Nothing is more relaxing than snuggling into bed after a long day. But buying a mattress? That event is almost ZERO parts zen. There's much to consider when hunting for the centerpiece of your bedroom -- but the mattress-buying process doesn't have to be a nightmare. Here's a quick briefing that will ensure your shopping trip is as smooth as a midday nap. There is indeed a "cheapest" time to buy. Most experts recommend purchasing a mattress near a holiday -- like Presidents Day, Labor Day, the Fourth of July, and Memorial Day -- or in the month of May, when mattresses are usually marked down in showrooms. In January, you can start prepping for your mattress purchase at "white sales," which are deeply discounted sales for bedding. Higher prices does not mean better sleep. One of the biggest complaints when buying a mattress is price, and figuring out why they cost so damn much. This is usually attributed to large markups, which depends on the brand. We recommend staying in the $500 to $1200 range, as anything over that price doesn't necessarily indicate better quality or better sleep, and probably has the same amount of cushioning and support as more expensive mattresses.
You can negotiate your price. Though it may surprise most people, it is possible to negotiate the price at most of the bigger mattress chains. Robin Wilson, an eco-friendly interior design expert, says that if you bargain "at a department store, you might be able to get tax taken off the mattress price, or delivery for free." You'll also have a better chance of getting a discount or redeeming a coupon if you go to the store to purchase a mattress, rather than buying online. "Firm" mattresses are not the same "firmness" everywhere. Yes, labels may tout a mattress's level of firmness, but one brand's "firm" may be another brand's "soft," according to Consumer Reports Expert Shopper Tod Marks. "The only way to determine if the cushiness and the firmness is right for you is to lie down on the bed and try it for yourself," he says. It's harder to return a mattress than you think. Most mattress retailers (from IKEA to Tempur-Pedic) will allow you to try out your mattress for up to 90 days, but they differ on the amount of money you'll get back if you return it.
Other stores require an exchange fee or disposal fee, which can cost hundreds of dollars. There are organic options. The squishy foam on mattresses is often made from petroleum oil, which (not surprisingly) can cause health problems for some. Organic mattress brands like Keesa use their own foams that put plant oils into the mix. While they may be more costly, all-natural mattresses are worth it, says Wilson. "We spend one third of our lives sleeping," she explains. "Consider your mattress a health investment." You can order a mattress online as easily as you can order a pair of shoes. Yup, you'll find mattresses right in the Amazon store, many listed with free shipping. And a whole new suite of boutique mattress retailers (like the newly-popular Casper) operate solely online, sending mattresses to your door in a nice, neat box. These new online retailers often allow returns for a full refund, without any fees or charges whatsoever. But the old standby brands -- which you might find on discount sites like Overstock -- likely won't do the same, so it's smart to go test them out in a store first.
You don't need to buy your mattress from a brand you've heard of. The aforementioned Casper is an online retailer that aims to ease everyone's mattress-buying headache with a 100-day trial period and sleek design. Other sites like Saatva (which has an eco-friendly focus) and Novosbed (which also boasts free delivery, free trial periods and free returns) also deliver to your door in a snap. Hop on the bandwagon, because this is the future of mattresses.Say you’re a petite 5 feet tall, and your partner is a robust 6 feet 2 inches. You sleep on your side, and your partner is a back sleeper. Now, thanks to our newly expanded mattress ratings, you can drill down past the overall score and zero in on only those mattresses that suit you both. The key to comfort in a mattress is support. A mattress for people who sleep on their sides should keep the alignment of the spine fairly parallel to the bed. For back sleepers, we measure how well it maintains the natural curvature of the spine in that position.
But, as you may already know from painful years of experience, the same mattress doesn’t necessarily offer the same level of support for people of different statures. So we use test subjects that represent the lower and upper 5 percent of the population by size. Our petite women range from 4 ft 11 1/2" to 5 ft 1 1/2" and 110 to 127.5 pounds, and our large men range from 6 ft 2" to 6 ft 4" and 220 to 242 pounds. For each of them, we measure support while on their sides and on their backs, then average those scores to get the result for a midsized person. That’s how we came up with six columns for support: petite, medium, and large/tall side sleepers; and petite, medium, and large/tall back sleepers. The petite side sleeper will find only one mattress that scores excellent for his or her stature, the Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Trust Cushion, a $1,275 innerspring. For all the other body sizes, it scores very good but not excellent. If you prioritize the large/tall back sleeper’s comfort, the Charles P. Rogers Powercore Estate 5000 has excellent back support and very good side support.
It scores one point higher overall and costs $1,500. (Online subscribers can sort the ratings by columns, making this exercise even easier.) Support isn’t the only factor for couples. A healthy person shifts positions 40 to 60 times per night. Double that for a couple, and that’s a lot of tossing and turning for any mattress to cope with. That’s why we also test for stabilization, which is essentially a gauge of bounciness. It provides a very good indicator of whether your movements will disturb your partner, or vice versa. Only four of our 74 rated mattresses aced the stabilization test. Of those, the highest-rated overall is the Sleep Number c2, $800, one of two adjustable air mattresses we tested. The other three stability stalwarts are innerspring models, the best of which is the Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Elite Kelburn, $1,350. None of the memory foam mattresses earned excellent scores for stabilization, so steer clear of that type if this is a big concern for you and your partner.