Mattress store/mattress advice without the greasy salesperson feeling?

[malcolmk14]

In the market for a new mattress and looking for advice on any you may have tried, as well as any suggestions for where to go where one won't be accosted as soon as they walk through the door by the furniture salesperson.

No idea really what we're looking for as we're overwhelmed with options but trying to get a nice medium-firm king size mattress. Wife is opposed to mattress-in-a-box because she has some worries about longevity. Currently our mattress is too soft (inner spring with a pillow top).

A little unsure of whether we should be going down the spring or memory foam mattress direction.

Side/stomach sleepers.

[Madman]

Go to the Brick Mattress store down in Okotoks, zero slimyness at all. We had the same worry as you with the usual salesperson tactics, but were very pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge and total lack of pushy tactics.

[powderjunkie]

Two Twin XLs = 1 king. Get a decent mattress protector thing and the line between is barely noticeable. It's actually kinda nice knowing where that line is and who is encroaching on who!

Best mattresses we've ever had were a couple hundred bucks on Amazon. One started as a guest bed and then we realized it was way better than the Sleep Country king we had and started to hate after less than a year (also tried an Endy for a few months and didn't like). Probably 6 years into using them and still happy. I think it was called Classic Brands

[Calgary]

I quite like my Endy.

[Bill Bumface]

I went through the same thing recently. I treat this as a 15 year purchase, I'm not willing to throw something that big in the dump on a regular basis.

Buying something online without trying it first that you're married to for that long seems insane to me. Especially when all online mattress companies are largely born out of how to fit a mattress in a small shipping unit rather than how to make the best mattress.

Basically all the review sites online are scams. Everything "independently" top rated shows up as having issues 2 years in if you search reddit.

Sleep Country/Leons/The Brick are all pretty sleazy with massive markups and more and more low end garbage ending up on their floors. You can snag a Tempurpedic from one of those places on sale and you're probably doing pretty well.

I ended up going with Black Sheep. They get great reviews from actual people on Reddit. They are manufactured in Calgary and made with all natural materials so you aren't spending 8 hours a day on something off-gassing carcinogens. They've only been around since 2011, so not quite the longevity track record I'd prefer, but I couldn't find anyone complaining about short term failures.

[nik-]

I bought my bed at Black Sheep too and it was a pretty casual experience. Buying one of those mattress in a box online seems crazy to me for something so important.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Madman

Go to the Brick Mattress store down in Okotoks, zero slimyness at all. We had the same worry as you with the usual salesperson tactics, but were very pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge and total lack of pushy tactics.

I will second this

[Reggie Dunlop]

Waterbed, baby!

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Madman

Go to the Brick Mattress store down in Okotoks, zero slimyness at all. We had the same worry as you with the usual salesperson tactics, but were very pleasantly surprised by the level of knowledge and total lack of pushy tactics.

The good news about the brick is that your box spring, frame, and mattress and then the wheels for the frame will all arrive months apart.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by nik-

I bought my bed at Black Sheep too and it was a pretty casual experience. Buying one of those mattress in a box online seems crazy to me for something so important.

The mattress in a boxes pretty much all have trial periods to evaluate. I’d argue that lying on a mattress for a few minutes or even a few hours in a store is pretty useless.

You need a month to really figure this out.

We bought a Douglas, it was too firm, then an Endy that was really good. With the Douglas they came and picked it up and I believe they go to shelters or a community org helping people in need.

[Slava]

Tempurpedic AINEC. I know it’s not cheap, but they’re incredible.

[mikephoen]

My wife and I also went with Black Sheep. We’ve had it a year and a half and it’s been great so far. Buying experience was also nice, with no pressure. They have a showroom where you can try all the different firmnesses and options. Highly recommended.

We even bought a couple of their weird pillows made out of memory foam scraps and they’ve also been great. Intuitively they seem like they would be terrible, but in practice they’ve worked out really well.

[BigNumbers]

We have a silk and snow hybrid coil and memory foam Mattress. Best mattress I’ve ever had. Made in Canada. Highly recommended.

[Locke]

Are you really even living if a dude with oil-slicked hair isnt trying to sell you stuff?

Take that out of the equation and half of the fun is gone.

[Raekwon]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Waterbed, baby!

thinking about this now, I had a waterbed most of my childhood and up to about age 21, I think all of my back problems are starting to make sense.

I just realized 2 x Twin XL is a king size so decided to go the 2 x Twin XL route for our next bed to reduce movement, avoid differences in preference etc. Frankly i'm a firm believer in separate rooms but I'm not going that route yet.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Slava

Tempurpedic AINEC. I know it’s not cheap, but they’re incredible.

100% this. Bought a hybrid last year and my back issues have literally gone away.

There was about a 30 day adjustment period but i was having back/neck issues with my old Serta (or was it Sealy?) and a Tempurpedic hybrid just...fixed it. Then and now I'm stretching daily and going to the gym 5-6 days a week so my physical routine hasn't changed, so changing the mattress was 100% the catalyst.

[fotze2]

Bought a Black Sheep one couple years ago. Not a fan, Legs get sliced every morning when I forget the springs are poking out the side. A little too firm, I chose poorly.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by GGG

The mattress in a boxes pretty much all have trial periods to evaluate. I’d argue that lying on a mattress for a few minutes or even a few hours in a store is pretty useless.

You need a month to really figure this out.

We bought a Douglas, it was too firm, then an Endy that was really good. With the Douglas they came and picked it up and I believe they go to shelters or a community org helping people in need.

Every mattress company and store has a trial period.

[Nammer403]

Originally Posted by Calgary

I quite like my Endy.

Me too!


Side note on CP has a user hatty who owns a furniture store - I was looking for a box spring for my kids mattress and it didn't break the bank
https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=181119

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

In the market for a new mattress and looking for advice on any you may have tried, as well as any suggestions for where to go where one won't be accosted as soon as they walk through the door by the furniture salesperson.

No idea really what we're looking for as we're overwhelmed with options but trying to get a nice medium-firm king size mattress. Wife is opposed to mattress-in-a-box because she has some worries about longevity. Currently our mattress is too soft (inner spring with a pillow top).

A little unsure of whether we should be going down the spring or memory foam mattress direction.

Side/stomach sleepers.

Costco.

For a king sized, consider twin XL x 2 instead. If you ever have to adjust or move anything, it's easier to move 2x twin XL than a king mattress and bed box.

Originally Posted by BigNumbers

We have a silk and snow hybrid coil and memory foam Mattress. Best mattress I’ve ever had. Made in Canada. Highly recommended.

I had a memory foam from Silk and Snow and it was great until around 14 months. Then it collapsed and it was non-stop back pain. I had two queen sized memory foams from Novosbed. Both are still great at around 5-6+ years later.