Casper, Tuft & Needle, Loom And Leaf, Purple…Too Many Options?

Shopping for that perfect mattress used to be simple. The local fluorescent cavern filled with dozens of beds, Chad the mattress salesman leading you to the perfect bed, his easy manner and too close for comfort hovering, were all part of the experience. We were led like sheep to some version of an innerspring mattress with a poofy pillowtop that kind of all felt the same. But at least you could try your bed out in the store first. So how has a seemingly bullet proof way to buy a bed suddenly become completely unpopular, and why are there so many beds for sale online?

The answer is convenience. Ten years ago, only a handful of online retailers were in the mattress business. Trying to convince someone that you were going to mash their mattress and stuff it in a box, and ship it their front door was not easy. Pages of convincing and lyrical copy was required to get anyone to pull the trigger online, instead of making the journey to the Mattress Mart. These days, there are dozens of options, all of which are shipped rolled and compressed. The technology is so widely used, that no one questions it, in fact, online retailers make the whole process a magical experience of mystical reinflation. That being overcome, and the marketplace online opened wide, and product and marketing saavy entrepreneurs swept the internet, each with their own version of the perfect bed.

The pioneers like Healthy Foundations and Habitat Furnishings no longer sell beds, but a few like BedInABox.Com are still around. The wizards of the industry that follow us around on social media, buses, trains, TV, and airplane magazines basically beat us into submission until we buy. They all have a story to tell, how amazingly comfortable their bed is, how their mattress is a “one size fits all” engineering marvel, with strange ingredients like “Dreamfoam” and “Copper Infused Soybean Based Pressure Relieving Comfort Layers” are what you want your back to be on, overwhelm us. The secret code to unravel the mystery? Look for a bed that has great reviews, make sure they are real and not on the web site you are visiting, but elsewhere, and look for that 100 night no questions asked trial, and a good warranty. If you can get your money back, no questions asked, enjoy. Try two or three out for a week or so, and you’ve just brought the Mattress Mart to your own bedroom. No Chad, hovering over you. Check out our Trusted Dealer page to see who we recommend online for that perfect bed.

Marc