Types of Mattress Retailers Explained

by Richard Murison May 24, 2016

When it comes time to shop for a mattress there is a wide selection of retailers you can choose from.

There are online mattress companies popping up everywhere online. There are brick and mortar store ranging from traditional chain mattress stores and department stores to manufacture direct and boutique stores. There is a lot of confusion in the market today as to what is what. I am hoping to help with some of this and answer questions that I get asked every day.

Starting with brick and mortar stores you will likely come across 3 different types of retailers.

Let’s first address the large chain and department “brick and mortar” stores that specialize in carrying what is known in the industry as the big 3 S’s. Simmons, Sealy and Serta. Sealy now owns Sterns and Foster and Tempurpedic so that pretty much ties up most of the showroom floor. There will be other lines on the floor but the big 3 S’s will dominate. These main stream mattress companies provide mostly prefabricated mattresses.

In this environment you are shopping what most of us are familiar with through extensive media blasts. The 3 S’s want to sell all the big box stores without them being competitive with the same merchandize so they often change the names on identical mattress from store to store so that customers are not able to compare pricing. If you are shopping in a chain store be sure to ask what are the specifications of the mattress so you can compare them to make sure you are getting the best price.

The next “brick and mortar” retailers you will encounter are the manufacturer direct stores. These retailers are smaller in size and, since they manufacture their own mattresses, they tend to stick to similar designs and style for reasons of efficiency. The pros of this type of retailer is that you can sometime get the cost down since you are buying direct. The negative side of this is there is usually not a large selection of different feels. Sometimes these stores can actually be more expensive when compared to similar mattresses in the market but it is hard to compare since they do not exist outside that particular store.

The last type of “brick and mortar” retailer you will encounter is the Boutique Gallery Store. These retailers are specialty stores that typically showcase handcrafted smaller collection mattresses. The advantages in shopping at this type of retailer is a wider selection of better goods. Typically, you will find hand crafted coils, Latex, Oke tek certified Memory foam and hybrid beds. Most of these retailers carry mattresses that can be easily researched online. The manufactures do not change their names and styles from store to store so it is easy to shop and compare. The downside of this kind of retailer is that you probably won’t find the name brands that you are familiar with from TV ad blitzes. Our store falls into this category.

Now on to online retailers.

This is where it gets really confusing. There are many third party web sites that seem to be giving straight honest recommendations. These sites are actually affiliate marketing programs that make a commission on every sale that is made from their referral. The glowing reviews they provide may or may not be real. Exercise caution when looking at reviews. However, if you are looking for truly unbiased reviews, Mattress Underground is an excellent website to visit. They do not earn money from affiliates. They have been around for a long time and I feel confident to recommend them if you are looking for real reviews.

Another thing to consider with the online retailer is the that you can’t try them. Most if not all of these companies do offer a 101-day trial period and a full refund. Most of these companies offer just one mattress option but a few of them do have a selection. When purchasing just make sure to be perfectly clear about what their refund policy is. Many online retailers make it very difficult to refund with all kinds of stipulations and some even charge for the freight in returning a mattress.

Richard Murison

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