Why are Mattress Ratings useless? Beacuse you have to go into the store and feel a mattress for yourself. You have to face the salesman. I’m sort of a fan of digging in to what is really behind a given sales pitch, whether it be a commercial, print ad, or the face-to-face rambling of a persuasive sales person. I often conclude the communications to be ingenious but sometimes I can’t help to yell out loud “what a scam!”
I’ve long since been aware of, at a high level, some of the peculiarities of the mattress sales process. I’ve purchased them, been friends with some folks who sold them, and would occasionally reference the industry’s quirks when in a related discussion.
It wasn’t until recently when I determined it was time for a new mattress that I decided to really take a good look at what goes on in the process. I’m an objective type of skeptic most of the time, so I was determined to figure out a way to deal with the process. I didn’t want to come out of it feeling like I have no clue what went on or what I bought, but knowing I spent too much money.
I don’t have anything against sales people and to use a common cliché’, one of my best friends is a career salesman. There is a need for the profession and I firmly believe that most of them are honest and ethical people that deserve every bit of the commissions they generate. You know the saying about bad apples. In addition to laying out the wholesale to retail issues, this book also highlights some bad apples and their techniques. This is all done for the benefit of the consumer. If I occasionally reference a sales person with the name of a predatory animal, it is only a reference to the bad apples, and partially done for the humorous aspect. Let’s face it: the topic is mattresses, there needs to be a way to keep the reader entertained!
