savvy consumer: 7 smart tips when shopping for a new mattress

Shopping for a new mattress can be one of the most confusing and frustrating processes that consumers face in a lifetime. Choosing which mattress suits your lifestyle based on its price, material composition, and many other factors requires extensive research. This is never an easy task, with many brands and retailers offering new mattresses online and offline.

To narrow your choices significantly, there are two common considerations you must think about: (1) basi mattress qualities available and (2) your sleeping habits. Here are some savvy tips for you to get the best deals when shopping for a new mattress:

Try Your New Mattress Out

You might opt to purchase a new mattress online instead, but this poses a higher risk of discontent if you don’t experience the product before purchasing it. That is why you must take your new mattress for a test drive first.

This might seem like a lot of trouble for you, but it will be all worth it once you get the best mattresses out of all the available options. To do this, you may start looking for the most comfortable one in the store and spend a good 10-15 minutes lying on the mattress. Try to roll around and assume the usual position you prefer sleeping in.

Don’t Waste Your Time Counting Coils

An acquaintance of yours may have suggested that you count coils when shopping for a mattress. This is because of the coil-count inflation. Traditional marketers have been using this “feature” to attract more consumers on their end, but, really, there’s no need for you to do so.

A mattress on the market may have a higher coil count but having more coils doesn’t always make the best bed! The coils in it may be made only of thinner-gauge metal. The bottom line: you don’t have to stress and get confused over it.

Isolate the Motion

Whether your companion in bed is your spouse or an energetic puppy, a particular amount of movement is proof of life. However, this shouldn’t disturb your sleep. Motion transfer is the extent to which a person’s movement on the bed affects another person.

So, if you have a squirmy fellow, be it a person or a pet, that accompanies you at night, it is best to choose a mattress that can isolate motion. Of all the common types of mattresses in the market, latex and memory foam mattresses have materials with energy-absorbing properties that limit motion transfer effectively.

Check Out for Warranty and Return Policies

Most consumers are used to asking about product warranties, but in actuality, warranties in mattresses serve as a selling tool instead of being a security net. Every warranty usually has two parts—full replacement and pro-rated.

The former designates a period where consumers can return their mattresses for a full replacement value. And the latter indicates the number of years after the purchase when the consumer receive a pro-rated part of the total price back. Unfortunately, however, pro-rated warranties often exceed mattress life, so it’s not much help to buyers.

What you can do to get the best of your purchase is to ask retailers about their return policies. This is so you can return a highly uncomfortable mattress without receiving extensive penalties.

Try to Negotiate

Once you’ve decided on a mattress model, you may try to bring its price down by negotiating with the retailer. There may be some businesses, like warehouse clubs, that won’t budge with their prices, but you can still haggle with many others.

Retailers, like specialty chains, have big markups and will let them lower their prices by about 50%. The smart thing you can do is to insist on the sale price that you’ve seen on the mattress you want to purchase. You don’t have to second guess on walking out if you feel that they’re only offering you a raw deal.

Give Yourself Enough Space

Never settle for less. As long as your bedroom size permits it, purchase a bigger mattress. This can also help reduce motion transfer; if you are a light sleeper, consider buying a queen or king mattress. These are the types you should try when shopping for a new bed. 

Inspect the Mattress Before Receiving It at Your Doorstep

Make sure to never receive your mattress without inspecting for any stain or damage first. You also need to ensure that your newly purchased mattress has an “all-new material” label on its packaging before sending the driver away.

Refuse delivery if the label is scratched or not there. You have to keep this on in case you need to file for a warranty claim. Call the retailer’s customer service if something’s wrong with your mattress. Take photos to serve as proof of damage.

Takeaway

Shopping for a new mattress can be overwhelming and troublesome if you don’t know how to shop smartly. However, with the tips provided above, you have nothing to worry about when getting the best mattress.