Better Sleep Guide
Sleep and Health
Sleep & Physical Performance
Sleep & Work Productivity
Sleep & Relationships
FAQs
Useful Links

Mattress Buying Guide
The Bed in History
Quizzes
The Ideal Bedroom

Press Releases
Camera-ready Artwork
Media Contact

The best way to ensure that you're a satisfied customer is to shop at a store you trust will give you good information, good service and top quality products. Look for educated salespeople who can guide you through the many choices in bedding. If you don't feel your salesperson is knowledgeable or helpful, take your business elsewhere.

To purchase your new mattress, there are a variety of shopping choices from furniture stores to sleep specialty shops to department stores. Just look for the retailer that provides you with the right information and the right attention. Once you've identified that, you are ready to purchase your new set!

If you're a shopper who likes to compare values from store to store, you should be aware that comparison shopping by model name may lead to frustration. You probably won't find the same model name in one store as you did in another. As with so many products on the market in America today - from apparel to fine furnishings - many retailers prefer to offer products that are exclusive to their store.

Tips on comparison shopping:

• Find a sleep set you like and then see what levels of comfort and support you can get for the same amount of money in another store.
• Ask the salesperson if they can show you illustrated or actual "cutaways" of the interior of the different mattress and foundation choices so you can see what's inside.
• Compare store services such as delivery, financing and removal of old bedding as well.
• Shop for the best value, not the lowest price.

When comparing, remember that a "bargain" mattress and foundation are no bargain when it comes to getting a good night's sleep. Considering that you'll probably be using your bed more than any other product you own - including your car, TV, computer or cell phone - the mattress you sleep on is one of the best cost-per-day values on the market today. Buy the best you can afford.

Some retailers today offer "comfort guarantees" - the option to return a mattress if you take it home and find that it is not comfortable. That offer can sound appealing to consumers at first, but in practice, it can mean an extra day of coordinating pick ups and re-delivery, another day of shopping for a new set and all sorts of logistical issues. Consumers are advised to take steps the first time around to assure the mattress and foundation they choose is the right one.

Be sure to "test drive" your new mattress in the store by removing your shoes (if you're a woman, it's best to go mattress-shopping in jeans or slacks) and lying down on several different models in various positions, especially the one you usually sleep in. Pay special attention to its support of your lower back, postural alignment (as if you were standing) and make sure you feel plenty of comfort at the shoulders and hips. Shop with your partner so the selection of your new bed is made together. Those few extra minutes of focusing on the "feel" of different mattress choices can save a lot of time later.