Buying a mattress sounds really exciting, especially when you imagine the quality of your sleep laying on your luxurious new mattress. For many adults, getting a good night sleep is their reward from working hard all day long. There are nights however, when all you want is to get an early sleep, but you toss and turn, unable to find that right sleeping position. If the mattress just doesn’t feel right, maybe it’s time to buy a new one.
Unless you have a million dollars in the bank, you’ll probably buy a mattress only a few times in your lifetime. A really good mattress could last you many, many years. Some people wouldn’t buy a new mattress until their old one is already sagging in the middle or the springs are already sticking to their backs.
If you need to buy a new mattress, you have to consider different things. A mattress could be quite expensive so you may want to spend some time deciding what to buy, instead of buying one in a spontaneous manner. You may end up not liking it and then return it to whatever store you got it from. Of course, that would cause inconvenience since you’d have to arrange the schedule for the delivery, pay possible return fees, and many others.
What are the kinds of mattress available in the market?
Plush and firm mattresses. The variety of these mattresses range from extra plush, plush, firm, and extra firm. Plush mattresses have pillow-like softness, but should have enough firmness to support your body.
Memory foam mattress. This is a type of mattress that uses a foam that molds to your body shape as you sleep. This will be able to provide support to your entire body. Once you lie down on your bed, the mattress will apply equal pressure at all points of your body. This kind of mattress could get quite warm during the night so it is something that you may want to think about.
Sleep number mattress. This is a type of mattress that you can customize based on the firmness level that you prefer when you sleep. Depending on the model, you can make the mattress softer or firmer, have different chambers on the bed sides, and use it for a reclining bed.
Now that you have an idea of what to buy, the next question is: Where to buy? You have two choices. One is to go to a physical store or a ‘brick and mortar’ store, while the other one is to purchase your mattress online.
Should you buy your mattress in an online store or a brick and mortar store?
Brick & Mortar/In Store
This is how people traditionally buy mattresses. If you’re going to buy something important, you may find the need to see it first, hold it, get a feel of it, and find out if you and your mattress could live well together. When you go to a physical store, you will be able to try the mattress first. This is one thing that you cannot do online—to lie on the bed and see if it feels comfortable and if it can support your body as you sleep. It is important that you don’t feel any discomfort, and that you are able to feel the mattress’s neutral alignment with your body.
If you have further questions about the which one to choose, there will be available salespeople in the store to assist you. They would know the characteristics of the items based on what was provided by the manufacturer, as well as share the feedback of their other customers. They should be able to give you an idea of which to choose based on your budget and the deals they have going on during the time of your visit.
Another advantage of purchasing in store is that you know where you need to go in case you want to get in touch with their customer service people. You can just go to the store if you want to replace the mattress, return a pillow, or exchange other items.
There are some minor disadvantages when purchasing a mattress in store. One, the salesperson may push you to buy the more expensive mattress. This isn’t always the case but a big possibility, and you may end up buying more than what you have budgeted for. Next is that a few minutes of lying down in the mattress may not provide you the whole experience—meaning, you may find it uncomfortable after a few days and may want to return it after all.
Buying Online
This is a way of purchasing items has been popular for several years now, thanks to the convenience of being able to buy what you want from the comfort of your home. There are stores that sell mattresses from different manufacturers and there are stores that only retail products from their lines. You can find many choices online, and may find it difficult to decide which one to buy, but the other customer reviews should be able to help you with it.
You may notice that even if a similar product is sold in the brick and mortar store, the one online is cheaper. It is because the online seller wouldn’t have to shoulder other expenses, like the rent for the building or the salary of the salespeople.
When you buy online, you should be familiar with the stores’ return policies. The trial could last for 30 to 100 days, based on the brand or where you bought the item. Also check if you need to pay anything if you return the mattress. They may have return charges that could be as much as $500. If you have further questions, aside from checking online forums or looking at the feedback from other customers, the online store should have sales or customer service representatives that you could reach out to via phone, email, or chat. They would be more than happy to address your inquiries.