Hi KevinTMC,
Most of the forum lists include the manufacturers that are available at each store that I would consider to be a “possibility” but these are always on a “mattress by mattress” basis and subject to the guidelines in post #13 here that talk about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase. The manufacturers I list are the ones where your odds are higher of being able to find out the type and quality of the materials in their mattresses (see this article) which is a key part of making an informed buying decision.
The name of the mattress really doesn’t matter because outside of careful testing for PPP … a mattress is only as good as the quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label. As you can also see in the guidelines here … I would avoid the major brands completely along with any mattress where the retailer or manufacturer aren’t able to provide you with the type and quality of the materials in any mattress you are considering. Without knowing the quality of the materials that are inside a mattress … there is no way to know whether a mattress has any weak links or make meaningful comparisons with other mattresses. The Athens, GA list includes many options where your odds are much higher of being able to find out what you need to know but again … if you can’t … then I would pass the mattress by.
Any salesperson that tells you that a mattress is “good quality” and doesn’t know what is inside it is just telling you a “story” that probably isn’t accurate. Most of the major manufacturers also sell the same mattress under many different names to prevent consumers from comparison shopping and this is just one of the many issues that are common in the mainstream industry that make buying a good quality/value mattress very difficult unless you know where to go and what to look for (see post #404 here and post #12 here and post #4 here for a few examples of the current state of the industry). As sad as it is … if you have spent an hour or two reading the tutorial post then it’s very likely that you will know more meaningful information about mattresses than most of the salespeople in the mainstream industry that sell them.
When you are considering which stores to visit I would also make some preliminary calls to find out whether they have any mattresses on their floor that will fit your criteria and also make sure that they are willing and able to provide you with the information you need before you go there so you can narrow down your options before you take the time to visit them.
If you follow the steps in the tutorial post one at a time without missing any then you will have the best possible chance of purchasing a mattress that is a good match for you in terms of PPP, uses good quality and durable materials, and is good value relative to the other options that are available to you.
Phoenix