Hi LoveBunny,
I think that the PLB is one of the better “mainstream” mattresses but it could also be more costly than similar mattresses made by local manufacturers that may be in your area. If there are no local manufacturers that make latex mattresses with better value and that you can actually lie on … and you are not comfortable with an online purchase … then the PLB may make a good choice.
I’m personally not a fan of negotiating and I would prefer not to give my business to a retailer or manufacturer where negotiation plays a significant role in the price you pay. Even in stores like this though that do “allow” negotiation … there are some mattresses that have a more “fixed” that is set by the manufacturer (like Tempurpedic, iComfort and PLB) and some models where they are more open to a negotiated discount. In some of these cases they can only advertise a MAP (minimum advertised price) but will often sell for less and in other cases they have an MSP (minimum selling price) set by the manufacturer that they are not allowed to discount. The ones that go on sale are the ones that you can most often negotiate for. Even the ones where they don’t offer discounts or are prevented from doing so by the manufacturer, … there is always an opening for them to add something free that they otherwise wouldn’t offer (such as pillows or foundation or extra service etc).
Many retailers will ask a customer to pay a “deposit” to “hold a price”. Be aware that this is just a tactic and is used to make sure that you will come back to the store after you have done more shopping so they can once again use various sales techniques to convince you to buy a mattress from them. Most sales people at mainstream stores realize that they only have one chance to make the sale and if you walk out of the store that’s probably the last time they will see you. If they can use a sales technique to make sure you come back and they have a second chance to “sell you” after you are closer to a decision then in their eyes that’s an unexpected bonus.
In general … if I was going to buy a mattress from an store like this … I would do some homework into similar mattresses that use similar materials and designs (not necessarily the same model or brand) and find out what the best price would be for these and then use this price as the basis for my negotiation and be willing to walk out if they couldn’t come reasonably close to meeting it. You can always change your mind later and buy it anyway but it’s a lot more difficult to recover from overpaying for a mattress.
Outside of the suitability of a mattress in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences), a mattress is only as good as its construction and the materials inside it so any similar mattress that use the same or a very similar type and quality of materials in a similar design (layer thicknesses) can be use as a price comparison for the purposes of negotiation and this is a much more meaningful comparison than comparing a mattress to a listed or regular price which is often inflated so that sale prices or “negotiated discounts” appear to be better than they are. Researching prices for similar mattresses online (and on the phone from stores that may even be in other areas that sell the same or very similar mattresses) in combination with a willingness to leave are the two most powerful “parts” of negotiating. This video along with post #5 here about the “fake sales” that are so common in the industry and this video about “negotiating” prices are also worth watching.
Most people start from the top and look for the size of the discount or how many concessions they received as a “marker” for their negotiating success. Most salespeople already know how low they can go but are also expert at creating the impression that you got them lower than anyone else (when of course you really didn’t) so they “play the game” that you are asking for such a low price that they need “special approval” to give you the price you are asking for or that they will make some kind of exception because they value your business so much. In stores where negotiations play a role in the price the mattresses will generally have a premium added to the selling price and in most cases “negotiations” will only eliminate some of this added premium but not all of it so the stores that negotiate generally sell their mattresses for higher prices than stores that operate on lower margins and sell their mattresses at their best price every day of the year. With the type of retailers that allow negotiation the only real question is how much of the added premium will your “negotiations” eliminate and in most cases consumers are not actually getting the “deal” they believe they are and are certainly not as good at “negotiating” as the salesperson would have you believe. People who feel “great” about the price they believe they “negotiated” are far more likely to brag to others and not return their mattress as a matter of pride and because they believe that they would pay much higher prices if they did even if they still overpaid so the salesperson’s goal is to make you think that you did exceptionally well.
The real goal is to decide on your “non negotiable” price first rather than deciding how low or high to go when you are in the process of negotiating. Once you’ve decided on a mattress … go home … do your research … and then go back with your decision on what you’re willing to pay. If they make “offers” while you are on the way out in an attempt to get the sale before you leave … then write the offer down, say thank you, and tell them that you’ll make a decision on their offer after you’ve slept on it for a day or two. If they tell you “its now or never” tell them that if they can’t make the same offer available in a day or two that they may not be the type of business you would want to do business with or recommend to friends because you don’t particularly appreciate pressure tactics … even if you do appreciate their offer. I would respond to their offer as you were leaving by asking for something more such as … OK … if I decided to buy right now … what more can you offer me. I would then write this down as well and tell them once again that I was going to sleep on it for a day or two.
First though … before anything … I would try to visit any local manufacturers in your area and if you let me know your city I’d be happy to take a look to see if I know of any. They are almost always the best source of quality and value … and you can lie on them first before you buy and not have to worry about negotiating because their “normal” prices are better than the best “negotiated” prices at most retailers that allow it and use “negotiation” as a marketing tactic to create a false sense of “value”.
Phoenix