Mattresses, not stereos is where the money is


On my way to Macy’s, to buy a bed, which is about 6 blocks from my office, I passed by literally 6 different mattress stores. 3 of them practically on the same block.

The competition is fierce, and it seems almost all of them were selling Tempurpedic and Sealy (which I think are owned by the same company.) They even had at least one paid sign holder with a sign directing you 1 block away to another store.

Think of that. 6 stores selling $500-$4500 goods, in a Los Angeles suburb. They are all paying rent, and staying open.

I know the average retail markup for stereo gear is around 45%. What must the mark up be for mattress stores to stay open with this much competition? 90%?

I still went to Macy’s. :) Two simultaneous discounts + a modular bed system with replaceable coils sang to my geek heart.

By comparison, the nearest high end audio store is about 30 minutes away.
erik_squires

Showing 2 responses by bsmg

I like to go to at least one mattress store each week and rip those tags off that they put on mattresses that say "do not remove under penalty of law." These tags would not even exist except to try and alleviate the vast subliminal guilt those places suffer from. I've never been caught.