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Comparison shopping for mattresses can be very difficult as manufacturers like Sealy will put different names for different retailers on the exact same mattress - So a "Sealy Super Gazelle" at Macy's could be the same as the "Sealy Uber-Deluxe" at Mattress Discounters.

In addition - although your mattress may be worn out, your box spring probably isn't. Unless it's stained or visibly broken, save your money and keep the old box spring.

In my opinion - buy from a retailer that you like that has helpful salespersons who aren't pushy, will deliver for a reasonable fee, and will take away the old mattress.

Katy - Macy's seems to have awesome sales around the time of all the marquee holidays. Just as I started saving for my $1300 matress last year, they had a labor day sale and took off a ridiculous %, and i signed up for the credit card so they took another % off. Ended up at something around $675, and since it was a new credit card it had a few months before i had to start paying, so i had it paid off in increments before any interest kicked in. If you are willing to wait 6-8 weeks I'm sure they'll have something for one of the holiday weekends....presidents maybe?! I think I had delivery within 10 days also...

I would like to NOT recommend the Tempurpedic if you wish your new mattress to last 10 years. After the initial period of acclimation, the mattress will be bliss but I have found the shelf life of the foam is not anywhere near that of the conventional type. Expect only a couple of years of use if you go this route. Besides it's hot in the summer.

I'm not sure what the best time is, but I highly recommend the "bowling ball mattress" -- a Simmons Beauty Rest. I have never slept better. I love it more than any high-end hotel mattress I have ever slept on. It is worth every extra financed dime I paid.

Also, know thy mattress. Not only is spring/coil count important, so is wire gauge. With mattresses, there are no "bargains." You really do get what you pay for.

here's a good information page: http://www.originalmattress.com/products/guide3.asp

A Macy's employee once told me that their mattresses go on sale about every 2 weeks. I have a Simmons I paid about $800 on (on sale) and it's great. I don't recommend a tempurpedic; My ex had one and its really hot in the summer. Completely negates the comfort factor of the memory foam.

Most mattresses (including the ones manufactured by the companies that start with an S) are absolute garbage and a new one will not even hold up for 15 years! Be on the lookout Katy, now-a-days most have a layer of "memory foam" sandwiched in the top layers. I bought into the memory foam idea with a Tempurpedic ($$$!) and it lost it's "memory" after a year and a half. Terrible waste of money b/c I got the REALLY high-end one. Memory foam is not a good choice for longevity.

If I could have just one do-over I would get a 100% cotton mattress from The Ritz. The same comfy ones they have in their hotel rooms. In addition to really hating all mattresses for comfort reasons, I also believe most synthetic ones off-gas and cause lots of health issues. 100% Cotton or even organic cotton ($$$!) would be best, unless you enjoy headaches. ;)

If you have to go the mainstream mattress route buy a non-pillow top and just add your own topper. That way you don't have to throw the baby out with the bath water when the top sags.

If you go into a chain to buy a mattress OFFER them HALF of what they are asking. There is a huge profit margin on these piece of junk landfillers!

Thanks for letting me vent AT!

I'll jump on the Macy's bandwagon as well. I got my Simmons Beautyrest on sale there for about half-price ($800) on President's day weekend last year, and it's been amazing. I also did the whole sign up for the credit card deal and pay it off before the interest rates kicked in, and that saved me about $100, so it was worth it.

A 4" memory foam topper on my 14-year-old mattress is a dream- like sleeping on a cloud. I went from having constant back/leg problems to zero pain within a month.

I agree, my husband and I just bought a Simmons Beautyrest from Macy's a few months ago. It is incredible, the only downside is we never want to get out of it. One friend tried it out and said "It's like God is stroking my cheek and humming me to sleep". The other clincher is it was definitely much more than $1000 but go during a big holiday and try them all out, I'm certain you'll find something that suits you.

As well, take note that the ones on display are probably much softer than the one you will receive since they have been broken in by all the customers. I actually had to exchange the first Sealy one we bought because the new one they delivered was hard as a rock.

In addition to what bepsf said about identical mattresses (on the inside) being sold all over town with different names and tickings to make comparison shopping difficult, they will also introduce new name and ticking about twice a year, so stores will clearance the old model. Even though the only difference is the name and ticking, even in the same store at the same time, last year's model will be on clearance next to the new model at the regular high price. I wish I could remember when they tend to do this.

I also have some memory that you are no longer covered by warranty if you use an old boxspring, and this bears out in the wording of the Sealy Warranty. http://sealy.com/SleepSoundly/WarrantyPost2003.aspx#2
"Mattress damage due to an inappropriate box spring. A mattress is designed for full performance when used in conjunction with a matching foundation as part of a total sleep set." If you are using a platform bed or some other spring-link kind of bed, I believe you are still covered for the sagging, but not, for example, if you tear the ticking on the metal. You are not covered for sagging, and can void your warranty, if you reuse an old boxspring instead of buying a sleep set. If your store has mix-match partial clearance prices for sleep sets, even if they are brand-new pieces, I'm still not confident you are warranted for the mattress.

Keep in mind this is a cartel they've organized amongst themselves. They want to sell sleep sets, and a boxspring is 30-40% of the cost of the sleep set, as well as the shifty practice of discouraging comparison shopping, and not for nothing, Sealy (I can't speak for others) will pay salespersons directly as an incentive to move their products off the floor and out of the warehouse. Makes me want to sleep on the floor again.

I like my Bob-o-pedic (hey, I didn't name it!) a lot. I had a Bed-in-a-Box memory foam mattress before that, but I wanted to upgrade to a queen from the full size I had, and the Bob-o-pedic (from Bob's Discount Furniture) became the choice du jour.

Memory foam can get a bit hot in summer, but both mattresses had mattress pads (the Bed-in-a-Box version cost extra, but it was worth it) so there is an air space created and I didn't find it uncomfortable.

My advice is try out whatever you choose in real life, for 15 minutes (if you can stand it)! That's the professional advice I have heard, although I get twitchy in a store after maybe three, so it didn't work that way for me!

I got my most recent mattress at Sleepy's. They have a 20% price beat policy all year round. I browsed online for a mattress I liked, took the price into Sleepy's and they beat it by 20%. And they could not have been more easygoing, there were no pushy sales tactics at all, because I had details on the mattress I wanted in hand. bepsf is right that the mattress all have different names, but the saleswoman looked at the details on my printout and matched it to a comparable mattress of the same brand at Sleepy's. Long story short, I got a $1700 mattress for $675.

I recently saw a $5000 mattress marked down to $1500 (KING). Forgot the name of the store, but it was right across the street from Soho Bloomingdales (on east side of Crosby). It was one of those Eco-mattresses made of corn husks or corn fiber. I saw it there 2 wks ago and I think they had a couple in stock. The reason they were marked down is b/c when they are shipped from mfr, they have to be rolled up. After 6 months, the retailer has to roll them out, hence they are marked down.

I bought my mattress on Memorial weekend (from a big name mattress store). It was just before closing time on the LAST day of the sale, and I asked the guy what the discount price would be on a $3000 mattress, if I paid him right then and there, with a check. He offered me a deal of about $1600 with taxes and delivery. (although, he was the manager so I'm sure he had authorization to do so, not sure if he hadnt been would I have gotten the same deal)

The next day, I had the mattress delivered to my apartment. It's still as comfortable as the day I bought it!

I am in the midst of mattress shopping as well.
I am leaving my futon days behind and am moving on to an actual grown-up bed...yay!
The comments posted have been a great help.
Keep the tips coming!!!

I can second Bob's Discount Furniture! (Not sure if they are just a CT chain, though.) When I went furniture shopping five years ago for my first place, I had GREAT customer service there. I still have that mattress (though I had to get rid of the boxspring and invest in a split-box spring for a tight staircase).

As a former "home fashions" salesgirl- we used to be instructed to tell a customer (if they asked) when a sale would come up. Can't hurt to ask.

I got a factory defect memory foam off of eBay for $200. 2.5 years later, and I still love it.

I love Macy's they always have a sale and knowledgabe sales people and a return policy (for a fee). YO unever know if you will need it.

I love Stearns and Foster.
I purchased a pillow top and paid $4,000 for this top of the line bed.

I hated it so much and had nighmare i was drowning in the softness that I paid $500 for them to take it back and replace it with a differernt mattesses. YOu read that right! I paid to return it i hated a pillow top.

The problem is most new mattresses is this gimmick of "no flipping" it's bullshit, I exchanged it $3,000 mattress.

I hate this new expensive mattress also but kept it, It is a "no flip" but not a pillow top, and wears poorly a waste of money. Thisis teh very top of teh line company and mattress.

After a year it has deep impression where we sleep every night.

My hard earned advice:
Buy an regular fashioned mattress you can flip, and alwasy buy a new box spring with it.

Oh my,
Please excuse the previous post syntax and spelling errors.
I answered the phone while typing ;-)

Just a note about them being "junk land fillers".

Trust me when I say that used mattresses often get re-used.
No matter what neighborhood I've lived in, there's always a van/truck rolling around picking up used mattresses, which they just replace the fabric on and resale.

Big market for that and its totally legal as long as its marked as "used". Still a lil' creepy.

WOW, thanks for all the excellent advice, everyone! This is just what I needed.

I think I'm going to stop worrying that December is my final chance to land a deal. I think I'm going stick with Macy's, talk directly to a manager, maybe open up a credit card for a discount heheh, and keep it simple - stay away from memory foam! :)

Again, thank you so much. All great advice.

Katy

Since the holidays are coming up, shop the Christmas and/or New Year's sales. I got mine (a King Koil memory foam with a pillowtop) on Memorial Day weekend and it was reduced a lot. The mattress/box set was about $600 for a queen. And delivery was only $30. Definitely consider delivery prices if you don't have the means to get the mattress home, since that will eat into your budget, too.

I bought a sonno from DWR and it's amazing. Much cooler than a Tempurpedic - I bought mine in August and trust me - it stays cool.

Also - it's very low, and doesnt require a boxspring. It made a huge difference in my small bedroom,

Also - forgot to mention that DWR has a bedding sale like every 3-4 months. I think my mattress was like $1200 on sale - and no box spring to buy.

Hey, no one's mentioned Ikea! If you have one nearby, check them out! My hubby and I have a Hassleback and Tuvebeo pillowtop. It's pocket coil, 100% cotton and wool wadding and really comfy! For $598 queen size! We're still happy 3 years later. Heck, they delivered and removed the old piece too.

PS- get a new box spring. We didn't at first and the new mattress got holes in the same place the old one did,then mysteriously went away when we got a new boxspring. Lesson: mattress supports age too!

Being a researchaholic, I settled upon late December being the best time to purchase. With most stores/credit cards, you should be able to take advantage of price protection to benefit from any last-minute Boxing Day sales.

I finally settled on IKEA of all places to get their top of the line (Erfjord) latex mattress, and I've never looked back. It's mostly natural latex (85%, 15% synthetic), and doesn't gas or disintegrate like memory foam. Neither will it sag like spring mattresses. And you can flip them to promote the longevity of the mattress.

AT on Erfjord: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/beds-mattresses/reader-tip-sultan-erfjord-mattress-at-ikea-040391

Does anyone know if the Sleepy's half off sale is any good?