Hi, my name is Gates, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read this report. I am the owner of BoxDrop Mattress of El Paso, and I first got into the mattress business in 1998. To date, I have sold over $6 million dollars worth of mattresses and furniture, always at deep discounts (close to $15 million worth based on traditional retail prices). In the last couple of decades, I have learned a lot about mattresses and how the industry as a whole operates.

We will delve deeply  into the types of products, pros and cons shortly, but an important factor in getting the best deal possible is understanding how traditional mattress and furniture shops operate. I learned how they work by competing head to head with them, which is a short story I will share with you, which should make their operations more clear and show you how to navigate the misinformation that is rampant in the industry. 

When I first opened my doors in Dallas, TX in 1998, I knew nothing about mattresses, to be honest. A couple of former business partners introduced me to the industry, and we figured out several ways to minimize traditional furniture retail expenses. I started my fist shop in 2 10x 20 mini storage units. My first month in business, I literally paid $2 for rent (we’ve all seen those “$1 for the first month” promotions at storage unit facilities). After that, my rent for the two units was about $180 per month (remember, this was in Texas, and in the 90s). I only advertised in newspapers, and had tiny, inexpensive ads that basically said I had new mattresses starting at $xxx price, and I put my cell phone number in my ads. People called me, scheduled a time to meet, and I met them in front of the storage unit and they would follow me in. I met with all of the customers myself, did all of the deliveries myself. My expenses, other than the products were just my storage units, my cell phone and some cheap small newspaper ads!

By working this way, I was able to offer the same products for about half price of what the big stores were offering on their best sales. Once I saw the actual price lists from the manufacturers, I was blown away by how much stores were charging for mattresses! To make matters worse, I had just purchased a new mattress a few months prior, and after making my purchase of a nice queen mattress for $699, I knew I had gotten an amazing deal, because that mattress had a “normal” price of $1399. I actually sold that same make and model mattress in my store, and it cost me $278. I sold it every day for $359, and as you can imagine, I never ran a sale. I didn’t have to - I was already about half price of their “sale price.” I also couldn’t – I was only making about $80 every time I sold it, and with that, I had to pay all of my business expenses (small as they were), and myself. That, of course is the nature of business!

Before long, I was taking hundreds of sales per month from the big guys. I was selling 40 – 50 mattresses every week, and my customers loved me! Some people bought very basic mattresses for as little as $150 for a queen set, and some were really nice and luxurious, and I sold them for over $1,000, but regardless of the price I sold it for, the other stores were selling the same or comparable mattresses for 2 to 3 times as much! I began to wonder why they never tried to compete with my prices. I know they knew about me. The sent salespeople to come “shop” my store, they called and threatened me, they left nasty voicemails on my phone in the middle of the night. If they were so mad, why didn’t they just lower their prices and steal the business away back from me, put me out of business and then go back to business as usual? I mean, these are multi-million dollar, national companies with budgets that I couldn’t even fathom! The simple answer is that they couldn’t.

Eventually, I started to put the puzzle pieces together. A typical mattress store is riddled with expenses that must be covered in order to stay afloat. First, take a look at their showrooms. They are large spaces in high traffic, high visibility areas. Even in Texas in the 90s, rents were in the neighborhood of $5,000+. They also had employee costs that were excessively high. There was generally a manager who was paid $4,000 - $5,000 per month plus bonuses, an assistant manager who was paid $2,500 - $3,000 plus bonuses and a couple of sales people on the floor that were paid $10 an hour ($1,600 a month) plus a 20% - 25% commission on sales. Now let’s look at advertising… Whoa! When was the last time you saw an ad for a mattress store on TV or heard one on the radio? Mass media advertising is incredibly expensive! An average store would have a monthly advertising budget in excess of $20,000 per month. We haven’t even touched on incidentals like phones, utilities, employment taxes, etc. So if you add up the numbers on the conservative side, that comes to almost $35,000 per month in fixed costs, plus 25% - 30% in commissions and bonuses on every sale on variable costs… They have to mark their products up as much as they do just to stay in business. Let’s take it a step further and project how much a store has to make on each sale to break even. If the store sells 350 mattresses per month (which would be a killer month for any mattress store), that’s about $100 per mattress to cover fixed costs, PLUS 25% in variable costs (which actually calculates to a 33% increase over cost). So let’s look at that same mattress that costs about $300. Breakeven is at $300 (product cost) + $100 (fixed cost) + $100 (variable cost) = $500. No wonder they sell it for $699, and no wonder they couldn’t come in and undercut my price of less than $400 – and they still make more than I do when you buy their mattress. The lesson here is that if you have ever driven by and seen a mattress store, seen an ad on TV, heard them on the radio, there is likely no way they can compete with our pricing.

So how are they still in business? Well, they still have the budgets for mass media advertising. The small guys like us at BoxDrop Mattress of El Paso will never be able to advertise as heavily and maintain the price points and service that we do. I prefer to operate this way, sell our 150 – 200 mattresses per month, make a nice living for my family and have customers who continuously leave us 5 star reviews all over the place! The only problem I see is that there are millions of people in El Paso, Las Cruces and the surrounding areas that will never know we exist and continue to grossly overpay for their mattress!

OK, so this has started out as a little bit of shameless self-promotion. I admit it. But know that my intent is for this information to be mutually beneficial. I want to sell you your next mattress, and I also want you to save hundreds (if not thousands) on your next mattress purchase. Is that fair? That being said, one of the best ways I can help you make the best decision on your next mattress purchase is to take a little time to educate you on mattresses, how they’re made, types of materials used, what should be important to you and why, and more importantly, what isn’t really important at all, regardless of what the salesperson at the big store tells you.

So let’s start off talking a little bit about the most basic part of most beds that are out there – the guts. There are three main structural formats seen in most mattresses – springs (coils), foam and air pockets. By far the most common are springs, and even still, there are several types, but the three most common are – Bonnell coils, Continuous coils, and Pocketed coils.

a. Pros – Inexpensive, familiar feel

b. Cons – lower level of support, shorter life span, pressure points, heavier sleepers are more likely to experience discomfort and issues

Similar to the Bonnell coil, but typically each row consists of one very long wire, coiled up repeatedly, end to end. Each row is then bound together to create a solid sleeping surface. These systems provide a higher level of support than the Bonnell coil, and generally have a firmer feel. Mattress buyers who like a softer feel will generally opt for this type of coil only if they get a thicker pillowtop or padding, as the springs can have a much firmer feel than Bonnell coil mattresses (imagine taking a trampoline and stretching it out further). They tend to have a bit less bounce to them and may last a bit longer than the typical Bonnell coil mattress.

a. Pros – Somewhat inexpensive, more support than Bonnell coils

b. Cons – Can make pressure point issues more noticeable, less comfortable for shoppers looking for a softer feel

Individually Pocketed coils – originally developed in 1900, these have been made popular by some of the higher end mattress manufacturers whose prices start significantly higher than typical manufacturers that use all of the spring types. This has given this coil type an inflated expected price range, and many stores often start the prices for pocketed coil mattresses well over $1,000 for a queen set. While yes, these types of springs cost a bit more, they are not so much more to warrant doubling of the prices of a mid grade to higher end Bonnell coil mattress. That being said, pocketed coil mattresses will generally have 2x – 3x as many springs as a Bonnelll mattress, and support significantly better. They do so because the coils are independent, and this allows the springs to contour to the body at every point, minimizing pressure points. Since the coils are independent, this also minimizes motion transfer within the mattress. When one person moves, it does not shake the whole bed, and therefore, there is less disturbance to the other person in the bed. You generally also get a less springy feel – when you lay down, the bed adjusts to the body and settles.

a. Pros – significantly better support, longer life span, less movement, less pressure points

b. Cons – generally quite a bit more expensive

Possibly the most advertised mattress type in history, memory foam has a very different feel from traditional spring or pocketed coil mattresses. Some people prefer the feel immediately, some get used to it eventually and others simply hate them and return to the more traditional mattresses as soon as possible. The primary concept behind memory foam is support. Since there is no actual spring, the foam completely contours to the body, leaving no curve untouched. There is also minimal motion transfer when one partner moves or gets up.

Memory foam has developed a reputation for getting hot for many sleepers during the night, which can often be uncomfortable and cause excessive night sweats. The reason for this is that the memory foam utilizes the body’s own heat to soften in places where the body has the most contact (hips and shoulders, typically), which allows the higher level of contour, but traditional memory foam retains the heat, and you may end up sleeping in a pocket of your own retained body heat. Since this was the biggest complaint about memory foam early on, many offsets have been developed to help minimize this effect. These include open cell foam designed to let heat escape, and gel infusion, which keeps the foam cooler (not you). These are offsets, and sleepers should not expect these to actually keep them cool on hot summer nights. Some have taken it a step further and have a cooling fabric, that will keep you, the sleeper cooler. While not unique to memory foam, they are more common on higher end models due to the normal heat issues. Memory foam is a synthetic material that can leave off a strong chemical smell, which is generally stronger when it is new, but will start to dissipate over time. This effect can vary depending on the type of foam used, whether it is shipped compressed (in a vacuum sealed bag), and an individual’s personal sensitivity. I have had people tell me they can still smell it years later, but that is not the norm.

These mattresses will generally have split layers of foam with different functions, starting with the high density support foam, and the top layer being the premium memory foam. Typically, the amount of each layer will depend on the thickness of the mattress, and while there are norms associated with the premium layer and support layer, many manufacturers will skew these thicknesses in order to make a mattress sound more appealing or better than it actually is. For instance, an 8” foam mattress will typically have 6” of support foam and 2” of memory foam. A 10” mattress will typically have a 7”/3” split, and 12” mattresses will be 8”/4” splits. Some manufacturers will make a 12’ mattress with 11.5” of support foam (which is significantly less expensive and doesn’t provide the higher level of support), and only 0.5” of the premium memory foam. This makes the mattress appear to be a great deal, but they will have less support and comfort of a cheaper 8” mattress with the more traditional configuration. Additionally, there is a wide variation in the quality of the premium foam layer that will affect support and longevity. Lower density foam (3 lb. or 4 lb.) will be less expensive, but will not last as long. They will develop permanent body impressions sooner, eliminating the comfort and support you felt when you purchased it. Foam mattresses can be made to feel soft or firm, but there is little to no bounce, and if you sit on the bed or apply the majority of your weight in one spot, you will sink deeply into the mattress. This has led to a rash of advertising and online comments referencing couples experiencing difficulties during those “intimate moments.” Most people can and will get used to the differences if they like the sleep that they get on this type of bed.

a. Pros – higher level of support, some sleepers prefer the feel, but that’s highly subjective

b. Cons – potential heat issues, wide ranges of quality that are difficult to determine if you don’t know what questions to ask, unpleasant chemical smell, generally very high retail prices with many manufacturers demanding minimum prices and not allowing retailers to discount below a certain level, and shady online retailers offering low cost, low quality options that feel good when they ask for a review just after purchase, but that don’t last much longer than a year before breaking down 

I’m not talking about the blow up mattresses you can buy for about $50 that your houseguests will dread. I’m talking about the beds where each partner can adjust the firmness on their side by inflating or deflating the tubes on their side. These are targeted to couples that have distinctly different preferences in the firmness of a mattress. This type of mattress has a series of rubber tubes that inflate or deflate at the push of a button, attached to a motor and compressor that is powerful enough to inflate with a few hundred pounds of sleepers on it. Oh, and a digital display that tells you at which number you like your bed! These mattresses can run upwards of $3,000 - $10,000, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out how this type of cost is justified, other than, if a couple is on the verge of splitting up or opting for separate beds because they are so far away from each other in their preference, this may seem like the only viable option. It is my belief that people buy these out of desperation.

a. Pros – if you and your partner don’t agree on the feel of a bed you may not have much more of an option

b. Cons – ridiculously expensive

A highly advertised (or hidden, in some cases), and often misconstrued factor of the quality of a bed is the coil count. This is the number of coils or springs in the mattress. The more coils, the more supportive and longer lasting… sort of. The first misconception shoppers usually face is what size mattress is being compared. The industry has determined that the proper mattress size that should be used to compare coil counts is a full size. Obviously, the exact same mattress in a twin will have less coils, and queen and king sized mattresses will have more. Every responsible professional should always quote the number of coils based on the full size, but some salespeople will tell queen buyers how many are in the queen, and the same for king. If a queen size buyer went to shop at store A and was told that a mattress was a 468 coil, and then they went to store B, and were told that a similarly priced mattress was 680 coils, they might be enticed to buy from store B. The problem is that it may be the exact same mattress, but at store A, the salesperson quoted the coils responsibly based on the full size version, and the salesperson at store B was quoting the count in the queen size to make it appear more appealing. This happens all the time! There are other factors that come into play as well. Different types of coils support and last differently. For example, a Bonnell coil mattress with 800 coils in a full will not be as supportive or as long lasting as a pocketed coil mattress with 660 springs in a full. Lastly, the gauge of the spring will make a difference. Many people do not know that when it comes to wire (what coils are made out of), the lower the gauge, the thicker the wire. So a 13 gauge coil is thicker and stronger than a 14 gauge coil. However, when you get to the point where you have much higher coil counts, you will often find lower gauge springs. This is normal, because when you have more coils, and they are a particularly thick, you lose the ability to compress the springs. The compression is what allows for any contour and support, so if you have too many springs with too thick a gauge, you have a mattress that is way too firm for most sleepers. 

Many of the larger retailers advertise price match guarantees. How can they do this if, as we discussed earlier, they have the highest prices in the industry? It’s simple. If you are a multimillion-dollar company, you get to tell the manufacturers what to do, basically. The only thing they really need to do to get away with this bogus advertising ploy is get their manufacturers to use a cover fabric that they don’t use for any other store, and use a label, giving the mattress a name that is not used for any other store, and now you have the makings of a price match guarantee. If no other store in the world sells that exact same mattress, then it is impossible for consumers to ever comparison shop. You may find the exact same mattress with the exact same specs, but it looks different and has a different name, and it won’t qualify for the price match.

That really is the question, isn’t it? What’s better for you? I will be the first to say, “I don’t know!” That’s like asking which soda, or brand of coffee you should get. Personal preference is a big factor. Most people tend to like whatever they are used to. The reason is that the body can get used to just about anything over time. While it can adapt to a shift in one direction or another, it will take time. If you are used to soft and haven’t had any issues with a soft bed, you ‘re likely to feel more comfortable in a soft bed. The same goes for firm. If you are more comfortable, you will sleep better, and your body will better go through all of the natural healing functions that happen as you sleep. If you change from soft to firm or vice versa, it’s wise to expect a transition period that can last weeks to months for your body to get used to the new mattress. Please bear in mind, if you have a medical condition that has your doctor telling you to lean one direction over another, you should probably follow your doctor’s orders.

The quick answer is – Marketing. Pillowtop isn’t even a real word – as I type it here, I am staring at the little red squiggly line that is trying to tell me that I have misspelled a word. A pillowtop is an advertising term meant to IMPLY more padding, but let me fill you in. I have seen (and sold) pillowtop mattresses that have 0.5” inches of padding. I have seen plush top mattresses (basically the opposite of pillowtop), that have 4” of padding. Oh, and let’s not forget euro-pillowtops! There are firm pillowtops and soft plush tops and vice versa. It boils down to a stitching difference. A plush top (often called a firm top if it is a firm mattress) means that the fabric on the side goes all the way up to the top fabric. A Euro-pillowtop means that it went up to the top of the springs, and then the added a little extra strip, attached with what is called a taped edge that holds the two strips together. A traditional pillowtop has a slightly finished look top at the top of the springs that goes in, and then the padding appears to be a separate piece that is sewn on after, leaving a small gap between the padding and the top of the spring portion. They all can be interchanged on any mattress without affecting the way it feels or how long it lasts. 

Here is my advice to you if you are looking for a new mattress. Go to one or two of the big stores and just see what the mattresses, prices and processes look like. They will try to “close the sale,” so beware. Go in by yourself and tell them that you are going to come back later with your spouse, so you can get out of there Scott free. Then come see me or one of the other small guys with low overhead (usually appointment based businesses), and you will be shocked at the difference in the prices and the way you are treated. Plan 15 – 30 minutes to lay on every mattress and see what feels right for you. You don’t have to go top of the line to get a great bed, and no matter where your budget is, if you have one, it will go much further. If you are a top of the line kind of person, just pat yourself on the back, because you will have left hundreds, maybe over $1,000 in your bank account to spend elsewhere. I don’t want all of your money, just enough to get you the perfect mattress for you at the most fair price possible.

I thank you once again for taking the time to read this report. Whether you get your next mattress from me or somewhere else, I truly hope that this has been helpful, and makes your mattress buying decision easier and more fruitful!