Still Shopping for Mattress

Discussions General Mattresses Questions
1

:ohmy: well yesterday while shopping at Costco I seen they had a foam type of mattress. I asked for help, they don’t really have “sales people” but did find someone who works in that section of the warehouse. A nice guy but all he could tell me about the mattress is they usually sell out. None on display, just the boxes, so you can’t really see anything, he did explain it is 3" of Visco Memory foram, 6" Air Channel and 3 5/8 of another Memory foam. I asked if he ever felt one, hard or soft, he thought it ran on the firm side. Price was $799.99 for the mattress, he said you could use it on a good box spring. 13"

Has anyone bought a mattress on line? Have you had any luck? Does anyone know anything about these mattresses that Costco sells? Worth the money. It just bothers me when I can’t see or feel it. If I ordered and I didn’t like it, I would have to hire someone to bring it back to the store, or the same if I bought it at the store, hire someone to bring it home, I don’t have a SUV or truck anymore.

Otherwise the only place that I’m left with to buy from would be PM Bedroom Gallery. I did go to a place last Saturday, the salesman seem like he knew what he was talking about, but after writing in about what he said, sounds like I’m very guilible, he seen me coming and zeroed right in with some BS. PM Gallery the sales person was very nice, didn’t try to pull my leg with facts that make no sense, prices were higher, but maybe I just better deal with the price being more than I want to spend at 65. I do have to laugh, every place you go they try to impress on you “their” mattress will last 20-30 years, I’m wondering if I will last 20 years. (have you ever tried to go back to any of these places in 2-3 years because you have a gully in the middle of the bed where the mattress broke down, they don’t care and will for sure try to make it your problem. In my case I’m over weight, 2nd I live alone, sleep alone, of course I roll to the same spot every night no matter how many times I try to sleep in different spots)

Sorry this is my 3rd post, guess I’m just getting tired of the same old thing happening, now that I’m retired, I have less money coming in and am trying to get the most for my money on a mattress that will at least last 5 - 8 years, if I last that long, I sure wouldn’t have anything to complain about.

Thanks for responsing to my posts. My next post will be what I bought, and where from here in MN. Again, very grateful I accidentaly found this site, who knew there was so much to know what buying a mattress.

2

Hi Diddlydo,

There are many people in the forum who have purchased a mattress online and done very well including many who have bought from some of the members listed here. All of these are very knowledgeable, have good quality and value, and will work with you to help you make the best possible choice.

Costco sells many mattresses so it would be helpful if you could link the mattress you are considering or at least provide the make and model you are looking at. To me the “best” thing about Costco is their return policy which lowers the risk of buying a mattress from somewhere that knows nothing about them but I wouldn’t consider any mattress … at Costco or elsewhere … where I didn’t know the details of the layers and materials inside the mattress because it’s the only way to make meaningful quality and value comparisons with other mattresses. The staff at Costco know nothing about helping their customer “match” a mattress to their needs and preferences so you are really rolling the dice when you buy there which is why the refund policy is so important. No mattress is worth it at any price if it isn’t suitable for you in terms of PPP (Pressure relief, posture and alignment, and Personal preferences) or uses lower quality materials that won’t last you long enough to justify the price.

I haven’t heard you mention some of the better options that are in the area that are on the St Paul/ Minneapolis list. Have you visited them? I place a very high value on who you buy from not just because of the quality and value of their mattresses but because of the knowledge they have and the guidance they can provide you. There are some very good choices on the list that would be well worth a phone call and a visit even if they involved an hour or so travel time IMO. It would probably save you time in the long run and you would end up with much higher quality/value and not have to do it all over again nearly as quickly.

It just seems unusual to me that you are thinking that you are running out of options but you haven’t mentioned some of the better choices on the list that are available to you.

Phoenix

3

I went on line to see if I could find the mattress that Costco had in store, I couldn’t find the exact same one, the one that would be most like it is the Nova Form Deluxe Comfort. Nova Foam is quite a bit cheaper than the one they had on the floor in the box. Maybe they got a special buy on some brand and are just selling in their warehouses?
I am some what limited as to shopping, don’t drive as much in unfamiliar terrority anymore. I did visit the Restwell Store, that was where the sales person told me it was gravity pulling on my body as I slept, that’s why I would wake up hurting. He was nice, seem like he knew what he was talking about, but when I called him back a couple of days later for some more information, he couldn’t remember me, or the two beds I was interested in. I even told them where they were located, but his answer was I would have to come back in, I asked for a price quote and got the range from $500 - $1400. I decided it wasn’t worth another trip if I had to keep refreshing his memory. Maybe I’m too inpatient these days?
Natural Mattress is only sold on-line through Slumber Pros. Moss Envy, Happy Sleeper Furniture and Northstar are in locations quite far from where I live, not sure I could find my way to these or my way back.
The mattress I’m having so much trouble with is from the Orginal Mattress Factory, I probably should go and check out there foam and latex models, but they seem a bit high when I checked on line.
I’m not brave enough to order on line only because of the return factor if I would have to, it would mean hiring someone to help me take it back.
I think I’m limited due to my own limitations. I’ve become pretty crippled up with arthritis, so I am limited in mobility now, have lost my zest for exploring options that might give me additional problems, only willing to drive in my comfort zones these days.
I will let you know if I do purchase, what I get and from whom.

4

Hi Diddlydo,

If you have a chance to see the brand and model information on the box … it may help to find out what is in this mattress. Without knowing what is in a mattress and the quality of every layer … I really wouldn’t consider it because the odds are much too high that you will just repeat your past experiences.

One reason that you are probably having so many issues with durability is because polyfoam … even in versions that are better than average quality such as OMF uses (and higher quality than is used by larger manufacturers) … won’t stand up to weight for a long time and softens if the layers are either too low quality/density or too thick. I would especially avoid pillowtop mattresses that used it. One option you have would be to buy a good firm mattress, preferably two sided, that has much less polyfoam on top and then add your own comfort layer with a high quality topper made from a more durable material. This will help prevent the layers underneath them from softening too quickly and if the topper is high quality it will last longer than the materials that are in the mattresses you have had issues with. If the topper does soften before the rest of the mattress, you can just replace it instead of the whole mattress because the lower layers will likely still be in good condition.

I should clarify too that Natural Mattress Co doesn’t sell through Slumber Pros but is a small local business that sells out of their home in Crystal MN (the link on the list goes to their facebook page). They sell latex layers that can be added together inside a zip cover to make a mattress and you can test them at their home in Crystal.

As an example of the innerspring mattress/topper sleeping system I mentioned … you could buy a firm two sided mattress from OMF or Restwell with minimal polyfoam (higher density is still better) and test the various 3" latex layers at Natural mattress to see which one felt best for you and if one was suitable for you, the two together would give you a durable sleeping system for a reasonable cost. Another option would be to use a very low cost polyfoam topper that would not last very long (a year or so) but is widely available at big box stores and could be replaced at a very low cost. when needed.

I talked with the person that works full time at the Bloominton Restwell location today and he seemed knowledgeable and often suggests a similar system with a firm two sided mattress with a topper combination (although they don’t sell the toppers).

I also added RoomandBoard to the Minneapolis/St Paul list which may also be worth visiting. Their mattresses are made by Restwell but they include latex and latex/innerspring hybrids which Restwell no longer makes so I thought it would be worth adding them to the list. You could test the “feel” of a latex/innerspring hybrid here (although the innerspring is a pocket coil which is slightly different from the two sided innerspring I was mentioning) to get some sense of what an innerspring and latex combination feels like…

Hopefully this will give you have a few more options that are worth considering.

Phoenix

5

This is the path I’ve chosen. I’m also in the Twin CIties area, and looked at Restwell and Original Mattress Factory.

I just could not bring myself to spend the money on the OMF Serenity memory foam mattress, even though I felt it was very comfortable, and would work well for my side-sleeping self.

Instead, I purchased an OMF Luxury Firm two-sided innerspring mattress, with the intent to use it with a topper (memory foam or latex - not sure yet). I’ve slept on my new mattress for 8 days now. I can confirm it does not have the saggy or just plain worn-out issues of my previous 12 year old Sealy Posturpedic mattress, but now that I’m older, and a confirmed slide sleeper (thanks to the CPAP machine) I need a bit more depth in the comfort layer to avoid pressure points.

Both from a cost savings and ease of swapping toppers, I am liking this approach. The Original Mattress Factory mattress was less than half as expensive as their Serenity. Even if I spend a couple of hundred dollars on a topper every three years, I will feel like I came out ahead (assuming, of course, I can find a comfortable topper - which I believe I can.)

John

6

If you saw it in store in a blue box, chances are it’s this one Novaform® Gel Memory Foam

The problem with this mattress are:

First, it’s not up to the quality standard setup by this website. One thing you can tell is that it takes days or weeks, if ever, for the foam to return to full shape. While a good quality mattress does this in minutes.

Second, the 2.5" gel foam melted completely at body temperature. So you wake up in the morning sleeping almost entirely on the support foams. That’s why lots of people complaining too firm in the reviews.

Since you have a hard time moving it around, Costco’s return policy may not be of much a help.

7

I’ve decided to deal locally where I can get delivery. I just don’t “trust” anything that can’t be seen if its on sight. It wouldn’t hurt Costco to put one on display. Thank you for your feed back, all of the tips are leading to a much smarter purchase for me thanks to this site.

I’m really liking the idea of buying a firmer 2 sided mattress and adding a topper.

As soon as I find out what is irritating my leg now (it’s always something at this age when you’re loaded with an abundance of arthritis) which will be Tuesday, then I’ll back out, I think I’ll hit OMF first.

Again, thank you for taking the time to respond to my post.

Diddlydo

8

This idea of buying a less expensive 2 sided firm mattress, adding a topper is making good sense, and I think it might be what I end up with. If I have to replace the topper once or twice, much easier than shopping for another mattress. At my age, with my medical history, my expiration date will come sooner than the 20 year warranties for sure.

Thank you for sharing your story with me.
Diddlydo

9

Thank you for sharing your story.
Think I’m going over to OMF one day next week.

Happy sleeping.
DiddlyDo

10

You are the best, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all these tips.

I’ve got a plan, heading to OMF next week, checking out the firm 2 sided, and buying a topper.
I’m also going to check and see where the R&B store might be located. They always have quality products, I use to buy a lot of stuff from them until they moved to Mpls, I was always pleased.

This is such a great site, keep up the good work.

Sleep Tight.
Diddlydo