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Conspiracy

Unlike most branded retail products, the mattress retail business uses model names without numbers and, because of the totally unrelated names, it is almost impossible to compare and shop models from one store to the next. This “conspiracy” makes it very difficult for the consumer to take advantage of the price guarantees offered at virtually every mattress retailer. The most common question heard by salespeople in the business is, “How can I compare models and shop for best price when the names are different everywhere I go?” The complaint that usually follows is “The price guarantee I see everywhere is worthless. It’s a joke. Comparisons are impossible.” 

Accurate comparisons of like models are essential to the effective utilization of the price guarantee advertised by most mattress retail dealers. A typical price guarantee might read, “We’ll beat anyone’s price by at least 10%.” Some retailers will specify that it must be the same brand and model. With the model names being different everywhere, those retailers are able to exempt themselves from ever honoring their advertised guarantee. Some retailers require that the price be an advertised price, but most retailers don’t advertise the model names in their ads, and that pretty much let’s them off the hook. Consumers cannot shop ads if the model names are not in them, and shopping the competition is extremely difficult in person when the names are different everywhere. It doesn’t take long for the consumer to realize that there is a “conspiracy” in place to defeat the use of the “advertised gimmick” called the “price guarantee.” The frustration turns quickly to irritation and the consumer is left with nothing but mistrust for the mattress retailer and his sales staff. I don’t know how many times a day I had customers tell me, “you guys are just like used car salesmen.”  

The mattress manufacturers would love to have the model names standardized amongst retailers, but the retailers will never let them do that. The manufacturers would save a lot of money, since they have to pay people to come up with new names for every model, every year, for every retailer.  They have to tweak the different models in very minor ways in order to keep them slightly different. Those minor differences cost the manufacturers a lot of extra money in modifying the production runs. The retailers want to keep the consumer confused. They want as many different specifications, different fabrics, different tape edges, different stitching patterns, and, most certainly, the different names. The confusion virtually negates the price guarantee because the salesperson can say that the models are different. “This one has a foam encased edge and the one you saw at the department store does not. I can’t beat the price, but I can match it.” The retailer I spent most of my career with allowed us to beat prices “as long as the models were fairly close.” We had to spend a lot of time shopping the competitors to become extremely familiar with the similarities and the differences between the brands and the models in our market area. Unfortunately, that is not the norm for mattress retailers and their staff. Most retailers do not require their staff to shop the competition. The poorly educated staff is forced to “wing it” or to lie to the consumer in order to protect the price points. Some lies can be detected by the consumer and the salesperson loses. Some are so well camouflaged that the consumer cannot detect them and, in that case, the consumer loses. When the consumer loses and discovers the truth later (and he or she usually does) the retailer loses, the salesperson loses, and the industry develops a bad reputation. Trust presents a huge obstacle to overcome. The customer becomes afraid to make that purchase in the future, and the salesperson has a very difficult time getting past the inherent mistrust now permanently entrenched in the customer’s psyche. Retailers wonder why the consumer usually takes three years to make that purchase…three years after he knows his mattress is no longer providing a “good night’s rest“? The simple answer for mattress retailers would be to modify their game plan and to allow for easier comparisons through the naming process. That change will probably never come.

The consumer needs to take charge. Comparisons are actually easier than you might expect. Once you have found a mattress you feel comfortable in and one which supports your spine properly, take notes on the following ten items:

1. Brand name
2. Model name
3. Basic Appearance (firm or tight-top, plush or softer top, or pillow-top)
4. Coil count (queen is the standard used now for quoting purposes)
5. Independent coils or tied together coils
6. Wire gauge (the lower the number, the heavier the wire)
7. Special foams (memory foam or latex foam)
8. Edge support (heavier gauge on the edge or foam-encased)
9. Regular price
10. Sale price

These ten items, once noted, and taken with you when you shop the competition, will give you everything you need to find the “comparable” model at other retailers. The ”cold white sea” of mattresses staring at you as you enter the store adds to the confusion. They all look pretty much the same, but items 1, 3, and 9 on your list will lead you directly to the correct area. The brand name will match, the basic appearance should be very similar (tight-top, plush, or pillow-top), and the regular price should be pretty close or within two to three hundred dollars (in most cases). The mattresses are usually displayed with the most expensive in the front of the store and the least expensive to the rear of the store. Brands are almost always grouped together.

By the time you have approached the correct area, a salesperson will probably have arrived to greet and assist you. If you haven’t already noticed signage announcing a price guarantee, ask your salesperson whether they have one and how it works. Bring your notes out and tell your representative that you are looking for ______ brand and ______ model that you saw at _____ store. Indicate the one that looks most similar to the one you selected at the other store and detail the specifications from your notes. Ask which one most closely matches the one you are looking for. If your salesperson tries to deflect you toward other product at this point be wary. Take charge and keep him or her on track. Don’t be afraid to say that you are “locked in” to that particular brand. Ask your salesperson to check the specs to make sure that you have matched items 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Lie down to make sure that this mattress feels comparable to the one that you liked in the other store. If it feels the same after spending at least 15 minutes on it, then ask your salesperson to beat the price as guaranteed in their advertising or printed policies. Be sure to utilize the “apples to apples” final price including delivery, set-up, pick-up of the old set, and tax in your price beat. Be careful of high pressure add-ons to recoup the retailer’s lost margin dollars.

If your mattress retailer does not honor the price guarantee for one reason or another, you should ask for the manager to do it for you, or move on to another mattress retailer who will gladly accept your business.

Unfortunately, mattress retail dealers are not likely to change their imbedded (excuse the pun) naming “conspiracy.” Nor are they likely to alter their “loss leader” advertising that is damaging their image, integrity, and standing in the eye of the consumer. The only solution to this dilemma is a more informed, a more detail-conscious, and a more demanding consumer. Shop with confidence, take charge, take notes, make the comparisons, and claim the price guarantee. Your shop for sleep is easier than your fear allows.

Good night and sleep well!

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved to Ronald Czarnecki.