Mattress Buying Guide

Negotiating price for mattresses (Tips 7-10)

Tip 7 - Defend yourself from these tactics

The salesmen you encounter in mattress stores may follow you around and ask you questions. As polite as possible, answer their questions as they are only trying to do their jobs but be careful of their clever sales tactics.

One tactic is the foot-in-the door technique. This is based on the observation that a consumer is more likely to comply with a request if he/she or she has first agreed to comply with a smaller request.

For example, a salesperson may ask you what type of bed you like and then offer for you to lie on one that you described. If you are still researching, politely respond by saying, "I'm just looking, thanks." Otherwise, if you do test a bed out in front him/her, he/she will be more likely to try to sell one that day and keep you from doing your research and who knows, he/she may succeed!

Remember, if you are still researching - then you are not ready to purchase!

Another tactic is frequency marketing. This is a marketing technique that reinforces regular purchasers by rewarding them with values that increase as the amount purchased increases.

For example, a salesperson may try to convince you to buy a bed by throwing in some free stuff like delivery or offer you a discount price if you decide to buy two or more mattresses (in case you are shopping for the whole family all at once).

Some of these deals may be good but make sure to do your research and find out what you would get on each one before committing to the buy more - pay less offer.

A salesperson might also use fear appeal as a tactic, which is highly effective for them. You can recognize this tactic during negotiations when the salesperson attempts to change attitudes or behavior through the use of threats or by the highlighting of negative consequences.

For example, the salesperson might recognize that you are working him/her and say something like "Are you going to buy it for this price or not because I have several other buyers coming in later today that are willing to pay more than you."

He/she is rarely telling the truth because if he/she is, then why is he/she taking time to talk to you! So, at this point say fine, walk away and keep looking or go to another store. If you still don't find a bed, then go back to the store and see if your mattress is still available. If it is, the salesperson will almost certainly lower the price.

Tip 8 - Accommodative Purchase Decision

This is the process of using bargaining, coercion, compromise, and the wielding of power to achieve an agreement with the salesperson. Your best bargaining statement is, "Wow, that's pretty high."

This is one of the most important statements you can make so it's worth mentioning again. After you show interest in a bed, ask for the price and then say "Wow, that's pretty high."

As long as a few dollars seems to be the only obstacle coming between you and that particular mattress that day, the salesperson should lower it.

Tip 9 - Financing your bed

We advise to pay for everything up front but that?s something you have to decide on your own. However, never talk about financing a bed until you have agreed on a cash price. The financing can wait until later.

The reason for this is because the salesperson can use this as an upper hand. If you tell him/her you can't afford it now, he/she will try offering various financing plans that will sound great and distract you from the task at hand, which is saving money while purchasing your mattress!

Remember, first get the price down to a number you are comfortable with, then you can discuss how you want to pay for it.

Tip 10 - Other expenses ? Balance theory

Be wary of the other expenses you may get charged and the balance theory of the salesperson. This is when the salesperson considers relations among elements a person might perceive as belonging together, and people?s tendency to change relations among elements in order to make them consistent or "balanced."

For example, overcharging for delivery to make up for the low price of the mattress he/she just agreed to. Talk to the salesperson right away and find out the store?s policy for delivery, setup and take away expense to avoid this situation.

Otherwise, it may interfere with the negotiation of the mattress price. After you beat him/her up on price for your favorite mattress, he/she may try to make it up with those expenses by overcharging in other areas.