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
A great mattress as well as a great audio system can be best enjoyed in total darkness.  You're welcome.
Interesting that this thread shows an advertisement for the Nectar mattress on the same page.  Scary!

reubent
4,138 posts
11-12-2019 11:37pm
The real money is in Legos.


Ain't that the truth!!!!!!!
Oh, so here's the cool thing of Bedgear:
You can choose the firmness of each side!

Not only that, if you try out one set of coils, and find out you needed firmer or softer, you get 1 replacement set free. 
I've gone back and forth on this subject and I've come to believe my mattress is directional.
I’m with Nonoise on this one - love my Nectar.   Definitely directional though, must be rotated head to foot every two months for best results.      
How bout a "mattress comparison" thread?

Or, the real reason for selling your "used, original MK2 version?"
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.
For ultimate customization you gotta go latex.  Different firmnesses of both Dunlop and Talalay, normally three layers, in a host of different perms and coms, with the option to customize each side of a queen or king mattress.
I've been thinking about the question, how is this really about stereo. While of course I meant to have some fun with my friends here, I also think there are some really good parallels:

1 - Ultimately the personal experience is the only thing that matters.

2 - Lots of different types of tech to solve the same problem.


You want a mattress where you can easily replace the parts when they wear out. Replacing a few parts every few years is cheaper than a new mattress which leaves more money for audio. And if you move, a Sleep Number bed breaks down into manageable parts. 
In my travels I met a guy who retired and missed being out and about with people and took a job selling mattresses.  He told me that the markup was 3 to 4 times their cost, but when the chain committed to a larger purchase, that went to 5 times...or to put it another way, the mattress store paid the distributor $200 for a mattress that retailed for $1000!

1 night stand.... I get it!! Aghh-hah-hah-hah!! ONE -night stand! too funny!

Oops, what year is it?

 

I sold bedding and furniture many years ago.  One of the bedding lines we carried was Simmons. The top model we carried was around $1200.  Simmons offered the sales force that model for $250. I purchased a set for my folks,and a set for myself.  I ended up selling a ton of those mattresses.  Not to mention the $100 spiff they threw at each sale.  There is a TON of mark up. 

Everyone needs to sleep.  Not everyone needs to listen to music on high end systems.  Therefore more mattress stores than audio stores 

i obsessively researched this very topic before buying my new mattress (dreamcloud premier--fantastic). i was informed by those in the biz that the typical profit margin (after delivery costs and overhead but before salesman's commission) for brick-and-mortar retailers is around 40% but  higher on pricier mattresses--there are also manufacturer rebates + alot of high-margin sales of gray market goods. for online retailers, the profit margin is more like 100%. so considerably richer than audio...

I once was told that $2 toothbrushes often cost stores less than 10 cents. That's the business I should be in, setting up discount toothbrush stores at malls.  Have adorable models outside dressed all in black offering to brush your teeth for you, and then charge $30 per toothbrush....

Bottled water. Now, that's markup. $3 a case of 24, sells in the airport for $4.75 per bottle.

I once was told that $2 toothbrushes often cost stores less than 10 cents.

Consider that you will spend almost a third of your life in bed. So paying decent coin on a good mattress that will last for 15-20 years is money well spent.

Sure there are a lot of overpriced mattresses, but I have never come across a cheap one (sub 1k) that could compete in comfort to the multi layer expensive ones.

I agree that a good mattress is vital, but this discussion is about markups, not value. :)

Based on experience, I would not recommend keeping a mattress for 15 or 20 years no matter how good it is. Any mattress will eventually start sagging and losing support, and when it does, say hello to serious sciatica and back issues. 

I hear you!  Just last year we purchased our 2nd Temperpedic mattress.  Called the Cloud.  Cost me $4k...for a bed..  not including the foundation!  I don't believe it's worth it but the wifey is happy....

I sleep as a Roman...

No mattress is good for me if not with 6 inches inclination ...

As a speakers system must be under controls for the ears, a bed must be under control for the body metabolism...

Roman and Egyptian know how to build better and how to design a bed...

Even acoustic was advanced not primitive ...

I forgot to say that i paid peanuts for my mattress...

Embeddings controls so to speak is the key here too not the price tag...😉

😊

I just spent an overnight in Charleston, SC in a great hotel.  It was like sleeping on the side of a refrigerator.  I doubt I slept much at all.