Hi all! I’m doing research on mattresses! I live in Northern Virginia not far from DC. I bought my current full size mattress with Mattress Discounters in the Spring of 2012, a few months after moving here for work. I’ve put off replacing it long enough!
I’m female, “of a certain age,” and have always had a flippable mattress with innersprings and a box spring from the time I was a child, through college, and when living on my own. Right now, I have all that except a headboard; at the time I bought my present setup, a headboard was not in my budget. That said, I don’t necessarily need a headboard; having a comfortable mattress that supports me well without breaking down is most important. My bed room is just average size, and I also have a small desk in my bedroom, so a full size mattress is what would fit best, especially considering I am 5’3" tall; I do not need the extra size of a queen mattress, and it would also take up too much space in my bedroom.
I’ve done a bit of online research off and on over the past year or so, and if I were to go with a direct-to-consumer model, I would seriously consider purchasing a Luxury Firm Saatva mattress. Another choice might be the one Beautyrest mattress presently available on the Costco website since it could be “white glove” delivered in days instead of weeks.
There are two Mattress Firm stores within ten minutes of my apartment building; both show a combination of good and negative reviews, mostly revolving around “returned” mattresses being sold to and delivered to buyers as “new.” I haven’t visited either of them, but might go to one of them in the next few days.
Given that I an older female, I am also aware that I am of a demographic that is taken advantage of when making large-dollar purchases. That said, I have my head on a swivel whenever I am out and about, and am direct and assertive when I need to be; in other words, as a retired Army officer, I go into “Colonel Mode” when necessary.
I will add that besides being older, I am also on the heavy side, though I was 10 to 15 pounds lighter in 2012 than I am now, That said, my extra weight is likely why the mattress I could afford in 2012 started breaking down/sagging within a year of sleeping on it. So, I’ve lived with my current, substandard mattress since the spring of 2013…12 years and 7 months of it being substandard, and only a year of it (2012 to 2013) being acceptable.
I’m a side sleeper, mostly on my left side. I also have to get up during the night, so I require a mattress that will allow me to sit on the side of it for a few seconds without it sinking, so as to steady myself before standing up to go and do what I need to do when I wake during the night. I do not normally sleep on my back; I may rest there for a few minutes after getting into bed, but always change position to my left side for going to sleep; I tend to switch to sleeping on my right side for the last hour or two I am in bed before getting up in the morning. I would say that I am in bed most nights for 8 hours, but only sleeping for 6 1/2 to 7 hours at most. I hoping a new mattress would allow me a longer overnight sleep. I rarely take a nap during the day.
I also live in an apartment building where I need to coordinate with the management staff to reserve a delivery window for the loading dock and elevator whenever I would have the mattress delivered.
I also MUST have a “white glove” delivery, with the delivery crew placing the mattress and frame/box spring in my bedroom, and taking the old mattress, box spring, and frame with them. These are my reasons for requiring a "white glove delivery:
- Per the policies of my building, mattresses, etc. cannot be taken down and left in the loading dock area.
- I also cannot any longer remove and transport the old mattress and box spring down to the loading dock area on my own, even if I were to ignore building policy to do so.
- Lastly, I would have great difficulty with being able to transport a “bed in a box” mattress from my building’s package room area to my 3rd floor apartment, and then to unpack it, put it on my existing box spring, and break down/dispose of the large shipping box and the old mattress on my own down to the loading dock area. Again, this is against building policy, though other tenants, most likely those leaving the property, have done so in the past.
I will bet that I am not the only person here on the forums that has the constraints I do regarding mattress delivery. The good things in my favor are that I’ve lived in my building for 3 1/2 years, and know the management and concierge staff well. I want to continue living in my apartment for the foreseeable future, so I do not want to “break the rules” and discard my old mattress and box spring in the loading dock area, and possibly destroy the goodwill I haven developed with the management staff, and potentially have adverse consequences next spring when I negotiate my next 1-year lease.
Lastly, given that I am seriously considering a Saatva mattress, cost is no longer an issue. Within reason, I can afford a quality mattress and box spring/frame setup.
Thank you for reading my note! I look forward to constructive feedback as to the Beautyrest and Saatva mattresses I’ve already researched, as well as other mattresses I should consider.
