Hi,
I am looking to purchase a double spring mattress for my mom.
My mom is not too picky, she knows she wants a relatively frim mattress and knows that she does not like foam mattresses, as they sleep warm, so BIAB is out of the question.
She is pretty much set on buying a mattress in a mattress/furniture store by one of the “S” brands. I know that it is not the ideal option and I keep hearing that they really compromise on quality, which is not surprising. However, every person that she talked to purchased a mattress by one of the “S” brands and they claim to be relatively happy with their mattresses.
I accompanied her to a few big box stores and I really hate dealing with the gimmicky mattress salesmen, while I also know that my mother will be overpaying due to their inflated price strategy, even if buying a mattress on “sale”.
I have checked Coscto.ca website, as I reside in Canada, and I found a decently price Sealy Posturepedic mattress that is on sale at the moment. It only costs $749 CAD ($600 US), and I am pretty sure that a similar mattress would cost $1200+ at a big box store. The only downside is that my mom can’t try the mattress. However, returns at Costco are usually hassle free. Additionally, many people buy mattresses in a box online without trying them first and are happy with their purchase.SO buying a mattress online is not uncommon I presume.
Should I take the risk and purchase this mattress for my mom? I reckon it is a quality mattress and I doubt I will find similar quality mattresses for a similar price at a big box store.
Thanks for any replies.
Link to the Costco mattress:
Sealy Costco mattress
Hi suspent.
Welcome to our Mattress Forum. 
It’s always a challenge buying a mattress for ourselves, let alone trying to factor in the support needs and comfort preferences of another person, especially when that person has a very specific set of preferences!
We have had the Sealy Posturpedic mattress come up a few times in the forum. You can read Phoenix’s analysis and review of that mattress here and you may also find this forum topic interesting/useful (especially some of the additional resources it links to as it pertains to selecting a durable mattress).
As you’ve likely read already on the forum, The major brands such as Sealy/Stearns & Foster, Simmons, and Serta all tend to use lower quality and less durable materials in their mattresses than most of their smaller competitors that will tend to soften or break down prematurely relative to the price you pay, which is why we would generally suggest avoiding all of them completely.
Quality Sleep Shop and Flexus may have options that you may find interesting. This isn’t to sway you one way or the other; like you mentioned, Costco returns tend to be hassle free (I would double check though, with a mattress, as that’s not just something they can take back/re-sell. They may have different policies) so if you and your mother think she’ll like that mattress, you can always give it a go. If you find it’s not.a fit, you can return it and resume your search. While we generally wave people away from these larger brand mattresses, they DO work for certain demographics of people, and we have no way of knowing if your mom is one of them.
I hope this helps!
NikkiTMU
Thank you fore the thorough reply NikkiTMU!.
Reading the links, it is obvious that Sealy is not associated with quality in general. Moreover, the price markups of the mattress/furniture large chain stores are incomprehensible. Kind of reminds me of car salesmen that will pay someone a low price for a trade-in car only to then to substantially inflate the price once they put it for sale.
I have tried to convince my mother to look at other mattress manufacturers here around Quebec, Canada. However, she prefers to get a mattress from a “reputable” brand (Sealy or Simmons) that she has heard of and that her acquaintances are sleeping on. Like you have mentioned, the S brand mattresses do work for certain demographics.
The fact that the S brand mattresses are sold for a high price in the stores, with their additional inflated retail/sale price makes me believe that buying a mattress from Costco for a cheaper price will be a good alternative. I suspect that the mattress that I linked to, which cost $800 CAD at Costco website, would actually cost around $1200 if bought from a big box store. I assume that Costco’s markups are reasonable compared to the big box stores, even if its on their website and not their warehouse. I have called Coscto and they have said that there is a full year to return a mattress, which is quite generous…
Hi suspent.
There is comfort in familiarity. It sounds like Costco’s return policy is pretty solid. If she’s set on an “S brand” then you’re right - it’s best to at least get the mattress at a more reasonable price point and cut out the greasy salesman.
Wherever you land, we hope the mattress your mom chooses suits her and gives her the support and comfort she deserves and desires!
And, of course, we’re always here if you have questions.
NikkiTMU