Buying a Mattress Online vs. In the Store: Where Should I Shop?

The average person will spend a staggering 229,961 hours of their life asleep. That means that, over the course of your lifetime, you will spend 1369 weeks in bed! That is a serious amount of Zzzzz’s.

With this much time spent sleeping on a mattress – not to mention the other things that you might do on it – it is little wonder why it is so important that you buy the best mattress possible.

Since most mattresses last for years, some even decades (although we certainly wouldn’t recommend waiting that long), it’s likely been awhile since you’ve had to think about buying a new one.

If it has been awhile since you bought a new mattress, how do you know if your mattress still has some life left in it, or if it is time to start considering other options?

4 Signs that it Might be Time to Toss Out Your Old Mattress

Here are 4 telltale signs that it is time to start thinking about buying a new mattress.

1. You haven’t bought a new mattress in 8 or more years: The age of your mattress is the first thing to consider when determining if it is time to consider buying a new one. Most people have difficulty remembering when they last replaced their mattress, it might be helpful to write the purchase date on the mattress label so that you have a reminder.
2. You wake up feeling tired and sore: Ask anyone who has gotten a good night’s sleep and they will tell you that they’ve woken up feeling rested and refreshed. If you regularly wake up feeling tired or uncomfortable (and you don’t have some type of sleep disorder) your mattress might be the culprit!
3. Sleeping on the couch starts to feel more comfortable: If you start heading to the couch, or other rooms of the house, in hopes of finding a decent night’s sleep, this should be seen as a key indicator that it is time to start thinking about buying a new mattress. Your mattress needs to be supportive and comfortable, not something you dread the thought of laying on.
4. You are woken up at night by the sound of squeaky springs: The ability of your mattress to support your body is only as good as whatever happen to be supporting the mattress. If you believe that your mattress is still in decent condition, it might be worth inspecting the box spring or the bed frame itself. If either of these are in less than suitable condition, they will directly after the support, comfort and shape of a mattress.

If you are starting to see the signs that a new mattress should be on your purchase list, or maybe you’ve seen them for awhile now, it makes sense to start comparison shopping so that you can get the best deal, without sacrificing quality.

Thanks to the Internet, affordable shipping rates, and the popularity of e-commerce sites like Amazon.com and other online retailers, a staggering number of consumers prefer to make their purchases online, direct from the comfort of their own homes.

With good reason, you are likely to see better deals online than you ever will in a physical retail store.

That is not to say that there are not advantages to taking a more traditional approach and visiting a brick-and-mortar retail location as well.

Surprisingly, the best way to buy a new mattress is using a hybrid-approach that involves shopping both online and in the store.

Start in the Showroom, End on the Website

There are obvious advantages and disadvantages of shopping online and in the store.

For example, shopping in the store will always offer a more personalized experience that shopping online, and shopping online will always allow more variety than shopping in a store.

Interestingly, studies have found that consumers are no more or no less satisfied with their purchases whether they were purchased online or directly from a retail location.

It really all comes down to what works for you.

It should be noted, however, that buying a mattress online isn’t as straightforward as visiting a mattress website, picking a mattress and hitting ‘check out’– you need to know what your own personal preferences are and what you are looking for.

Ultimately, the first rule of thumb should be to visit a local mattress retailer and try out different mattress styles until you find one, in your price zone, that offers the level of support and comfort that you need. For example, do you prefer a softer mattress over one that is firmer?

Or perhaps you would rather memory foam instead of springs.

The only way to really know for sure what works for you is to walk into a showroom and explore the options available to you.

Don’t be shy, pick a few mattresses in your price range and test them out by lying down on them, rolling around a few times and determining which mattress is the most likely to provide you with a good night’s rest for the next five or more years.

Even if you already know what type of mattress you prefer, there is still value in visiting a showroom.

Styles and technology are always changing, and you might find that your tastes have changed.

If you are still struggling to figure out which type of mattress is right for you, check out our buying guide, The Top Mattress for Every Kind of Sleeper.

Comparison Shop Online to Save Money in the Store

You’ve visited your local mattress retailer, spent a couple of hours researching and testing out potential mattresses, have narrowed down your options and feel confident that you’ve selected a mattress that is guaranteed to help you get a solid night’s sleep.

So, why not just whip out your debit card and buy the mattress right there in the store?

One reason: cost!

Consumers who shop online pay 15% less (sometimes even as high as 75% off the original purchase price) for the same products available in stores.

With the number of consumers shopping online increasing, and the cost of order fulfilment and shipping services decreasing, many online retailers are offering buyer protection benefits that rival those of their brick-and-mortar counterparts – Benefits like hassle-free returns, 90-day trial periods and consumer satisfaction guarantees, all designed to encourage buyers to shop remotely.

Go into the Store for a More Personal Experience

All told, not everyone is comfortable making large (and expensive) purchases online.

Buying your mattress direct from a local retailer will always offer a more personalized shopping experience.

In this case, after testing out and selecting your mattress, go home and start comparison shopping online.

Comparison shopping is when you use sites like PriceRunner or Shopping.com to research the product that you want to buy and locate the retailer who is selling it for the lowest price.

If your research leads you to another retailer (online or in-store) that is selling the same mattress, at a price that is more competitive than the price you saw in the showroom, print off the advertisement and bring it to the store.

Most storefronts are happy to match or beat competitor and online pricing in order to win your business.

Keep in mind, however, that the product must be identical. Some stores have restrictions on the types of competitor ads that they will match, so it is always in good practice to carefully read price matching guarantees – these can typically be found on a store’s website, or by asking customer service.

Conclusion

When it comes to buying your new mattress online or in-store, there is no conclusive evidence supporting one as being better than the other.

Both offer something that the other can’t.

For example, shopping in-store allows you to test mattress quality and comfort, shopping online allows you to quickly find the lowest price.

In the end, the two should ideally be used in unison.

The most important thing (next to buying a quality mattress that is going to leave you feeling refreshed and rested) is to make sure that your investment is protected.

Always ask about money-back guarantees (in case, after getting your new mattress home, you find it isn’t right for you) and lifetime warranties – or at the very least consumer protection plans for minor damage or defects.