How NOT To Buy a Mattress (or Anything Else)
October 03, 2012When was the last time you thought about replacing your mattress? Last month? Last year? Never? Susan and I have been sleeping on the same mattress since we were married—over 17 years ago—and until recently I had never really given it much thought. We bought our mattress at a furniture store, and for me, like all furniture, unless it’s ripped, has a spring sticking out, or is genuinely falling apart, it must be fine.
But something changed. There has been a recent string of TV and radio commercials that have suddenly got me thinking about my mattress. You probably know the ones I’m talking about. They say that if you are sleeping on a mattress that is more than eight years old, then you need a new one. This got me thinking, “Hey, my mattress is more than eight years old, maybe I need a new one.” Every time I’d hear one of those commercials, I’d start thinking about it some more.
At first, it was just an idea, but pretty soon, I found myself walking past the mattress section of the department store “just in case.” Eventually, that comfortable night’s sleep I’d been having was not so comfortable anymore. It really started to have an influence on me, and the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that “Yes, I needed a new mattress.”
To quench this insatiable yearning for a new mattress, I began mattress shopping. Now mattresses aren’t cheap—good ones start at several hundred dollars and go up to several thousand dollars. I knew this would be an important purchase because I would use the product practically every day, and it had to last eight years (or so I was now convinced).
After months of searching, I finally purchased a new mattress, and I have regretted it ever since. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I shopped for months. Susan and I spent hours in the store lying on various mattresses. We even bought one of those fancy, new, “latest technology” mattresses because I figured “It’s been 17 years; surely mattress technology has come a long way since then.”
So why am I not happy? I made three mistakes with this purchase that I hope you don’t make:
1. Don’t let the seller convince you of your need to buy.
That’s basically what advertising is. I am convinced that I don’t need a new mattress. How do I know? My son inherited my perfectly fine “old” mattress so guess where Susan and I end up when we are having a really hard time sleeping on the new mattress? You guessed it: in David’s room. There is nothing wrong with that 17-year old cushion of comfort.
2. Don’t ignore your gut.
I travel regularly for work and stay in hotels frequently. Several years ago, I stayed in a hotel that touted how their beds used the latest foam technology, and I remember how miserable I was the next morning after having slept terribly in that foam bed. So why on earth would I think a “gel-infused” foam bed would be any different? I should have known better.
3. Don’t ignore the opinion of others either.
My mom has purchased several mattresses over her lifetime. I said to Susan “I wonder what type of mattress my mom would suggest,” to which she replied “Your mom won’t be sleeping in it.” At the time that made sense, but buying a mattress is unlike buying other items; once you sleep on it you can’t take it back. It would have been wise of me to at least listen to others just to see what their experience was like. In fact, one of Susan’s best friends purchased a mattress similar to ours, and they experienced a similar let down as well. Perhaps this would have steered us in another direction.
You don’t have to be a student of Latin to appreciate the concept of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). As consumers, there is a war being waged that attempts to separate us from our money. Equip yourself for the battle and learn from my mistakes how NOT to buy a mattress (or anything else).