Unveiling the Secrets Behind Mattress Sales and Pricing
Why are there so many mattress stores?
Every new house, every room that needs to be filled, whether it's an existing guest room or a newly converted basement, every new birth, or every stage of a kid's growth, means a new size bed may be needed. Sometimes, it's just the time for a replacement due to wear, spoilage, or simply the quest for better sleep. It's a bit like visiting a furniture shop where there are just enough locations to service a locale of tens of thousands that continuously need to buy furniture or mattresses.
Huge Mattress Sales: A Deep Dive into Pricing Demystification
One of the most noticeable aspects of mattress retail is the frequent occurrence of massive mattress sales featuring deep discounts of 50-75%. These sales are highly enticing, but they are often misleading. Retailers do not lose money on mattresses sold at these deeply discounted prices. The profit margin is approximately the same as for non-discounted mattresses. Yet, most shoppers find it difficult to resist the attraction of such huge discounts. Psychologically, it feels like heavily discounted mattresses must be better values, even at the same prices. Rationally, it’s hard to fathom why so many companies would be allowed to advertise these sales unless there was some truth behind the advertising.
Many years ago, when I was a buyer for a major furniture retailer, I purchased over 20 million mattresses over a 4-year period. Every week, I ran sales promotions. Most of these sales included mattresses advertised at 50% or more off. There were many different ways to advertise these sales and still make a profit. The simplest method was to show a special mattress model that combined the inner specifications of a cheap mattress with the high-end outer cover of an expensive mattress. This special mattress would be labelled and occasionally sold at the same price as the expensive mattress. During sales events, the special mattress would be sold at the same price as the cheap mattress with similar specifications. We would have several different special mattresses so that we did not have to advertise the same one each week.
Proving the Practices in Modern Times
Proving that this practice still takes place is more difficult now than it was in the past. Back then, there were a limited number of different mattress specifications in use. Now, each major brand includes hundreds of different specifications, which are much more difficult to compare. However, there is still a method for comparing these hundreds of different specifications both within and across brands.
Last year when I shopped for a mattress for personal use, I wanted an innerspring mattress that was 12-14 inches thick, priced under $1,000, and made by a major brand. I looked at approximately 200 different innerspring queen-size mattresses being sold online. Most were from Serta, Sealy, and Simmons. Nearly half had discounts of 50% or more. The others had no price reduction at all.
Comparisons across brands have always been difficult, but over the past decade, comparisons within a single brand have become equally challenging. Each individual mattress model has unique specifications, and different models that look identical in photos can have completely different specs. Each major brand offers hundreds of different models. Major retailers often purchase unique variations of standard models that cannot be directly compared with their competitors. Additionally, most of the specifications listed for specific models are incomplete, which complicates accurate comparisons further.
A Universal Measurement for Comparison
Despite these challenges, I was able to identify one universal measurement that enabled me to compare mattresses: the weight of the different mattress models. In almost every case, the queen-size mattresses selling between $799-$999 weighed 80-100 pounds, regardless of the original price. Mattresses at the lower end of my price range weighed 80-90 pounds, while those at the top of my price range weighed 90-100 pounds. This included mattresses with different specifications but the same weight.
Understanding the true value behind mattress sales requires research and careful comparison, especially as the landscape of mattress specifications and pricing continues to evolve. By focusing on factors like weight or other consistent measurements, consumers can make more informed decisions, navigating the complex world of mattress sales and pricing with greater confidence.