By Andrew DePietro, Finance Writer Memorial Day weekend finally has arrived. The unofficial kickoff to summer, Memorial Day celebrates and honors American soldiers who died serving in the U.S. armed forces. Every year, Americans mark Memorial Day with parades, festivals and Memorial Day sales. Big-box retailers and stores are usually open on this holiday, but Costco is closed. However, that does not mean you cannot save at Costco during the rest of the holiday weekend -- or even by shopping online on Monday itself. Here are the best things to buy at Costco on Memorial Day weekend. Typically, Memorial Day weekend sees some of the best sales of the year on mattresses and bed sets, said Brent Shelton, an online shopping expert with FatWallet. Costco is living up to this tradition, offering $150 off queen-size Sleep Science memory foam mattresses through May 29. If you prefer a king-size mattress, you can save $500 on a Sleep Science memory foam mattress, but only until June 15.
These deals are online-only. Although Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, there is no reason you should not buy new furniture as part of your spring cleaning. You can get up to $800 off the cost of furniture at Costco this weekend. An Austin four-piece, top-grain leather living room set is priced at $2,499.99, representing a $500 price cut, said Kendal Perez, a savings expert with Coupon Sherpa. This deal is online only. You often can get a great deal on outdoor furniture in May. Warehouse stores such as Costco tend to offer some of the best deals on patio furniture. For example, you can save around $1,000 buying a Portofino five-piece club chair set at Costco versus buying it through Amazon. For a limited time, you can save up to $600 on select Portofino patio sets before the deal ends May 29. Related: Are Banks Open on Memorial Day 2016? If you are looking for something to tie your patio together, the Aquaterra six-person hot tub might be ideal.
With savings of $1,500 off the online price, this hot tub is one of the best Costco deals on the list. This deal ends on May 29. Table tennis tables can provide entertainment long after Memorial Day and well into the summer. This Memorial Day weekend is your chance to save $150 on a Kettler table tennis bundle before the deal ends May 29. Keep the kids preoccupied all Memorial Day weekend with a new outdoor play set. Until May 29, you can take $600 off the price of a Lifetime double slide deluxe play set at Costco. This gives you a savings of $1,000 compared to buying this play set at Home Depot. Sales of barbecue grills fell in 2015 after posting solid numbers in 2014, according to the Hearth and Home trade journal. Whether this trend will affect the prices of grills in 2016 is debatable, but Costco offers affordable, high-quality grills to get Memorial Day cooking started. Costco sells the Dyna-Glo gas and charcoal grill for $499.99, less than you will pay at Walmart and Lowe's.
On the higher end, the NXR stainless steel seven-burner gas grill costs $1,099.99 at Costco, beating both Amazon and eBay's listed price for the same product. Related: 101 Ways to Save Money This Summer Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, Costco is taking up to $550 off the price of top-selling appliances while supplies last. An LG three-door black stainless steel refrigerator (model LFXS30766D) is priced at $2,549.99, a $950 reduction from the original price. "(That's) about $50 less than the next best price for this model from Home Depot," said Perez. Having a Costco membership can really pay off when it comes to buying washers and dryers this Memorial Day weekend. From now until June 8, Costco deals on washer-dryer units can save you anywhere from $270 to $700 off on brands such as Whirlpool and LG. Costco has deals on just about everything--including kitchen sinks, which are part of Costco's online-only sales this Memorial Day weekend. Savings on kitchen sinks start as low as $40 off but can run up to $220 off Hahn Chef Series single-bowl sinks.
These deals expire on May 29. Related: How to Celebrate Memorial Day 2016 for Under $30 Most of us love to find ways to save on food costs. And chances are good that you are going to need food for your Memorial Day weekend barbecue. Look for Instant Savings vouchers for Costco shoppers, Perez said. Perez singled out barbecue-related deals, such as $3 off Dreyer's Outshine fruit bars and $4 off Tyson panko-breaded chicken breast tenderloins, as good Memorial Day weekend Costco deals. Costco has monthly Instant Savings for May, notably on barbecue condiments and related items. That includes $3 off a Heinz Picnic Pack and A-1 steak sauce. You can also get $3.30 off Reynolds aluminum foil. With the NBA playoffs, Stanley Cup playoffs and Olympics either ongoing or coming up, Memorial Day weekend is an excellent time to buy a TV. Through May 29, you can buy a Samsung Galaxy smartphone from Costco and receive a free 32-inch Samsung TV. With this Costco Memorial Day deal, customers will get a free $25 Costco Member Benefit Cash Card, a $15 Costco Cash Card and a 5200 mAh portable battery.
Computers and laptops are included in Costco online-only deals. Through May 29, you can save up to $400 on a Dell XPS 8900 desktop computer. When it comes to laptops, Costco can save you hundreds of dollars this Memorial Day weekend, including $350 off an HP Pavilion laptop. Costco deals on cameras can save you money and prepare you for taking photos throughout the summer. From now until May 29, you can save $50 off and get free shipping on a Panasonic travel camera bundle. Even better, you can save $250 and get a $50 Costco Cash Card when you buy a Sony a6000 Digital Camera. This deal also ends May 29.October 25, 2013 0 Comment Guides Often people shopping for a memory foam mattress find themselves wondering just what differentiates the pricey high-end memory foam brands from those at discount retailers. While there are some similarities, there also tends to be some significant differences as well in density, warranty, price and performance. Keep reading to see how leading brands from each sector stack up, and see which provides the ideal value for your needs and budget.
Memory foam mattresses are generally constructed in a similar manner. A base layer, or core, of regular polyurethane foam between 5 and 9 inches thick is topped with one or more layers of memory foam. Some brands may include extra layers of regular foam, latex or gel in the upper layers as well. The assembled mattress is then covered with cover fabric. While the construction is fairly consistent, brands use different thicknesses and densities of foam which affect how the bed feels, how supportive it is, and how durable it is.There are also different types of memory foam. In addition to traditional temperature-sensitive, polyurethane-based memory foam, there are also gel-infused and plant-based options. Gel infused foams have either gel beads or liquid gel mixed into the memory foam. The idea is that gel absorbs body heat and feels cool to the touch, and while a slight difference in heat complaints exists for some brands, there is some dispute about how cool it remains throughout the night and how the gel will effect long-term durability.
Plant-based memory foam incorporates plant materials like castor bean or soy oils in place of part of the petroleum products, creating a more environmentally friendly option. Plant based foams are generally temperature-neutral, and studies by Cargill indicate that they sleep 25% cooler than gel foams.When comparing different memory foam beds, the main factors to consider are the foam density of the core and memory foam layers, thickness, firmness, memory foam type, cover type, price, warranty, and, if it is important to you, the safety or environmental-friendliness of the product. In the following comparison, we look at these factors and more from brands spanning the market, including Tempurpedic, Serta, Amerisleep, Walmart, Costco, Target, Overstock, and BedInABox. The basic specifications and figures are presented in a comparison chart below for easy reference, followed by more detailed explanations. The information comes from retailer websites, third-party consumer websites, and consumer review forums.
Memory foam density is the measure of how much one cubic foot of material weighs, which varies based on the amount of polymers versus air present. High-density foams are more viscous than low-density foams, and stand up better to impressions and wear. Higher density foams also provide greater buoyancy and support, but are more expensive to produce.If you compare the individual mattress models, more expensive beds are more likely to contain greater amounts of higher density foams in the 4.0-5.3 lb ranges. Tempurpedic, Serta iComfort and Amerisleep all use medium to high density foams in most of their mattresses, while BedInABox, Costco Novaform, IKEA and Walmart Spa Sensations beds primarily use low density memory foam under 3.5 lbs. However, some of the higher-end brands like Tempurpedic and Serta use 3 lb or lower layers in some models as well. Many retailers offer several lines of mattresses with different densities and value points. This is why it is important to look at all of the specifications for any mattress you are considering, as not everything from high-end brands will represent the better value (or vice versa).
For example, the Tempur Simplicity and Overstock Comfort Dreams 8″ model both have the same overall height, however the cheaper Overstock model actually uses higher 4 lb density foam versus the Simplicity’s 2.5 lb foam, although the Simplicity costs almost 3 times what Comfort Dreams bed does. However, the Simplicity is also returnable and has a considerably better warranty.Memory foam in general tends to earn a satisfactory or higher rating from about 80-81% of owners, making it the highest rated mattress category overall. Thus, even the lower-end memory foam brands still tend to rate fairly well compared to spring mattresses.Pricier brands like Tempurpedic and Serta earn average to slightly above average reviews. For Tempurpedic, reviews were slightly below average, with primary complaints being price, odor, and heat. Lower density models had about average complaints for sagging, though higher density models fare better. Serta’s reviews tend to better than average for both heat and odor, though the biggest complaints are cost, sagging and inconsistent firmness.
Among the brands we compared, the mid-range brands like Amerisleep and BedInABox tend to earn the highest reviews. Amerisleep reviews had the highest overall owner satisfaction rates, with very low complaint rates for odor, heat and sagging. BedInABox also fared well, though had fairly high odor complaints and some people disliked the limited options for firmness.Among the discount retailers, Costco Novaform and Spa Sensations had the best average satisfaction ratings, with Overstock Comfort Dreams and IKEA slightly lower than average. Most Novaform reviewers appreciated the pricing, return policy and the higher densities relative other discount options, but there were several complaints of odor and durability issues. Spa Sensations reviews touted the low prices as the biggest pro, with reasonable comfort but high complaints of impressions and sagging. Overstock reviewers had average rates of complaints for all factors, and primary issues related comfort or non-returnability. IKEA reviews are somewhat limited online, but odor and heat issues do see to be a little more prevalent than with the other discount brands.
Many people who buy memory foam are trying it for the first time, and having the ability to return can be important in case you choose the wrong firmness or thickness. Additionally, it can take several weeks to adjust to a new mattress. Most memory foam retailers offer 90 nights, and some like Serta and BedInABox offer 120 days, during which customers can return or exchange their mattresses. They differ in return fees and terms, but almost all ask people to try the mattress at least 30 days before returning. The only retailer we compared that did not offer returns or exchanges was Overstock.Warranties and return policies vary dramatically between manufacturers and retailers. Most high quality memory foam retailers include a solid warranty with at least 20 years of total coverage. The key things to compare are the “full” coverage periods (often 10-15 years) during which the cost of replacement is covered by the manufacturer. After this period, the warranty is usually pro-rated, with the owner paying part of the cost of replacement.
All of the brands offer good warranty terms of 20 years or more, with the exception of Overstock and Walmart, who offer 5 years or less.The other key factor with memory foam mattress warranties is how deep impressions must be before warranty coverage kicks in. Tempurpedic, Serta and Amerisleep all cover impressions over 0.75″. BedInABox covers impressions over 1.25″. The remaining retailers do not specify the depth of coverage on their websites or warranty materials.Based on manufacturing and material costs, higher density foams should cost more than low density foams. However, advertising costs associated with big brand names and retail stores can also raise prices, even of lower quality products, as the cost is passed along to consumers. The advantage of bog-box retailers like Walmart, IKEA and Costco is that they buy in bulk to get better prices. Online only shops like Amerisleep, BedInABox and Overstock also have lower overhead. Large brand names like Tempurpedic and Serta that operate through dealer networks are more likely to have high-overhead and markup costs.
Tempurpedic is by far the most expensive brand, followed by Serta. Amerisleep, BedInABox and Costco Novaform comprise the middle range of the pricing spectrum, while Overstock, IKEA and Walmart comprise the lower end. For a more direct comparison of pricing, here are the costs for each brand’s average 12″ queen size memory foam bed:Based on our comparisons, the highest-end retailers don’t typically offer the best value, nor the highest satisfaction rates. However, the mattresses at the lowest end of the spectrum tend to have shorter lifespans and weaker guarantees. In order to find the ideal memory foam mattress, you should consider what type of bed you want, firmness level and thickness ranges most appropriate for your body type and sleep position, as well as your budget. Comparing options that match your criteria from a range of retailers can help you identify which memory foam mattresses represent the best balance of value and quality, and are most likely to be satisfactory. 2016's Best Black Friday Deals on Memory Foam Mattresses