Mattress deals abound, especially if you know where to look. Knowing what you generally want in a mattress will help you sift through the myriad mattresses you find. Knowing specifically what you want in your mattress can work against you by narrowing the field of options too much.
A mattress usually lasts several decades, so you don’t get many chances to save money on mattress deals. Knowing where to buy and when to buy can help you get the best mattress deals.
Buy locally made mattresses for excellent mattress deals. That means look for mattress deals from manufacturers whose factories are close to you. It’s a simple matter of freight costs, which must be built into the price charged by any retailer. Instead of checking the SuperPages.com site under “Mattresses Retail”, try “Mattresses Wholesale & Manufacturers”. The manufacturers are the ones with the best mattress deals. You may have to drive a few dozen miles to pick up your mattress, but you will save a bundle on shipping costs.
Online mattress retailers’ prices look great, mainly because online retailers don’t have the overhead of a store and “trial” mattresses, bed frames, store staff, etc. Shipping costs will be a significant add-on cost; it costs more to ship a single mattress to a residence than the per-mattress freight cost of a truckload delivered to a retail store. On the other hand, you can save a heap of money on sales tax by buying from an out-of-state online retailer.
You might think that online wholesalers catering to hotels and motels require multiple-item purchases and sell the cheapest, mediocre mattresses. But you would be wrong. United Products Inc. is just one such “hospitality wholesaler” that offers great mattress deals on brand names such as Beauty Rest.
Surprisingly good mattress deals are available at many thrift store chains such as ARC and Goodwill Industries. They sell new mattresses for as little as $59 for a twin or $89 for a queen-sized mattress. They also sell new box springs for similarly good prices. No, these are not designer name brands, but they are durable, serviceable coil spring products good for kids and guest rooms.
The best times of year to look for great mattress deals at retails stores are the three-day weekends: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Independence Day, Easter, etc. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is another good window of opportunity for mattress deals, as retailers try to reduce their taxable inventory for the current year. Actually, they have the whole month of January in which to offer you great mattress deals, too.
Membership discount stores like Sam’s Club also offer good mattress deals. But often they can be beaten by online stores. A full-sized set of BeautyRest mattress and box spring, for example, sells for $690 at United Products versus $950 at Sam/s Club. Check the shipping charges, and allow for sales tax savings.
Finding the best of all mattress deals can take weeks of research and shopping. First, you have to choose what kind of mattress you want. The more flexible you are, the more mattress deals you will find. If you just have to have a California King memory flex foam mattress, your options are going be very limited. If a simple tufted, fiber filled mattress is all you need for guest or kids room, then your best bet is probably a thrift store. For the master bedroom, look first at manufacturers, then online wholesalers, and finally at discount clubs. Mattress deals are out there, for sure.