As many of you know, for MONTHS now, we've been looking at mattresses. Many want to know what is taking us so long. There are several factors contributing to the endless hunt. Factor 1, I'm awfully tight with money. Factor 2, I have a knack for choosing the most expensive item and forming an attachment to that item before I realize that it's the most expensive. Factor 3, is well, that factor 1 and 2 don't jive! Factor 4, Doug and I are the most indecisive couple. I mean really, on a good night when we decide to go out to eat, one of several things risk happening before we even decide on a place - Audrey falls asleep in her car seat waiting for Momma and Daddy to decide, someone passes out of hunger, the car runs out of gas, or the restaurant closes!! Factor 5, I come from a super analytical family and it's embedded into by DNA to consult Consumer's Report, ask the opinion of everyone I know, compare all prices within a 50 mile radius, 'dicker' (as mom says with salespeople and most importantly, call Dad over and over and over!!!
But, I'm pleased to announce that we have made a decision. Maybe I'm tootin' my own horn a bit prematurely because we haven't yet bought the mattress, we just know which one we will get. And, now, at the risk of putting too much of myself out there, let me just say, it is NOT the most expensive one we were looking at! YEAH!!!!
Doug and I fell in love with an all latex foam bed by Serta. This is not to be confused with a memory foam bed. Memory foam boasts an asset of it forming to your body. However, that impression you leave, takes a long time to bounce back. So, you could feasibly roll over and fall back into the imprint your body just left behind you. This Serta all latex foam springs back instantly. It's a dream. However, it's super pricey. Doug and I finally decided on a Simmons mattress.
Just let me shop!
We've been joking around at how much we loathe putting up with salespeople when we go into a store. We laugh at the massive stack of business cards each trip brings to Doug's wallet or my purse. Whenever we walk in the door of a furniture store, you can see the look on salespeople's faces as if a race is about to ensue. They give us their card, see what we're interested in, make a brown-nosed remark about how cute Audrey is, yadda-yadda-yadda. The other night, we actually witnessed a funny thing. We had just walked in the store and some lady quickly approached us trying to get our business. While we were talking, we happened to walk by another group of employees gabbing away. The group hears the lady walking with us tell us her name, and this guys yells out, "And if she can't help you, I probably can, my name is Chuck. The third person says, 'No don't listen to them, I can help you." Is this a race, or are they really interested in helping us? Or are they seriously more interested in annoying us so much we'll leave, and they can go back to laying on all the comfy couches drinking the burnt coffee we can smell at the back of the store near the employee lunch room!?
Doug and I have a theory on how good sales should work. First, why don't salespeople really educate themselves on one line/type of furniture? Because really, when I'm trying to find out about a mattress, and some lady who only really knows about kitchen cabinetry proceeds to try convince us to buy a $3000 mattress on the only info advice, "it's space-age technology" or "this is the mattress on Air Force One" - How is that going to sell me on it? Really!?
Our second theory is that each section of the store should have a button you can press to alert someone that you need help. This way I can shop in peace. I can lay on a mattress, see how it feels, and have a private conversation with my husband about if I really want to drop $2000 on a mattress, and IF, I need help then I'll get someone. It's not helpful for me to lay on a mattress while somebody sits on the opposing mattress, staring at me, throwing out random facts like "my aunt sue has one and loves it." Aunt Sue could be a psycho in the state jail, for all I know!
Our last theory on mattresses is that there should be some sort of regulation on mattresses. The same matresses are at every store and each store is allowed to give it a distinct name. So, one place will sell a mattress called the Crestridge Delux for $1000. Place two says it's the Simple Romance for $1500 and the third place will slap some name like Haven Retreat for $2000. And, each place is allowed to call the materials different names. The same foam can be called, SurFoam, Dream Foam, Desinger Foam-ula, etc. They do this to confuse shoppers and not allow us to compare prices.
Don't get me wrong, Doug and I are super sweet, make small talk with the people, ask them questions like what they personally sleep on (even though it really has no bearing on our decision), and we take their cards (even if we have 3 already from them). I figure that's just how they have to support their families. And maybe they hate it too.
Doug couldn't believe that he happened on a blog of someone expressing his own frustration with sales associates at Best Buy. We read and laughed how spot on he was and how it was so timely with our recent furniture shopping.