Hi wave,
The most important part of mattress shopping is to pay little attention to brands and to look at the materials in every mattress you are considering. Most of the brands you are considering don’t list the type and quality of the materials in their mattress and without this … you can end up buying a “cheap” mattress that can end up being very expensive.
Most of these online outlets have little knowledge or the materials in their mattresses which means that what they don’t know … you will need to know which involves a lot more research to avoid a mattress that “sounds good” but can easily end up being a poor choice because of low quality materials that won’t last.
There is a list of guidelines here that can help you avoid most of the traps and pitfalls of mattress shopping and will help you put your energy into outlets (mostly factory direct manufacturers or smaller outlets that carry alternative or local brands) that have the skills and knowledge to help you make the best selection at better prices that are usually available at the larger outlets that sell major brands with “unknown” materials inside them.
Online shopping can be great if there is not a lot of local quality and value available but only if you can find out the exact construction of the mattress you are looking at and the outlet has a good refund policy or exchange policy to make up for any mistakes. Either they or you also need to have the knowledge and skills to know exactly what type of mattress would best fit your needs and preferences.
You have some very good choices available to you and it’s unlikely that online shopping would be your best option though. Post #2 here includes some of the better choices in the Atlanta area.
Hope this helps.
Phoenix