.”He pointed to an example when his company took over a competitor’s store in close proximity to an existing Mattress Firm, and he assumed they would close the weakest location.“Well, what happens is that often those two stores will both improve their performance,” he said.