What’s the best time of the year to buy a new mattress?

You may think that the time of the year doesn’t have much to do with buying a mattress and that you could do it just whenever you need a new one. Of course, you can do it that way, but it will go a lot better if you follow some of the following advice.

The time of the year really has a big impact on a mattress purchase, and it affects one of the most important factors – the price. You could buy a mattress at any price point if you want, but you really shouldn’t buy a mattress unless you’re getting the best deal.

So, when you know what time of year you’ll find the deepest discounts on quality mattresses, you’ll potentially be able to score yourself the best sleep of your life.

When Do Mattresses Go On Sale?

In a world where everything is digital or in the Cloud, you’d probably think the days when the calendar decided when consumer products are on sale were far behind us.

Well, think again. In the market analysis conducted by consumer advocate Consumer Reports, it was found that deep discounts for many consumer products are still connected to a particular month of the year.

Some sales come along with the introduction of new models, while others are perennial traditions, like Black Friday in November or Labor Day sales on white goods.

Consumer Reports tracks the prices of the products they review, so they have the data that can show us month by month what products we can expect to find on deep discount.

Believe it or not, the month of October is the time to look for deals on mattresses (it’s also a good month for snow blowers), according to Consumer Reports.

If you shop around at different stores, you won’t be able to find the same models, which can make it a little hard to compare prices. This is due to mattress manufacturers making exclusive models for each mattress retailer.

Your smartest strategy is going to be to try out several different models, pay attention to ratings and reviews, and then try to negotiate the best deal on the mattress that’s your favorite.

Many mattress sellers, especially the mattress specialty chains such as Mattress Firm, mark their products way up so that they can lower prices by 30 percent or more during their frequent sales. Knowing this trick gives you room to haggle and land a great deal on a great mattress.

If you decide to go to a brick and mortar store to shop for a new mattress, try each one out by lying on it for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Couples who share a bed should try the mattress out together. This is a big investment, so don’t allow the salesperson to rush you or try to sway you on how the mattress feels.

When I’m shopping online, I like to sort by lowest to highest price. You should do the same when mattress shopping. Start out with the least expensive bed from a few top brands, and work your way up in cost.

Stores keep the least expensive models in the back of the store, so shop the front of the store last. You should also try different firmness levels and types of mattresses, each in the same price point and level of quality.

Once you find the firmness, comfort level, and mattress material that feels the best to you, try more mattresses of that kind at other mattress stores and online.

Mattress Buying Tips

Keep these tips for saving money in mind when shopping for a new mattress:

• Shop online. If you’ve already been doing some mattress research, you’ve likely watched a few mattress unboxing videos on YouTube. Online mattress brands such as Bear Mattress, Nolah, and Puffy ship their specialty mattresses to you in a branded box. There are some great mattresses to be found online, but a perk is that Internet mattress prices can be competitive. You can use this to help you negotiate price if you decide to shop at a store.
• Try it. Before you decide on a mattress, sleep on it. Many mattress retailers offer an in-home free trial. If you get a mattress home and decide to return it within a certain window of time (usually around 100 – 120 nights), you’ll get a full refund. This is particularly helpful if you’re buying a mattress from an online seller and haven’t tried it out in person yet.
• Get it guaranteed. Look for a mattress seller that will guarantee their price. Some retailers will give you the difference in price if the mattress you bought goes on sale within a certain period of time after your purchase. At Mattress Firm, the 120-night price-guarantee window means you’ll probably be able to take advantage of pricing from at least one major sale.
• Negotiate the price. Believe it or not, mattress shoppers can negotiate. If you can’t get a retailer to come down on their price, they might be willing to add on a free pillow or accessory to make the purchase worth it for you.
• Look at price, not percent. A half-off sale isn’t necessarily better than a 10% off discount. This is especially true if the other mattress was much more expensive to start with. Be sure to look at both the original price and the final price of the mattress, not just the percentage of how much of the price is discounted.

We hope these money-saving tips will help you in buying your dream mattress without breaking the bank.

Our blog article, “What to Look for When Buying a New Mattress” has lots of additional mattress buying tips. We also delved deep into research on mattresses currently on the market—see which ones got top marks in our “Best Mattress Brands of 2019.”