Yes, we went to a locally owned mattress store and had great service. We tried lots of different brands/styles before deciding on the Tempur-pedic. And we tried out several styles of the T-P.
The store had Covid protocols in place; a disposable “sheet” that we used, as well as brand new pillows for us to use (and take home!). We went on a Wednesday afternoon and happened to be the only ones in the store.
So glad to have this thread. We FINALLY started mattress shopping today, with improved Covid comfort level (still wore masks) and hopes of memorial day sale.
Still not sure if we want just a mattress to put on our 6-drawer pedestal or mattress with adjustable base. But we needed to get the investigations in progress - our 30 year old waterbed (softsided with tubes) has seen better days!
Stopped first at Sleep Number, but the sign said “back in 5 min” and after 10+ minutes we moved on. We will return another time, because that option really interested my husband after getting good feedback from BIL.
At the first open place (discount appliance and mattress store; free delivery/install and haul-away) we tried 3 beds and liked these 2 best:
Tempur-pedic Medium Hybrid: Liked it ($2700 + $1600 base, $300 credit for accessories)
Sterns & Foster Hybrid Luxury: This was a tad better for hubby. $3200, free adjustable base, $200 credit for pillows etc . It likely will not wear as well as the Tempur-pedic, but that may be OK with the lower price.
At Mattress Firm ($129 delivery/install & haul away)
Purple Hybrid-3: felt best for hubby’s back. $2800, adjustable base $800 (after $500 credit for “sale”) - we have a concern about the suggested pricey sheets, but there is a deal on first set at time of purchase.
Sealy Silver Chill: liked it, but not as well as Purple. $2400 + $800 adj base
Following this thread as we need a new mattress in one of our guest rooms. We have a sleep number and love it.
@Colorado_mom I’d encourage you to read Consumer Reports mattress ratings. They are incredibly detailed with ratings for comfort levels for different sleep habits and body size as well as heat retention, firmness and durability. They cover innerspring, air, and foam. We use CR a lot for big purchases, but the info about mattresses alone, imo, is worth the subscription price. If you do, make sure you click on the “Full Report” menu to see all the possible details.
Generally speaking, Mattress prices are VERY negotiable. Temperpedic and Purple seem to be the exceptions. We lucked into $1,000 bucks off TP several years ago. When my son got his Purple bed he didn’t get much of a discount, but he got a better than advertised discount on the “special” sheets and bed protector. He also got additional sets of the sheets. He loves them but has to air dry them. When we got our TP, we got multiple $140 pillows for $39 each. Doesn’t hurt to ask for discounts, especially if there are a lot of places that sell the same products close by.
ETA - the delivery and haul away is something else that can be negotiated.
We just got invited to a wedding in August for the son of a family friend. First three items on the registry: Honeymoon Fund, Give to a Cause, and A Good Night’s Sleep (they want to update their mattress). Amusingly the groom’s grandfather was in the mattress business; I think we still have one of them.
My husband came home from beers with his tennis buddies and tried to shock me by saying one of them just bought a new king mattress for about $4000. I said, yeah, that seems to be the price for something good; queen mattresses can cost $3000. Learned it here!
Oh yes mattress prices ARE negotiable. Whenever I buy one, I feel like I’m buying a used car!
When DD lived here for a bit, she wanted a full size bed instead of a twin. We went to Sleep Ease (no longer in business…my husband called them “the crooks”. We were looking for the on sale serta or sealy. Well…those were in a tractor trailer out back (I’m not making this up). The salesperson tried to sell us the next cheapest model for $1400 or another for $1600. We just headed for the exit.
We heard “Lady, Lady. I think I can do something for you.” Ack…
Well…we ended up with the $1600 set for $600 including delivery, taxes and hauling away an old mattress. It was some generic brand but it’s very comfy, and the kid sleeping on it weighed about 100 pounds. It’s now a guest room and it’s great still. But I wasn’t spending $1600…this was in 2010.
A suggestion for sheets, with an adjustable bed. The sheets I bought at mattress firm came with an extra elastic, one in black so you knew which corner to put it. I bought more elastic, and sewed them on my other sheet sets.
We spent a long time at Sleep Number yesterday. Hubby really likes the adjustability factor, and there is a mattress we like $1000 off this weekend ($2399 instead of $3399). Alas, the adjustable bases are quite pricey (thousands), so we really need to decide what we want. We’ve considered a setup leveraging our existing waterbed base (with drawers), but that may be to much of a kluge.
Mattress firm always has specials on the adjustable frame.
Just in case you didn’t know, I got a letter from my MD that I had a bad back and neck, so i didn’t pay any tax. I wasn’t lying, this was why I looked for new bed with adjustable bottom.
Thanks that was a good tidbit. (For a moment it got me on a thought that maybe we could you HSA funds, but per Dr Google you cannot use HSA for mattresses).
Did some more bed store visits today. The Purple4 (more expensive of course) works better for hubby than Purple3. But he far prefers Sleep Number. We likely will purchase tomorrow, to get free delivery (if also purchasing base, thru Memorial day) and $1000 of the PSE mattress we like (on sale thru 6/7). Just need to decide on base options. Adjustable head and foot is nice, but it is pricey.
OP here, checking back in. We finally pulled the trigger on ordering a new mattress. Although the responses on the thread were interesting and informative, I have to admit the wide range did nothing to reduce my overwhelming confusion and indecision about what might be best for us among a sea of so many options (this is a me problem, in general, LOL). So that said, we decided to just attack one variable at a time, in this case…just getting a new mattress to replace our 15 year old one. We ordered one similar to what we’ve had (innerspring, firm, mid-priced). It was backordered for weeks and weeks and is finally arriving today. We will give it several weeks and if things don’t improve with our backs, we have a 90 day return window, and at least we’ll have been able to parse apart whether the age of the mattress or the type is contributing.
I’m also going to buy new pillows, but again, going to give that a few weeks before doing so so as not to introduce two new variables at once. I did splurge on bamboo sheets some weeks ago, on the suggestion of one of you (THANKS! LOVE THEM).
Thanks for all of the responses and information. Happy zzzzz’s to you all!
I went mattress shopping today. We had a “sleep study” done where they asked us a bunch of questions and had us lay down on a bed. they also changed the bed to make it more and less firm to see how we slept. They then recommended 3 beds based on our answers.
We’re leaning towards getting a Sealy Posturepedic Plus Hybrid mattress with an adjustable Ease base. I can’t decide if I want it in king or queen. They’re having a memorial day deal, and apparently this particular bed is usually not on sale. I don’t know if that’s true or not, since I feel like beds are always on sale. It comes out to $2800 with the adjustable base for the queen and $3800 with the adjustable base for the King. ($300 off the mattress and $200 off the adjustable base). I was looking at a bed/headboard set the other day, but these won’t be compatible with that one which puts us back to the drawing board there. I think we’ll probably just buy a stand alone headboard and attach it, if we go this route on this bed.
I’m not so much worried about the cost as I am that I won’t like it and I’ll have to go through the hassle of returning it. Lol.
I was never a fan of adjustable beds. Just one more thing to break. Always figure a few pillows are easier and cheaper. We have a king but it is much heavier than the queen when it comes to making the bed.
Check prices elsewhere before you buy. In multiple cases, I’ve found retailers willing to negotiate prices quite a bit. They have different names for the same bed at different retailers, but I’m guessing you can google the different names, or possibly contact manufacturer.
A couple of years ago, we went out looking for a new bed, and lucked into a Temperpedic selling for $1000 off (still quite expensive, but we’ve been happy with it). That’s one brand where there’s usually not a lot price adjustment.
I know several people who’ve gone the “Purple” bed route, and have been quite happy. They make an adjustable one.
I’ve always had queen sized beds. King is nice, IF you have a pretty large room. If we move to our “forever/retirement home” and we wind up with a large bedroom, and we need a new bed, I might consider getting a king. But I don’t feel a need for one. We do use king comforters/quilts with our queen bed.
What store? I would shop around. In my experience, buying a mattress at a bedding store is sort of like buying a used car. When we bought our latest mattress, I called my husband from the store to ask him what he thought (bed was for a kid I had with me). When I named the store I was at, he quipped “The Crooks”.
We went looking for a Serta or Sealy that were on sale. Oh no…those were piled in a trailer out back. Couldn’t even take a trial seat on those. They showed us two other sets that were 3 times the price we indicated we would spend. So…we were leaving (as we were leaving, the only other customers we saw came in). I heard “Lady, lady…I think I can do something price wise, but I need to talk to my manager.” Sound familiar? Well…miracle of miracles…those 3 times the cost sets suddenly became in our price range. I find that annoying!
2 things I won’t go cheap on. Shoes and bed/mattress. I spend too much time on both to be uncomfortable.
I don’t mind spending a lot for a comfortable bed (or shoes). The stress is that the spurge may end with a purchase that is still not ideal… ie the Uncertainty Factor. Love the idea of hotels having mattresses you can buy elsewhere, but never found much of that.
We have a Tempurpedic. We had slept on one at a relatives home a lot of times and really really liked it. When we purchased new for ourselves, we already knew it was comfy for us…even though it was pricey. That was ideal.
I’ve recently purchased from a local Costco a king size memory foam mattress just for myself (why not sleep like a king when you spend 1/3 of your life in sleep? 
). After much searching for a suitable box spring for the foundation, I gave up and made this, instead, suitable for a king. Great combination; I sleep like a baby. 
