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  3. 152342-20253

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 3 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,143 posts
 
@whitestix ,
Although the Nectar mattress is sold online, there are some stores that carry them. On the Nectar site, look for the "stores" section at the top of the website. I was lucky enough to find a mattress store not 5 minutes from where I live.

Also, I noticed there's a Black Friday $100 off on the already $100 off that they advertise. When I bought mine, the retailer even honored the online discount codes that the review sites use. You may even get more of a discount. 

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,143 posts
 
If two mattresses measure the same, will they also sleep the same?
You can never state so until extensive, double blind tests are conducted. And since you can’t rely on long term sleep memory, quick sleep testing has to be done without the knowledge of the participants, who must be moved from bed to bed as quickly as possible ( or just raise, jostled and replaced on the same mattress).

Only then, after all the data is compiled, can one state which mattress is better than the other, or, just the same as any other, well made mattress.

All the best,
Nonoise




nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,143 posts
 
Beds can be like audio in that there’s that markup to deal with but what goes for an audio deal can be done with beds.

Like my Kinki Studio EX-M1 integrated, my Nectar foam mattress is made in China. I researched the hell out of both of them and like the savings one gets with the Kinki, the Nectar set me back a mere $700 for a queen mattress.

Online reviews say it’s the closest thing to a Tempurpedic and I can attest to that since my sister got one a month before I got my Nectar. The best thing is, the Nectar comes with a lifetime warranty. Should I ever grow to hate it, they’ll come pick it up with a full refund, no questions asked.

I’ve never slept better and all it took was some good old fashioned gumshoe work, like I do with my audio purchases. And like with audio, some of the reviewers knocked the Nectar since it was made in China, so there’s that other aspect one can attribute to both: the xenophobia.

All the best,
Nonoise



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