Sealy Response Premium Firm not the same as demo in store?!?

Mattress Talk General Mattresses Questions
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Went to a mattress store to look at replacing our 10yr old queen mattress (Parklane Morrison Medium Firm) as the hip sag had hit 1.5" finally…we tried out a number of models, but kept coming back to the Sealy Response Premium Firm as the most supportive and comfortable. We decided to order it, arrived on Wednesday…laying on the mattress feels MUCH firmer than the one in the store, and the padding on the top of the mattress feels almost flat/non-existent in comparison. Had terrible back, neck, and shoulder pain the first night…was so bad me and the wife opted to sleep on the couch Thursday. Got a 3" medium density gel memory foam topper yesterday just to not be in agony last night (Friday). It was better, but even worse neck pain today…I think I need to remove stuffing from my shredded talalay latex pillow to offset the amount my body is sinking into the topper in relation to my head for better neck alignment? Also ordered a 3" organic dunlop latex topper at 20 ILD as a comparison that will arrive next week.

Is this normal for the store demo to feel so completely different from the one they ship, like a bait and switch? Or possibly a change in the quality of materials due to the supply chain issues across the industry on foam? On the fence on if I should return it, or just try to find a topper that alleviates my pain…

EDIT: wife is side sleeper who runs hot, 5’3" 135lbs, I’m a side sleeper 6’0" 180lbs.

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Sorry to hear about the discomfort you’re experiencing with your new mattress. While it is possible that there may have been some material changes in the mattress due to supply chain issues, it’s pretty common for a new mattress to feel significantly firmer than a demo that was tried out in the store. This is commonly due to the mattress needing some time to break in while the materials soften up with use. Many mattress stores will ‘crawl’ their display models in order to facilitate the break in process which could otherwise take a month or more of use. To do this you get on your hands and knees and crawl up and down the mattress covering the entire surface and it can be repeated a few times. Typically new mattresses will feel noticeably softer and more conforming after having been crawled as described.

Adding a topper which allows more sinkage will typically impact your pillow selection, since as you noted it will alter the neutral alignment of your neck. Sounds like you’d be well advised to get a less lofty pillow or adjust yours as you proposed by removing some of its fill to account for the new positioning and your neck alignment. Experimentation is often required with toppers and resulting pillow selection to find the combo which works most effectively for your specific needs and preferences.

Hope that helps!

  • Bill