Time was you could find a low-priced Tempur-Pedic mattress if you looked hard enough. But these days finding a bargain is proving extremely difficult. Why is this? And, is it possible to buy a cheap Tempur mattress?
Many have heard about, read about and actually laid down on a Tempur-Pedic mattress and know the amazing support and comfort you get when sleeping on one, but they're expensive and many simply can't afford or justify spending that much. Until quite recently, it was possible to find a dealer who could offer you a good deal, but this is proving more and more difficult to do. Why is this?
Around late 2006, Tempur began issuing strict guidelines for retailers of its mattresses. It requires all dealers to sell their products at the same price. There is to be no more 'discounts', 'free shipping', 'extra Tempur-Pedic pillows or toppers' or 'avoiding sales tax'. This has constrained dealers on what they can offer and has reduced their individual sales discretion to entice customers to buy. Each dealer must now sell each mattress with sales tax and standard shipping charges. What this means for the buyer is that a Tempur-Pedic mattress is going to cost more or less the same no matter where you buy it from.
Tempur have done this as it wants to protect its reputation of selling quality products and to weed out unscrupulous or fraudulent dealers. This is a good thing but to those who like to find a good bargain it's made bargain hunting that much more difficult.
So, can you still buy a cheap Tempur-Pedic mattress? The answer is yes, but you'll have to work that little bit harder.
One option is to go in person to a retailer and see if you can negotiate a reduction; whilst they're not supposed to do this, you can sometimes get a discount. If one dealership won't play ball, try another one - you may be even to play one off against the other to get a reduced price.
Going online is another option. There are quite a few sites that still offer discounted Tempur-Pedic mattresses. There are many reasons why some sites can offer good reductions. Some may be selling discontinued lines. Another reason why they can do this is that some dealers buy Tempur products from abroad; Europe and America are generally more expensive than other parts of the world, like South East Asia. A dealer can buy them cheaper there, ship them over and still make a profit by selling at a discount.
But exercise caution when buying online. Make sure the product is genuine as there are many fakes that are being passed off as the genuine article. Many also claim to be selling cheap, but when you add on the shipping charges, handling costs, tax etc, the actual price is no cheaper than buying else where. Finally, what kind of warranty will you be getting? Many, online retailers will not be authorized dealers and you may not get the same warranty as you would when buying from an authorized dealership.
Why not consider buying a cheap memory foam mattress from another manufacturer? Many top rated and reputable companies like Seal and Serta make their own versions, and they're almost always cheaper than Tempur. Whether they're as good is of considerable debate, but you should definitely take a look at other brands.
Buying a cheap Tempur-Pedic mattress is still possible, but you have to be that little bit more determined. Like all bargain hunters, you have to shop around and haggle to get the best deal; but I find getting a bargain of any kind is a fantastic aid to sleep.