Tips For Buying a New Mattress Without Haggling

Last weekend we bought a new king size Simmons Beautyrest mattress. During this process I realized how similar mattress buying experience can be to buying a car. The whole thing started with a general visit to the Mancini's Sleepworld on late Friday evening. At the time I knew that I had to buy a mattress, but not at that time itself. The sales man seemed courteous and knowledgeable and provided tips about selecting mattress firmness based on whether one is a side sleeper or a back sleeper etc. However, when we asked about the price he quoted a number that was approximately 25% lower than the list price. As we made our exit, he said "I'll throw in the tax if you'd buy the mattress right now". The pressure sale tactic reminded me why I wrote the blog about car buying tips. On the following day, we visited two more stores, each had their own tactics. Mattress Discounters showed a list of competitors selling mattresses similar to one we were interested in and claimed to give 5% discount on the lowest price. Sales people at Sleep Train came the closest to being "used car sales men". They claimed that the sticker price was what the customers are expected to pay, but if the price is too high they'd be willing to work something out. The reason I call them used car sales men is because of some of the phrases they used e.g. "I will give you 10% discount from the sticker price if don't take financing from me" and the signature "what do you want to pay, but don't low ball me now". It was amusing.

As I think about it later, I realize that a mattress can last up to 10 or 12 years, its not very cheap and one does not buy very many of them at a high frequency - its so similar to a car from that perspective. There are several differences as well - for example its difficult to do comparison shopping even if one is willing to put in the effort of visit multiple stores. More about this later. So I thought to myself this subject warrants a blog that would provide the tips that can be helpful in buying a comfortable mattress without having to haggle with the sales people. So here we go :

1. Research and decide what kind of mattress you want to buy. Study the technology behind mattresses offered by different companies. For example, I decided to buy Simmons because of the motion separation that these mattresses offer. Further, after trying various mattresses in the store (for at least a few minutes each) I narrowed down the search to a firm mattress with pillow top. Trying out various mattresses and deciding the specific kind of mattress you want is the single most important step. After all, if the mattress is not comfortable, there is no point in buying a new one. Refer bettersleep.org for more tips in deciding which mattress is right for you. Also see websites of various mattress companies.

2. Second tip is - do not pay sticker price. Generally one should be able to buy the mattress for about 40-50% less than the sticker. How to do that without haggling? Read on.

3. One thing that anyone trying to do comparison shopping will notice is that nonw of the stores carry the exact same model of the mattress. While they may all have a World class Simmons with pillow top and firm support - the order of these words may be different and further a store specific model name may also be there. For example, Mancini's may call it "Kimble", while Sleep Train might call it "Paris". This makes comparison shopping very difficult.

4. Once you know which mattress you want, arm yourself with specific knowledge about the mattress. Note down the model name, make and specifics like "plush", "pillow top", "firm" etc. Ask the store to provide specifications about internal configuration of the mattress e.g. types of foam and thickness used in various layers of the mattress, count and gauge of the coils etc.

5. Hop online and search for the mattress that has similar specifications. I found a couple of websites that sell mattresses and offer free delivery and pickup like the local stores. They can also help locate a mattress that is equivalent to the model that you liked in the store. I particularly liked sdmattress.com. These guys were quick in responding to emails and information was precise. You can even buy the mattress from them, now that you have test driven an equivalent mattress in store. Although I did not do it myself so can't tell from first hand experience.

6. Now, that the guess work has been taken out of the price tag. You can go back to the store where your favorite mattress is and buy it at a price that is 5% lower than the online price (as per the store's price guarantee). Where you buy, in store or online, can also be based on availability and estimated delivery time of the mattress. Remember that the "price guarantee" that many of the mattress stores provide is for a "comparable" mattress and not necessarily for the exact same model name. As I mentioned above, the exact same model will most likely not be available elsewhere.

posted by Amandeep 9/12/2007 12:03:00 AM | PERMALINK

Sears Customer Service - Where is it?

One thing I used to like about Sears auto was - convenience. You give your car at the auto center and while they work on the car you can go shop or run an errand in the mall. However, after last experience at Sears in the New Park Mall in Fremont (CA), we may not use Sears auto service again.

We were planning to drive to South California for this Labor day long weekend, when the "service required" light on our 2007 RAV4 turned on. It was time for an oil change and tire rotation. I generally get this regular service done at the local Toyota dealership, but since we had to leave for a long drive the next day, I requested my wife to drop the car at Sears auto during her trip to the mall. At about 12:30 PM on 08/30/2007 my wife dropped the car at Sears before going on for her shopping in the mall. Sears work order was for three things, namely (i) Oil Change (ii) Tire rotation (iii) 24 point inspection. The person who made the work order promised that the car will be ready "in about 45 minutes".

My wife was shopping for a gift for our friends in South California, so she came back around 2:00 PM to pick the car. She was told that the car was not ready. The excuse was that the only person who knew how to change oil in RAV4 came in 1:00 PM shift and had not gotten to the car. What? - but the real surprise was yet to come.

At around 3:30 PM my wife inquired again. They said that the car was ready and a guy ran to the shop floor to bring back the keys as my wife was presented the paper work for signature. Once the payment was made, they handed the car keys to my wife and pointed her to the car. Guess what, before giving the car to Sears my wife had marked the tiers and she noticed that the markings were still in the same position. The tires had not been rotated !

Further she noticed that the driver seat and the fabric on the door had been smudged. Although the stains were not big, but they did make the car look old.

Needless to say, my wife went back into Sear and demanded to see the manager. She was told that the manager of the auto center was not available. The assistant manager was also out. Finally, after spending another 30 minutes in Sears, she was finally able to see the store manager. Though courteous, the store manager declined to do anything about the situation on the pretext that he had no influence over the auto section. He gave the names of the manager and assistant manager of auto section and promised that some one will call us ASAP. My wife let them rotate the tires as we had to go for a long drive the next day and now there was not time (nor energy) to go somewhere else. She was too exhausted to even ask for the 24 point inspection.

No one from the store has called back till now. We opted to use Sears Auto for its convenience and to save time. However the last experience has not been pleasant. The service was not done as promised, it took a lot more time than expected and now there are smudges in our new car. We have lost our trust in Sears auto !!!

Update : I sent this blog to the Sears customer service. A few days later the Auto center manager from the Sears in question called to apologize and promised to be more vigilant in the future. He also offered to repeat the service again free of charge.

posted by Amandeep 9/03/2007 12:53:00 AM | PERMALINK