I’ve been in the sleep business since 1970 and a retailer of mattresses and bedding since 1972. Since the Private Equity Firms (the wonderful folks that helped bring about the recent financial troubles in the U.S.) bought up all the major mattress companies (Simmons, Sealy, Stearns & Foster [owned by Sealy], Spring Air, and Serta) the industry has taken a “consumer be damned” attitude. The introduction of “can’t flip” mattresses or “no need to flip” mattresses in 2000 is an insult to consumers who can now expect three to five years out of their new mattress. That’s one third of what can be expected from two-sided mattresses. Curious About 2-Sided Mattresses?They’re all we sell. Explore the possibilities & start sleeping better right away. CLICK HERE FOR FLIPPABLE MATTRESSES Like many industries, the mattress industry has gone through a period of cheapening products in order to save on manufacturing costs. Problem is, they market the cheapened product as a benefit to consumers — which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Think about home appliances, another industry where the majority of companies are now owned by private equity firms. Depending on your age, it used to be that you would buy an appliance — a fridge, a washer/dryer, an oven — expecting it to last 20 years. If something broke, a repairman would come to your home and fix it. Now, if you get five to seven years from an appliance you’re lucky. And you can forget about repairs; parts either aren’t or won’t be available. The profits manufacturers make on selling half a mattress are too great to go back to two-sided mattresses. Companies can save 25-30% by not including the second side cushioning layer, which is the most expensive part of most mattresses. Companies don’t pass these savings on to the consumer. As you may have noticed if you’ve done some research, some “can’t flip” mattresses sell for several thousands of dollars! They’ve just used the savings to increase their profits and then resell the company to another investment firm.
Simmons, for instance, has now been sold many times over. The added benefit (to them) of selling “can’t flip” mattresses is that the consumer is back in the marketplace for a new mattress every three to five years. Their only other option is to put up with a saggy, uncomfortable bed, and the achy back and body that can result from it. Recently, on a day when we delivered 10 new mattresses, we took away three “can’t flip” mattresses. All three were from one of the best known “S” brands, all just three years old and all completely worn out. Not even homeless shelters or charities will take mattresses so saggy, so they ended up in a landfill. These were not inexpensive mattresses — they retail locally for over $2000 each! You’d think that such dramatic wear and tear after just three years would be covered under warranty, but no. These companies consistently deny all but the most extreme breakdowns. They have PLANNED for the failure or obsolescence of their mattresses after 3-5 years.
It’s how they do things now. Most manufacturers DO still make two-sided mattresses, they just don’t sell them to the consumer. They make them only for the hotel/motel industry. Owners in this industry avoid one-sided mattresses because they know that they won’t last more than a few years. Doesn’t that show the manufacturers’ true stripes? In order to be sold on our floor, mattresses need to have TWO sleeping surfaces. That, or they need to have zipper access to the inside so that components can be flipped or refreshed. It is not right to sell mattresses that wear out so quickly. A consumer should be able to expect their new mattress to last and be comfortable for at least 8 to 12 years. If they purchase a 100% botanical latex mattress model, it should last even longer. Been sold half a mattress?Stop sleeping in a sinkhole. Try a 2-sided mattress & FEEL the difference immediately . . . & 10 years later. SEE THE MOST DURABLE & COMFORTABLE MATTRESSES AT ALL PRICE POINTS
Please explain beds to me. October 4, 2015 Subscribe I am so confused. Please tell me what kind of bed (& mattress) I should buy. Setup: my partner and I moved across the country. We own zero furniture. Among other things, we will need a bed to sleep on 3 weeks from now when we move from our temporary furnished digs into our empty box of an apartment. I am completely bewildered by the options and need someone to tell me what to buy. My previous bed experiences have been as follows: - old captains' bed + ??? mattress (at my parents' place) - murphy bed + ikea mattress (but not for more than a couple of weeks at a time) - hand me down twin bed + ikea mattress (fine? I slept on this for ~4 years) - partner's craigslist futon (quite firm, but comfortable enough. Got the job done) - at the current temporary place, a memory foam mattress on top of a box spring (super weird, but comfy) We are not picky about what we sleep on. I sleep like the dead on pretty much anything flat and relatively squishy and my partner sleeps well sometimes and mediocrely other times irrespective of what he's sleeping on.
1. Explain boxsprings to me. I understand that you need either a boxspring or a bed frame, or possibly a boxspring in a bed frame if you're being fancy, but what are the pros/cons of buying each option? Is it just that a bed looks better than a boxspring sitting on the floor? 2. What kind of mattress should we buy? I'm tempted by Tuft and Needle because they seem to be well-liked and there's no choices to make. Or we could just get one from ikea? I would prefer minimal talking to people trying to sell me things and also will need to have it delivered unless it comes in a box that we can fit in a zipcar. 3. What kind of under-the-mattress furniture should we buy? I am sensitive to how it will look. The apartment is in an old house with lots of architectural details--picture rails, built ins, etc. (Here's a photo) So super modern isn't going to work well. Maybe a metal frame bed? This also appeals to me, but I'm not sure how to accomplish it. Boxspring + bed skirt? - The apartment has way more storage than our old place, and we have way less stuff (for now).