Hi TorontoCT,
In terms of comfort, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and Personal preferences) there is no such thing as “one mattress fits all”. Any specific mattress may be the “best” match for a relatively small percentage of people, a “good” match for a larger percentage, and an “OK” match for a larger percentage yet, but the only way to know for certain whether any mattress you end up choosing (for you or someone else) will be a “good enough” match to keep it (even if it isn’t the “best match” out of all the mattresses that you “could have chosen” instead) will be based on your parents’ careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in the tutorial) and/or their own personal experience when they sleep on it.
One of the advantages of trying mattresses locally is that you can try many different types and styles and firmness levels and compare them to each other in “real time” based on their actual experience rather than just “theory” instead of trying one mattress and not knowing how it compares to the other mattresses that you could have tried or purchased instead.
Of course many online mattresses have a good trial period and return policy so you can try them in your bedroom instead of a showroom with little risk (outside of the time you spend sleeping on it and/or returning it if that becomes necessary or any costs involved in the return process) so if it’s not a “good enough” match for your parents you can just return it and try another mattress although of course you won’t know whether it would have been better or worse or how it compares to other mattresses that you could have purchased for them that they haven’t tried in person.
Many people that are younger or are buying their first mattress and are in good physical condition, are more flexible, and less “sensitive” are often closer to the “I can sleep on anything” end of the range but as they get older their comfort/support needs may change or they may have a higher budget or become a little bit more discerning and want something better than “just OK” so they may shift closer to the “princess and the pea” end of the range and would probably be much more likely to return a mattress that was only “OK” instead of “great”.
While the companies that sell mattresses online don’t disclose their actual return rates … it would make sense that as a wider demographic than just millennials begin to buy mattresses online that the return rates would increase.
The odds of making the most suitable purchase would also increase if there are multiple firmness options available as well because the multiple firmness ranges would cover a larger part of the bell curve that would be suitable for a larger percentage of people but the single biggest part of the bell curve that would be suitable for the largest percentage of people will be somewhere in a “medium” range (although medium may not be the same between different manufacturers because there are no standardized firmness ratings in the industry and different people have different perceptions of firmness as well so a mattress that feels medium to one person may feel soft or firm to someone else).
While I can certainly help with “how” to choose … It’s not possible to make specific suggestions or recommendations for either a mattress, manufacturers/retailers, or combinations of materials or components because the first “rule” of mattress shopping is to always remember that you (or your parents in this case) are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress and there are too many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved that are unique to each person to use a formula or for anyone to be able to predict or make a specific suggestion or recommendation about which mattress or combination of materials and components or which type of mattress would be the best “match” for any specific person in terms of “comfort”, firmness, or PPP or how a mattress will “feel” to your parents or compare to another mattress based on specs (either theirs or a mattress), sleeping positions, health conditions, or “theory at a distance” that can possibly be more reliable than their own careful testing (hopefully using the testing guidelines in step 4 of the tutorial) or their own personal sleeping experience (see mattress firmness/comfort levels in post #2 here).
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort” and PPP that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
I certainly wouldn’t pay too much attention to advertising and marketing claims when it comes to buying a mattress because they are only normally only designed to sell mattresses … not to educate consumers.
While other people’s comments about the knowledge and service of a particular business can certainly be very helpful … I would always keep in mind once again that your parents are the only one that can feel what they feel on a mattress and I would be cautious about about using anyone else’s suggestions, experiences or reviews on a specific mattress (either positive or negative) or review sites in general as a reliable source of information or guidance about how they will feel on the same mattress or how suitable or how durable a mattress may be for them. In many if not most cases they can be more misleading than helpful because a mattress that would be a perfect choice for one person or even a larger group of people in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP may be completely unsuitable for someone else to sleep on (even if they are in a similar weight range). In other words … reviews or other people’s experiences in general won’t tell you much if anything about the suitability, quality, durability, or “value” of a mattress for any particular person (see post #13 here).
There is more about the type and quality of the materials in the Casper and many of the other what I call “simplified choice mattresses” in post #2 here in the simplified choice mattress topic and post #1 in the same topic would be well worth reading as well.
Phoenix