What to try first in a mattress store??

I am in need of a new mattress and thought I wanted a tempurpedic memory foam (probably because of all the commercials!) but I stumbled upon this site before I started shopping and trying out different mattresses and it opened me up to many many more options! From latex, to different springs etc.
This might be a silly question but when in a mattress store, does it matter what mattress I try first? Does this even matter?? I am afraid of getting overwhelmed in the stores and making a bad choiceā€¦
I live in New Haven, CT and I was going to try Sleepys and Comfort Sleep Systems since they are both close to me.

Hi Ejackson:

I would tell you to not focus on what first to try but instead tell you to find a mattress store with a good reputation and an educated staff of consultants and first sit down and have a talk about your needs, expectations, sleeping habits and anything else that you are considering. From there, it is the job of the consultant to put together a grouping of mattresses that contain components that would best suits your needs.

Certainly if you are interested in trying a specific type of product you should try that out (I always tell my clients that naps are free!). If that product was not one of the ones that the consultant recommended, ask them why and they should cite specific reasons.

In the end, the consultant is there to guide you to the componentry that will best suit you and perform appropriately for your expectations. The order of what you try isnā€™t necessarily important (although I always have people try my best guess first), and the recommendations the consultant provides may change based upon your reactions and comments.

One note: It is a common trick in the industry, and taught to many sales people, to place you upon the most expensive item first, regardless of appropriateness, This can have the effect of making all of the other products seem less in comparison, leading you to assume the most expensive is the best. Be wary of this sales tactic and always ask why you are being shown a particular product.

Regarding the stores you mentioned, there is a listing somewhere on this site of recommended stores for your area (sorry I donā€™t know the link). I would check that out before making your journey.

Good luck!
Jeff

Hi Ejackson,

I would completely agree with Jeffs comments that the first step is to find the knowledgeable and experienced retailers in your area that have your best interests at heart and can provide you with the information about their mattresses that you need to make an informed choice in terms of suitability, durability, and ā€œvalueā€. They will also be able to provide you with factual and meaningful information about the materials in their mattresses to help you decide which types of materials and mattresses you tend to prefer (latex, memory foam, innersprings etc). This is why choosing which retailers/manufacturers to visit is step 3 in the tutorial and comes before testing mattresses which is step 4. If you follow all the steps in the mattress shopping tutorial one at a time you will have the best chance of success and as Jeff mentioned who you choose to deal with can be one of the most important parts of a successful mattress purchase.

As you can see in the guidelines here ā€¦ I would tend to avoid the major brands and chain stores (such as Sleepys) but Comfort Sleep Systems would certainly be well worth including in your research. They are one of the members of the site which means that I think very highly of them and I believe that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency.

There are also some other good options in the area as well and the list of the better options and possibilities Iā€™m aware of in the Connecticut area (subject to the quality/value guidelines here) are listed in post #2 here.

Phoenix

Thank you for your input and helpful information.

I went to both Comfort Sleep Systems and Sleepys since both stores are local to me. My mattress browsing experiences were quite different between the two stores and I enjoyed my experience at CSS much much more. From the service, cleanliness, knowledgable staff, and product line.

I ended up not liking memory foam, which I thought I would have really liked. I ended up liking the feel of latex foam more! I still have not yet pulled the trigger but I really liked the feel of the Tranquility model at Comfort Sleep Systems. It is a firmer latex mattress and it is made flippable (huge plush for me) so one side is firmer and the other is softer. I think I am going to go back again and try it out again just to make sure it is ā€˜the one.ā€™ They are offering it in an organic cotton top ticking as a special instead of their bamboo top.

Has anyone else had experience or have the tranquillity model? OR any of the other Comfort Sleep Systems latex mattresses?

Hi Ejackson,

As you probably know from your reading here ā€¦ Comfort Sleep Systems is one of the invited members of the site which means that I think highly of them and that they compete well with the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, and transparency. There are no lower quality materials or ā€œweak linksā€ in any of their mattresses.

An exact term site search on Comfort Sleep System ā€¦ https://mattressunderground.com/search.html?searchword=comfort%20sleep%20system&ordering=newest&searchphrase=exact&limit=0 and a forum search on comfortss (you can just click both links) will bring up all the comments and feedback on the forum that mention them.

Phoenix

I had a similar experience in that I was coming from inner springs with the intent of going springless. I fully expected to love memory foam, but after spending two hours sampling memory foam mattress didnā€™t like it one bit. And then found latex by way of an Aireloom mattress that had a latex comfort layer. Going full latex was definitely the right choice and you can read about my personal experience in the Flexus Comfort thread. My only advice is to not rush the decision. Try a few other alternatives to the CSS if possible, and then narrow it down to what you like best.

Okay I took the plunge and ordered the talalay latex mattress by Comfort Sleep Systems called the Tranquility!
I went back to the store and tried it out again to make sure, and it really is perfect for me. I am really happy with the service and attentiveness from the CSS staff. They were very patient with me and did not try to push me into anything I did not want. They really know what they are doing - 4 generations of mattress making! How cool!
Comfort Sleep Systems makes all the mattresses to order, so mine will be ready next week. I am very excited to get my new mattress & get a (much needed) good nights rest!
Thank you to everyone on the site for all the information. This site has been very very helpful!

Hi Ejackson,

Thanks for letting us know what you ended up deciding. You certainly made a high quality choice ā€¦ and congratulations on your new mattress :slight_smile:

Iā€™m looking forward to your comments and feedback when you receive it.

Phoenix