Looking for a step-by-step guide to the mattress buying process? Here is what we recommend:
A mattress is a highly individual product – what’s best for your neighbor may not be best for you. To determine your individual needs, try our simple mattress quiz. You may also want to review our guide on how to evaluate mattresses.
Now that you better understand your needs, let’s review your options. First, there are a variety of mattress types available today (eg, memory foam, air, latex, innerspring, etc.) – to determine which may be right for you, check out our various product guides, remembering to compare the description of each mattress type to your Personal Mattress Criteria. Once you’ve narrowed your choices, you can research specific mattress brands to learn more about their products and the ratings they’ve received from people who own them.
Now that you’ve focused your search and armed yourself with knowledge, it’s time to see how these mattresses really feel. Get a map of all the mattress stores in your area by typing your zip (or postal) code into our mattress store locator. Choose which store(s) to visit by reading about the products they carry, the services they offer, and the ratings they have received from other mattress shoppers. Once you are in the store, your objective is to assess how each mattress fits your individual needs (remember your Personal Mattress Criteria). You may also want to check out these tips on how to best approach your store visits.
Before you settle on a specific mattress, be sure you have done your final homework. Check the mattress reviews to confirm that other owners of that brand and/or model have been satisfied with their purchase – if not, make sure it was for reasons that you feel don’t apply to you (eg, different comfort or support needs), rather than reasons that would more likely affect your decision (eg, poor durability).
By this point, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want – now it’s time to leverage that information to get the best deal. Of course, this means shopping around. We recommend that you do this by phone, telling each store about the model you like, and asking them to tell you about their most “equivalent” model. You can then ask them to offer you their “best price” on this mattress, and use GoodBed to research this brand and model before you decide whether it is worth visiting that store. For more suggestions on this topic, be sure to check out our guide to getting the best deal on a mattress.
Have some more specific questions? Check out our Mattress 101 guide to find out where to get started on your search.
