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At Consumer Reports we have long cautioned about the rising and falling prices of mattresses. Little did we know that we'd experience those markups and discounts in our own mattress tests. After checking our mattress Ratings recently, a reader complained that a mattress we had recommended as a CR Best Buy at $700 cost more than twice that at her local Sears. Turns out we had purchased our test sample of the Simmons Beautyrest Glover Park Firm Pillowtop during a holiday promotion, the best time to buy.
"It's typical in the mattress industry to offer discount prices throughout the year," a spokesperson for Sears Holdings told us. "Because mattresses represent a significant investment for many of our customers, Sears offers promotional pricing on a regular basis with savings amounting to as much as 50 percent off."
Unless you're shopping for a specialty mattress—usually with a fixed price—you don't need to pay anything near the so-called unit price. Sales of more than half off are common at most retailers and other promotions for free delivery and haul-away are frequent extras. In fact, the very day we heard from our reader, Sears began its Memorial Day weekend sale and listed the same Simmons Beautyrest Glover Park Firm Pillowtop at $701.89, much lower than the price she saw. A Sears representative said the price would go up again after the promotion.
The Simmons Beautyrest Glover Park Firm Pillowtop from Sears is no longer a CR Best Buy but it's still a great mattress and one we recommend. It's a good choice if you sleep on your side and it stood up well in our tests simulating eight years of use. It's not the best choice for back sleepers, however. For that you'd want the Serta Perfect Sleeper Elite Pastel Firm sold at Macy's, which was excellent at supporting the spine's natural curve when sleeping on your back.
Our advice: If you decide you want a specific mattress, take your time and wait for a sale, which often take place around a holiday. Sears is among many retailers that offer deep discounts periodically. And remember, there's always room for haggling.
