I was reading the local newspaper over the weekend and noticed an advertisement for a mattress sale. I first saw that there were some well known brands on sale, but then I saw that there was an inventory close out sale for last year models or some slightly soiled mattresses! My first thought was yuck and then I did some research to discover that it is legal in most parts of the country for a retailer to sell a used or soiled mattress! The FTC says that depending on the state, used mattresses may contain a tag, sometimes red or yellow in color, which warns that the mattress contains used materials. Federal law requires that any mattress that contains used stuffing bear a tag or label with that information. If you don’t see any tag, consider doing business with another retailer. Not all states have labeling requirements for the sale of used mattresses and for those that do the requirements can vary. In many states, old mattresses that have been recovered with new ticking (strong, tightly woven cotton or linen fabric) can be sold as long as they are sanitized or disinfected in some way before sale.
In other states, only certain parts of mattresses, such as the springs, can be reused. These rules apply to traditional retailers as well as to thrift, secondhand, and consignment shops. The Indiana Department of Health states that secondhand mattresses must be labeled with a yellow tag listing the kind of materials used in the filling, a notification alerting the consumer that the mattress or materials used in the filling are secondhand, and a permit number of the processor who either sterilized or disinfected the secondhand mattress or filling materials. ¢Ask if the retailer sells used bedding. If so, and you want a new mattress; make sure your mattress has a new mattress tag. ¢Make sure you look at the tag on the actual mattress you’re buying either before you leave the store or before the delivery person leaves your house. Don’t let the heavy plastic wrapping stop you from looking for and at the tag. ¢Ask the retailer to write new on your sales receipt if you’ve been told you’re buying a new mattress.
If it turns out that the mattress is used, you’ll have a stronger recourse. ¢Avoid retailers with mattresses that don’t carry tags. ¢Ask about the retailer’s return and refund policies, and get copies in writing. The agency that regulates mattress labeling varies by state. To find out what the bedding laws are in your state, contact the State Departments of Health, Consumer Affairs, Agriculture, or Licensing.Kentucky Jail Prisoners Make Mattresses Kentucky Jail Prisoners Make Mattresses The Daviess County Detention Center (DCDC) in Western Kentucky has a program that uses prisoners to manufacture mattresses. The program is expected to save the 700-bed facility $10,000 a year and provide a service to the local community. Previously, DCDC purchased around 200 mattresses annually due to damage or wear and tear, costing the jail about $100 each. Jailer David W. Osborne learned that a facility in Sevier County, Tennessee was making its own mattresses, so he sent a deputy to investigate.
“When I first learned of this, I thought, ‘we’ll need a big, old building,’” said Osborne. It turned out that two prisoners and a single commercial sewing machine can make up to 20 mattresses in an eight-hour shift. “It’s fairly simple,” he said. “We bought a used sewing machine.” The mattresses made by the prisoners are sturdier because the covers are vinyl, which is more durable. “We can do this for $50 [per mattress],” said Osborne. “They are much more comfortable than the ones we were buying.” As the mattress-making work is considered community service, prisoners receive pay of $.63 per day for an eight-hour shift and have one day cut from their sentence for every 40 hours worked. DCDC is considering expanding the program by making and selling mattresses at cost to places such as homeless shelters. Osborne also touted the benefits for the prisoner workers, in terms of “skills training and work ethic development.”You can tell a lot about a company by its history
Less than a year after graduating from the University of Kentucky, insurance agent and Louisville native, Kim Brown Knopf answered an ad looking for people to sell mattresses. Her interest piqued, she began investigating the bedding business. Decisive and entrepreneurial, the 23-year-old chose Charleston, W.Va. as the place to open her own business. She moved there in August 1983 and opened her first store, Mattress Warehouse, in October in nearby South Charleston. 1983 – Opened first store, in So. 1986 – Opened corporate office in Winfield, W.Va. 1986 – Built first distribution center, in Winfield, W.Va. 1993 – Invested in GERS computerized retail point of sale system 1995 – Kim selected as finalist for WV Entrepreneur of the Year 1995 – Second distribution center is opened in Bridgeport, W.Va. 1996 – IMS presented GERS Power User of the Year National Technology Award 1997 – 10th store opened, in Ashland, Ky 1998 – IMS profiled in Nation’s Business magazine
2002 – Sleep Outfitters brand launched 2003 – Acquisition of Mattress Barn in Lexington, Ky. 2004 – Acquisition of Westco Group in Akron, Oh. providing IMS 10 stores in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Louisville, Ky. 2004 – Acquisition of Mattress Firm in Louisville, Ky (10 more stores) 2004 – Third distribution center is opened, in Lexington, Ky. 2004 – Opened 25th store (Columbus, Oh) and first Indiana store (Clarksville) 2006 – Fourth and fifth distribution centers opened (Cleveland and Columbus) 2006 – Opened 50th store, in Delaware, OhOpened 50th store, in Delaware, Oh 2008 – Silver Anniversary Celebration – 25 successful years in business 2008 – Opened 75th store, in Louisville, Ky. 2009 – Opened our 85th store 2010 – One of only four bedding stores in the USA honored as a Retail Giant of Bedding 2010 – Opened our 90th store 2011 – Acquisition of Mattresses Unlimited in Louisville, Ky and Nashville, TN