Oh dear--new mattress from Macy's--plus Dallas/Fort Worth recs needed

Normally I’m a big researcher but this time I just ran out to Macy’s 4th sale. (Moved into a new condo and sleeping on camping equipment has me a bit desperate.) It looks like I actually did get a much better price than normal – paid half of the current $3300 listed price. The mattress I purchased: http://www1.macys.com/shop/product/stearns-foster-limited-edition-collection-baroque-luxury-firm-euro-pillowtop-queen-mattress-set?ID=2046206&CategoryID=25956&LinkType=#fn=BRAND%3DStearns%20&%20Foster%26sp%3D1%26spc%3D28%26ruleId%3D%26slotId%3D4

Reading online today, discovered you guys, and now in a panic. I thought I was buying a really incredible mattress at an incredible price! I have read most of your site and now I feel uncomfortable and worried about my purchase. Maybe some of you experts would look at the link and see what you think about the specs. One thing (among several now, of course) that has me concerned – the copy online says it’s for stomach sleepers, and I am mainly a side sleeper, though I do change positions. In the store I liked that the bed felt very plush and cushy, yet with a nice firmness beneath that. I would not want it to be softer than it is, but I am learning that it could become softer with use, plus could indent. I will be sleeping in the bed alone, so no worries about partner needs.

Any informed opinions out there on this mattress? I have several days before delivery so I could cancel the order, I’m assuming they would allow that. Macy’s return policy is pricey so hope to avoid that if I can.

I see on your list that there is a local Fort Worth mattress factory I could check out. Anyone experienced The Mattress Factory? Anyone have recommendations for the DFW area? I noticed online a family-owned business in Grand Prairie called Best for Less Mattress Company that sounded decent, if anyone has experienced them? Because I currently have no bed, if I end up cancelling this order, I would greatly prefer to work with extremely helpful/talented/knowledgeable store personnel who can really help me hone in on the right mattress quickly, rather than me researching the daylights out of this for many days or weeks.

Thank you so much for listening, you guys.

Hi TXKelly,

Unfortunately most of the retail prices that are listed at Macy’s are somewhat “fake” and certainly don’t reflect the quality, durability, or value of their mattresses. They also aren’t a good reference point for whether any discount y0u received on the mattress represents a “good price” (see post #5 here).

The first place I would start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps most importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones (including the major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster).

Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability, durability, and value.

As you can see … outside of PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) which is all about how well you will sleep on a mattress … the most important part of the value of a mattress is it’s durability and a mattress is only as good as its construction and the quality and durability of the materials inside it (which is all about how long you will sleep well) regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. If you can find out the information listed here about any mattress you are considering (including the mattress you purchased) and post it on the forum then I’d certainly be happy to make some comments about the quality and durability of the materials in the mattress or the mattress as a whole and help you identify any potential weak links in the mattress. Without this information it’s not possible to make any meaningful comments about the quality or durability of the mattress.

Unfortunately the specs that are listed for your Stearns & Foster Limited Edition Collection Baroque Luxury Firm Euro Pillowtop don’t provide any meaningful information about the quality/density and durability of the materials (and it’s unlikely that they will provide you with the information that you will need) but it would be very safe to assume that the quality of the materials in any Stearns & Foster mattress (or any of the major brands for that matter) are much lower quality/density than they should be and that the materials in the mattress will soften and break down much too quickly relative to the price you paid (overpaid). I would avoid the major brands and chain stores or department stores such as Macy’s completely along with any mattress where you aren’t able to find out the information you need to make an informed buying decision (see the guidelines here).

It’s certainly not a mattress that I would consider even at prices that were significantly less than half their listed prices. These types of purchases are a common source of buyers remorse much too quickly after a purchase.

The Mattress Factory is one of the members of this site which means that I think highly of them and I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency and would be well worth a visit. Some of the other options or possibilities I’m aware of in the Dallas/Ft Worth areas (subject to the quality/value guidelines I linked) that may also be worth considering are listed in post #4 here.

I’m not familiar with the Best for Less Mattress Company and I haven’t seen any mention of them on the forum but like any retailer I would consider the mattresses they carry on a “mattress by mattress” basis using the quality/value guidelines I linked. It looks like they carry some Golden Mattresses and some mattresses made by Park Place that may be worth considering (as long as you can find out the type and quality of all the materials in any mattress you are considering). They also carry Bedinabox memory foam mattresses which use 3 lb memory foam which I would avoid (see post #2 here). The Bedinabox Purity latex mattress uses higher quality and more durable materials than their memory foam materials and you can see my comments about it in post #2 here.

There are many forum members that have purchased a mattress from The Mattress Factory and a forum search on themattressfactory and an exact term site search on The Mattress Factory (you can just click the links) will bring up many posts and topics with more feedback about The Mattress Factory in Fort Worth (although it will also bring up some posts about other companies with a similar name).

Having said that … I would be very cautious about about using other people’s experiences or reviews on a mattress (either positive or negative) as a reliable source of information or guidance about how you will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for you and in many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a group of people may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (see post #13 here).

Phoenix