On my way to Macy’s, to buy a bed, which is about 6 blocks from my office, I passed by literally 6 different mattress stores. 3 of them practically on the same block.
The competition is fierce, and it seems almost all of them were selling Tempurpedic and Sealy (which I think are owned by the same company.) They even had at least one paid sign holder with a sign directing you 1 block away to another store.
Think of that. 6 stores selling $500-$4500 goods, in a Los Angeles suburb. They are all paying rent, and staying open.
I know the average retail markup for stereo gear is around 45%. What must the mark up be for mattress stores to stay open with this much competition? 90%?
I still went to Macy’s. :) Two simultaneous discounts + a modular bed system with replaceable coils sang to my geek heart.
By comparison, the nearest high end audio store is about 30 minutes away.
I hear you! Just last year we purchased our 2nd Temperpedic mattress. Called the Cloud. Cost me $4k...for a bed.. not including the foundation! I don't believe it's worth it but the wifey is happy....
Based on experience, I would not recommend keeping a mattress for 15 or 20 years no matter how good it is. Any mattress will eventually start sagging and losing support, and when it does, say hello to serious sciatica and back issues.
Consider that you will spend almost a third of your life in bed. So paying decent coin on a good mattress that will last for 15-20 years is money well spent.
Sure there are a lot of overpriced mattresses, but I have never come across a cheap one (sub 1k) that could compete in comfort to the multi layer expensive ones.
I once was told that $2 toothbrushes often cost stores less than 10 cents. That's the business I should be in, setting up discount toothbrush stores at malls. Have adorable models outside dressed all in black offering to brush your teeth for you, and then charge $30 per toothbrush....
i obsessively researched this very topic before buying my new mattress (dreamcloud premier--fantastic). i was informed by those in the biz that the typical profit margin (after delivery costs and overhead but before salesman's commission) for brick-and-mortar retailers is around 40% but higher on pricier mattresses--there are also manufacturer rebates + alot of high-margin sales of gray market goods. for online retailers, the profit margin is more like 100%. so considerably richer than audio...
I sold bedding and furniture many years ago. One of the bedding lines we carried was Simmons. The top model we carried was around $1200. Simmons offered the sales force that model for $250. I purchased a set for my folks,and a set for myself. I ended up selling a ton of those mattresses. Not to mention the $100 spiff they threw at each sale. There is a TON of mark up.
In my travels I met a guy who retired and missed being out and about with people and took a job selling mattresses. He told me that the markup was 3 to 4 times their cost, but when the chain committed to a larger purchase, that went to 5 times...or to put it another way, the mattress store paid the distributor $200 for a mattress that retailed for $1000!
You want a mattress where you can easily replace the parts when they wear out. Replacing a few parts every few years is cheaper than a new mattress which leaves more money for audio. And if you move, a Sleep Number bed breaks down into manageable parts.
I've been thinking about the question, how is this really about stereo. While of course I meant to have some fun with my friends here, I also think there are some really good parallels:
1 - Ultimately the personal experience is the only thing that matters.
2 - Lots of different types of tech to solve the same problem.
For ultimate customization you gotta go latex. Different firmnesses of both Dunlop and Talalay, normally three layers, in a host of different perms and coms, with the option to customize each side of a queen or king mattress.
I like to go to at least one mattress store each week and rip those tags off that they put on mattresses that say "do not remove under penalty of law." These tags would not even exist except to try and alleviate the vast subliminal guilt those places suffer from. I've never been caught.
As a friend of mine told another female friend of ours when she was asking how come she could not keep a steady boyfriend: Your futon screams "one-night stand".
So what did she do? She bought one night-stand. Some people you just cannot help.
When push comes to shove I prefer a Futon on a super stiff frame. Maybe not as good for isolating stuff but much better on the back. 8” wool center cotton Futon. Cannot beat with stick.
We have the Original Mattress Factory in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and I believe they have stores in North Carolina and Georgia too. By far the highest quality for reasonable price that I've ever seen in a mattress. No, I do not work for them. They make two sided mattresses that you have to occasionally flip, but they are very heavy and extremely well made and will last 20 years. You can buy an $800 queen mattress that easily compares to a Stearns and Foster mattress costing $2200. My point is that the Original Mattress Factory cannot be marking up prices very much but they are winning due to high quality and word of mouth.
...I’m just concerned about a mattress named ’Kinki’....
What sort of ....*ah*, ’attachments’ are available, shown in the ’back room’?
"This is GUARANTEED to make you sleep soundly....*salacious wink* You’ll be too exhausted to stay awake from all the tossing and turning you’ve already done....:"
Well mattresses could be audio gear too if you staple them all up on walls to cut down echos and sound clutter.... I reckon 6 king size would do me for mine
@whitestix , Although the Nectar mattress is sold online, there are some stores that carry them. On the Nectar site, look for the "stores" section at the top of the website. I was lucky enough to find a mattress store not 5 minutes from where I live.
Also, I noticed there's a Black Friday $100 off on the already $100 off that they advertise. When I bought mine, the retailer even honored the online discount codes that the review sites use. You may even get more of a discount.
At least you didn't fall for a Tempurpedic. We sent one back after a few days as it was like sleeping in a polystyrene mold. It also outgassed an awful toxic odor.
How big is the mattress warehouse? All the stores I saw are relatively small.
By the way, there are electronics (and home appliance) stores that expanded their portfolio to....mattresses. No kidding. Try PC Richards in the Northeastern U.S.A.
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