First of thanks Phoenix, you are fighting the good fight and I hope you help consumers rise above the malarky that is most of the mattress industry.
I have been looking at some hybrid options that seem to have potential. I am thinking of getting a very firm matterss and maybe putting a thin comfort layer if the gf really needs it. I was looking at the Enjoyment and the Cristal also seemed like it had to be a good deal since it was so heavily discounted (what they want me to think). I do like us-mattress website as it has a deep assortment but also wary of their customer service if you can point me at some good value hybrids around 1.1k for queen/king that might be hard to find on their website (seem to hide less well known brands). I sleep pretty hot in Florida so wanted some cooler options.
Is there a certain time of year mattress are the cheapest and what are your thoughts on the pricing policy’s some brands have (is having a min advertised price and if there is any opputunity to pick up good quality mattress on a brand that let their good stuff get cheap.
Hi chrishewson,
I’d be happy to share my thoughts about any mattress you may be interested in on the US-Mattress site (if you list the layers and components or provide a link that includes the information) but I don’t recommend specific mattresses (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here). A conversation with them about which of their mattresses would be most suitable for you would be the best approach if you are interested in their mattresses. They are much more familiar with their mattress than I am and if you give them the specific criteria you are looking for they can help you narrow down your choices in minutes rather than the hours it would take me to look through their site.
I’m happy to help you with “how” to choose and help you eliminate the worst options and help you connect with or help you identify better manufacturers and retailers but beyond that your own phone calls will need to take your research further to narrow down the “best” choices at each retailer or manufacturer that you wish to deal with. While in general there are some that I’ve seen there from time to time that have reasonable or even good value … they are not in the same league as some of the members here or many local manufacturers either in terms of quality and value or in terms of the knowledge and experience they can provide on the phone.
You can read some of my thoughts about the fake sales that are so common in the industry in post #5 here (and see #5 in the mattress shopping guidelines) but better manufacturers and retailers have the same good value every day of the year and only occasional sales for legitimate reasons and for smaller discounts and don’t need to engage in these types of misleading practices to create a false sense of urgency. They don’t take part in the fake sale hype in other words.
Most better manufacturers or retailers don’t negotiate either for the most part (again with some exceptions for perhaps some smaller discounts or benefits in kind) because they don’t need to and provide their best prices every day. They know their mattresses are better quality and value than their competitors best sale prices and encourage their customers to make meaningful comparisons. For those that are open to “negotiation” though or have MAP pricing (minimum advertised pricing) that can be negotiated in the store … post #6 here may be helpful.
So the simple answer is no … you can find great value every day of the year with the better manufacturers and retailers and to me the big sales or negotiated prices are a caution of a retailer or manufacturer that generally has poor value … not an enticement.
Phoenix