Buying a mattress for the First Time: My Experience

Buying a mattress, or any type of furniture is a strange experience. From the moment you step foot into the door to the second you leave, a sales person is practically following you around like a dog. I should have known that this was going to happen, and I should have prepared myself more. But nope. I thought this time would be different. I thought I could walk into that mattress store, look around by MYSELF, and then get the sales person when I was ready, that was if I planned on buying anything.

Of course, that was not what happened. As soon as I pulled open the door, the bell rang and the sales woman’s head shot up, like a dog’s ears perk up when they hear a sound, from what she was doing. At this point, she had already made eye contact with me, so I knew there was no way I could avoid her now. I couldn’t just look away and mind my own business or walk right back out without being seen. Nope. Our eyes locked for a second. So, she knew I was there. Plus, there was literally no one else in the store. It is kind of hard to hide or blend in when the store is one big open room and the bell rang as you walked in.

We both had seen and acknowledged each other. It was too late. I was about to be followed. Noooo! Just like expected, she started making her way towards me, and trying to prolong the time I had before she made it to me, I stopped making eye contact and began walking down another row hoping this would convey some sort of message. A message that I just wanted to look in peace and by myself. That didn’t work. She was fast and already by my side before I even had a chance to finish looking at one mattress, and me going down a different row than she was coming up did not stop her. Oh, she was determined to make a sale, and for that, she was not going to leave my side.

 “What are you looking for today?” She asked, standing real close. First of all lady, I have a bubble, and no it is not as small as yours is. If you now Indians, we tend to give a lot of space between ourselves and the other person. Unlike Americans, we don’t get up close and personal. It’s just not who we are or how we are raised.

I responded with my usual response of that I am just looking. But that didn’t make her go away like others. She kept pressing.

“Ok. Why don’t we start with what kind of mattress you like? Soft, medium, or firm.” She instructed, forcing me to follow her over to the three types of mattresses on display.  Well, she didn’t literally drag me over there, but I had no choice but to follow her. She was not going to leave me alone otherwise. So, I thought in order to get her off my back, I might as well listen. After leaving me by the three demo mattress setups, she hurried to grab a plastic cover type thing to put over the pillows and instructed me to lay on each of the beds. The soft, the medium firm, and the firm. 

As I slowly began to lay down on the medium one, she just stood there and watched me. Talk about awkward. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t do so well when my every move is being watched. I am the type of shopper who likes to be left alone and browse on my own, and definitely not with a sales person by my side. When I find something, then I will come and get you. But until then, please let me look in peace and ALONE, alone being the keyword. If you want to watch me, watch me from afar and without me knowing.

But this lady, stood there by the foot of the bed and watched me the ENTIRE time. Asking, how I liked the bed. I don’t know lady. And I won’t be able to know for sure because I will not be truly testing it out. I basically laid down real quick and got up quickly. Because she was watching me and it was awkward. Woman, give me some space and privacy. Let me take the time to test it out alone and then, if I like one, I will come to you. Please.

After having me test a few mattresses, she commented that I was quick, and told me to lay down longer. Um. Maybe if you were not watching me the entire time, I would spend more time on each mattress, but I am uncomfortable right now. So, I rather complete the formality of “testing” it out, and just get off the bed quickly. I can’t just lay there while you are staring at me the entire time.

I ended up just picking a mattress because I desperately needed a new one.  I don’t even know if I truly liked the mattress. I just bought it because I just wanted her to stop watching me. I guess I will find out when I bring it home and sleep on it. Too bad, if I don’t like it, I basically lost all my money. As I will not get much back if I return it.

Yea. You heard that right. When I just picked a mattress, and she began to go through the fees and the fine print with me, my mind was blown. First of all, she didn’t even bother to ask me if I wanted the extra mattress cover and the mattress to be delivered straight to my home. She just proceeded to add everything onto the total and before I knew it the grand total came out to be almost back to the original price of the mattress. What was the point of the sale and discounts you told me about initially if the price was going to come back up to the original?

Lady, what are you doing? I am money saver type of shopper and don’t spend money on anything if I think it was too much. I am the type of shopper, when I am not being followed of course, that can walk into a store and know if it is for me. And one look at a price tag usually helps. You should have seen me shop in Canada. I was in and out many stores so fast because I knew that I would not find anything there.

Why did you bother to show me a value mattress that was almost half off, and then add on all these additional things to bring it right back up? I am not stupid. You can’t fool me. Woman, I have grown up with a dad who is good at seeing right through these tactics. You can’t fool me. After all, I am his daughter.

When she told me the total, I was like wait a second. Can’t I pick it up myself? Do I have to have it delivered? And she was like yea you can do that, but you won’t get it the next day. Probably saying darn in on the inside when I noticed the ridiculous charge and trying to make me change my mind by saying I won’t get it right away. Instead, you will get it next week. As if that was such a bad thing. Woman, you do not know me. I week is not that long. If I can save $80 by waiting until next week to pick it up myself, then you bet I am going to wait. I am not in a hurry. I have waited this long for a mattress. What is one more week?

We began to make some progress and brought the price back down to what she originally told me. Can’t trick me. I saw what you were doing there.

Then, she began to go over the fine print. How they provide a 125-day nights of sleep guarantee, and if you don’t like it, then you can return it. But, here is the catch. The redelivery fee of $80 will be taken out of the total, and a bunch of other fees which, to be honest, I can’t remember because as soon as she started listing all the stuff, my mind was telling me there is no point of even trying to return it. So basically, I am going to lose my money either way because I am not going to get much back at all. Might as well just keep the mattress and buy another one, instead of returning it and getting barely anything back. Who in their right mind would return it? And that my friends was my trip to Mattress Warehouse.