The short answer is - mattresses have HUGE markups over there manufacturing costs. A mattress that costs $300 to actually make might sell for $4000 in a mattress store. The markup breaks down (generally) as follows:Full Explanation on my site at: Why are mattresses so expensive?Why is this huge markup tolerated? The main reason is that only a few companies (Simmons, Serta, Tempur-Pedic, and Simmons) dominate the entire industry, accounting for ~60% of sales. This means that they can do CRAZY things, like:Name the same mattress model different names at different retail outletsSo forget price comparisons, and good luck finding the same model so that they can "match the price"Sell through retailers that take a huge cutYes there are definitely some costs associated with renting the space and keeping the electricity at a mattress store. However combine their markup, along with the markup of their salesman, and you are adding some significant $$$ to the price of every mattress sold.
Adding features that sound great, but don't improve the sleep experienceGel infused foam, pillow-tops, no mattress flipping, organic/natural (don't get me started on that scam) - all of these things sound great, especially when coming from a mattress salesman in the store. But the reality is that most of these things won't improve your sleep experience whatsoever.Lack of consumer buying experienceYou only buy a mattress once every 5-10 years, so you don't know what to expect until you walk into the retail store. Even if you sense that something fishy is going on (which many do), what other option do you have? Go to another mattress store and you'll get the same schtick. And every mattress feels amazing when you lay on it for 5 minutes in the showroom.We're terrible at negotiatingWhen do we negotiate, outside of mattress and car purchases? Thus, we're no good at it - and will often settle for no sales tax, even those there's a lot more room to negotiate.A bunch of new companies have entered the market that sell online-only, and have become very popular because of their transparency and great mattress value (since they cut out the expensive retail process).
Here are some secrets of buying a mattress that I learned when mattress shopping. Product - Mattresses are basically a commodity disguised as a unique product. This is mostly true of Simmons, Sealy and Serta. Their products are not that different (firmness and gauge), but they sell it based on brand. Tempur-pedic and Sleep Number are completely different products from the traditional mattress. Price Matching - The reason why mattress retailers will "match any price" is because mattress manufacturers name their products differently for each major retailer. Sleep Train has one called Ashbury and Mattress King has one called Bradbury. They are the same though the cover fabric and UPC are different. That way you cannot comparison shop. But if you look a the specs, you can basically figure out which is which. Look at the coil, gauge, and other specs.Features - No flip mattresses are highlighted as a feature, but it really means they are cutting cost. They cut their manufacturing cost and your bed lasts half as long.
There is great Fresh Air interview where an author who investigates this industry details how this works. [1] Pillow tops are also an expensive add on, but you are better off buying a pillow top that is removable since those are also washable. Margins - The margins are through the roof. We were negotiating with a guy at the mattress store, and he went to his computer. I saw that he was looking up the wholesale price of the king sized mattress set we wanted. It was listed at something like $1700, and on "sale" for $1000. And in the computer, his cost was listed at $475. A few minutes later another couple comes in, and they half-heartedly negotiated wth him for no sales tax and bought it for $1000. Negotiating - If you negotiate, you will get a much better deal. We found the same mattress at a major discount retailer, and we called up three of the mattress places we visited since they could deliver within 48 hours. We asked them to match the price, and we would immediately buy over the phone.
One of the three agreed, and he was having a free delivery and free frame special so we convinced him to throw it in. He figured, better to make something rather than nothing at all. We ended up paying something like $650 or so, I believe. We bought it a few years ago, so I am not sure what the prices are now. I am only a consumer, so this is my perspective based on shopping. I think an insider's view would be even more interesting. /npr/12039172...As others have noted, it’s all about markups for traditional mattress retailers. For years there has been a near oligopoly in the North American mattress manufacturer space — for example, Tempur-pedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster brands all make up a mattress conglomerate, Tempur-Sealy. Their business model has been a retail incentivization scheme where mattress retailers abide by set mark ups.What this has meant to consumers is that we’ve had to live with high priced mattresses, sales gimmicks, and backpain.However, recently there has been a force of disruption through online-direct mattress companies, which produce their own mattresses and pass savings on through direct consumer relationships, but there are also some companies that are trying to rake in the money at our expense too.
It’s definitely not getting any easier to wade through what’s value and what’s not in the mattress space, and that’s why I created Slumber Search which aggregates online reviews from real people to help folks find what they are really looking for.Best of luck on your search!Mattresses don't have to be this expensive. You may want to investigate the Endy Mattress which is a Canadian mattress start-up company. I have reviews of these types of mattresses on my website, The Sleep Sherpa - Your Guide to a Better Night's Sleep You get a $3,000 mattress for a fraction of the price, better customer service and MUCH LESS hassle.SizeAdjustable beds come in many different sizes. The size of bed that you choose depends largely upon personal preference as well as if you are sleeping in the bed alone or sharing it with another person.TwinQueenKingSurfaceThe surface of the adjustable bed is very important to the quality of sleep you will get. There are many different surfaces available and consumers can choose between them depending on personal preferences and budget restrictions.