Millions of mattress myths are swirling around the internet and they’re impossible for retailers to police. But what happens when a shopper comes into your store asking about product quality differences, brands, and buying online beds?
To find out some of the most common (and real!) mattress myths that are being spread, we asked a few mattress retailers what they’ve heard.
Robert Workman, general manager of Wildcat Mattress in Nicholasville, Kentucky, says one of the most common myths people come into his store talking about is the quality of product from online retailers.
“People come in and say that online retailers say that their mattresses are the best, and sometimes they say one mattress suits all,” Workman explains. “I have to correct them all the time. I have had about 10 people in the last month that bought a mattress online and returned it then came to me for answers. You can’t believe all the hoopla online and fake reviews.”
Darv Yoder, owner of Interior Sit and Sleep, says he’s run into similar problems, but dealing specially with beds in boxes. Customers often ask why Yoder’s beds cost more than the beds in boxes they can find at home improvement stores.
“I just tell them that I have a hard time believing that they could get a quality bed that’s able to be put into a small box and explain what type of problems they’re going to have to get it squeezed back into that box if they ever have a service issue with it” Yoder says. “That usually works for me.”
Another myth that Jeff Giagnocavo, co-owner of Gardner’s Mattress and More, brought up is that “a name brand equals quality, and a non-brand-name equals poor quality.”
To counter that, Giagnocavo says he first establishes why they want a certain brand, what they like about that brand, and most importantly, what benefit they wish to have from the brand or feature inside.
“Typically I get back vague answers, and the brand thing is more of a defensive shopper flex than anything,” he explains. “The truth is they just want to fix their issues. Once we get to issues and what they like, I can then prescribe the right solution with similar or better features than the brand. And of course, it’s a solution that is devoid of advertising, so while they haven’t heard of the brand they have now felt or have seen or I’ve demonstrated why it will work for them.
And for die-hard brand loyalists, he says he simply asks, “Out of all the options offered here, why do you think we actively chose to NOT offer the brand you’re looking for?”
This is only a small sample of the myths being spread out in the world right now, but that just means more opportunity, as Randy Thompson, president and owner of Van Wert Bedrooms Inc., explains.
“[People say] I can’t sleep on my back but I sleep better in my recliner than in my bed, he says. “To me, that means they just bought the adjustable base! Easy sale!”
