It’s easier and more convenient to buy a mattress online instead of in-store.
Think back to the last time you bought a mattress at a local store like The Brick, Sleep Country, or Leon’s. You had to plan the best time to go the store, then discuss a sea of choices with a commissioned salesperson (who probably had a quota to fill).
Once you found the right mattress, you had to bargain—perhaps unsuccessfully—for the best price. Finally, you arranged a not-always-convenient time to get the new mattress delivered, booked the time off work, and hoped the mattress would show up on delivery day.
Why go through all this hassle when mattress shopping online is far more convenient? Just read mattress reviews, compare mattresses, and decide which product you want to buy—all from the comfort of your own home while sticking to your budget.
Don’t just take our word for it. These reviews from real Sleep Country customers show how difficult in-store mattress shopping can be:
| Real Sleep Country Customer Reviews | |
|---|---|
“Worst customer service and delivery team ever. Said they will come from 9-12pm. Took day off from work, missed a call from 9-9:10am, called them back at around 9:15am, unable to reach anyone.
| “Richard was condescending, extremely pushy and would not stop talking over us. At one point he told us to ‘adjust our budget and look at something cheaper.’
|
These are just a few reasons why it’s better to buy a mattress online vs in-store:
What do other customers say about the quality of a particular mattress? How well does it hold up under normal use? Does the company honour warranty claims quickly? It can be hard to get answers to these questions when you’re already standing in a mattress store.
When you shop for mattresses online, you can read in-depth product reviews and watch video demos. You can also dig into different brands’ customer service practices by looking them up on BBB, Trustpilot, and Reddit.
It’s worth noting that Goodmorning.com, which owns Douglas, is rated “Excellent” on Trustpilot based on hundreds of reviews. In comparison, Sleep Country is rated “Poor” on Trustpilot and has less than two stars on BBB at the time of writing.
READ MORE: How long should a mattress last?
Many mattress salespeople are trained in sales and make a commission on your purchase. This means they have a stake in whether you purchase from them today—making it harder to walk away if you aren’t ready to buy.
If you’re shopping around, looking for the lowest price, or waiting for a seasonal sale, online mattress shopping is the perfect pressure-free experience. A mattress company’s website is up-front about pricing and sales so you can quickly decide if you want to buy today.
You can always sign up for email updates to stay on top of those sales, too.
Ever bought furniture online and paid extra for delivery? You’ll love the convenience of having a mattress-in-a-box delivered right to your doorstep, free. It’ll arrive at a time that’s convenient for you, without having to take time off work to accommodate a delivery truck.
In-store shipping also comes with conditions: Sleep Country only provides free delivery if you spend a certain amount, and The Brick only offers free shipping if you hold their store credit card. Many online brands like Douglas, on the other hand, ship free throughout most of Canada.
Most online mattress companies can promise they will deliver your new mattress within a certain date range. Check online reviews to see how well your chosen company sticks to their promised timeframe.
No brick-and-mortar store can stock all the mattresses you might be interested in viewing—they don’t have enough room. They also have business hours, which may not allow much time for shopping outside of your own work hours.
Online mattress brands, on the other hand, have storefronts that are open 24/7 and accessible while you’re in the comfort of your own home. You can make sure the company has the brands you’re looking for, and compare options whenever it’s convenient for you.
READ MORE: Which mattress type is right for you?
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The award-winning and Canadian-made Douglas mattresses offer unbeatable value and include: FREE bedding bundle, a 365-night sleep trial, and cooling gel foams for optimal comfort.
You’ve found the mattress you wanted. But how do you know you’re getting the best possible price? What if you just missed a sale, or what if there’s a better one coming up? You can never know for sure that the price is right, especially when salespeople can change that price.
When you shop online, most mattress companies have clear pricing and visible sales promotions—often with a countdown clock that tells you exactly how long that price and promotion will last. If you like the mattress but not the price, simply wait a week or two and see if the price changes.
Online mattress companies also tend to charge less for their products. There’s less overhead involved in day-to-day operations, and these companies often pass along their cost savings to customers.
Buying a mattress online doesn’t mean you lose out on customer service. In fact, you can often get answers to your questions much more quickly on a mattress company’s website. It’s just a matter of speaking with a customer representative.
Asking questions can take much longer in-store. One salesperson may be working with several customers at one time, so it may be hard to get their attention—and to get the answers you need.
Mattress warranties commonly have a limited 10-year term where you can get the mattress replaced under very specific circumstances. Many retailers either offer their own limited warranty for all products, or make you speak to the manufacturer about any warranty claims.
Some online retailers like Douglas go above and beyond with their mattress warranties. Douglas offers a 20-year limited warranty, long beyond the average mattress lifetime of 7–10 years. Paired with their 365-night sleep trial, that’s plenty of time to know if your mattress will perform as promised.
How easy is it to return a mattress if you’re not satisfied? Will the manufacturer pick it up for free? Is there a return or “restocking” fee? Do you get a full refund, or store credit only?
Online mattress companies often provide simple returns. For instance, Douglas has a hassle-free, money-back guarantee on mattress returns and will pick up your mattress from your home. Sleep Country has an exchange-only policy and charges a $65 restocking fee.
Most companies, both online and brick-and-mortar, have extensive FAQ sections on their websites where you can learn more about their return policies. Review websites with customer ratings will also help you get a feel for your potential customer experience.
When you shop online, you don’t need to use your own vehicle and fuel to visit a physical storefront.
Online retailers also don’t consume vast amounts of energy to heat and power a network of retail showrooms. Your mattress will be delivered through a courier like FedEx or UPS, not with a dedicated moving van containing a limited amount of furniture.
Overall, online mattress delivery uses fewer resources and is better for the environment. (And we really can’t stress enough how convenient it is.)
In our opinion, the best place to buy a mattress is online. To find the right retailer, do your research, compare features and benefits, shop for the best price, and look for a company that offers free delivery, easy returns, and excellent customer service.
You can’t go wrong with buying your next mattress online, especially from a brand like Douglas (which checks all these boxes).
READ MORE: Discover the best Canadian mattress brands
The price of a mattress depends on the features, construction, and materials. But as a general rule, yes, it’s often more affordable to buy a mattress online.
That’s because you don’t have to feel the pressure of walking into a bricks-and-mortar store, taking up a salesperson’s time and feeling obligated to buy even if you’re unsure. You can wait and order the mattress you really want at a price you can afford to pay.
Many online mattress companies have regular sales and promotions, so it’s easy to check regularly to see if the price being charged for the mattress you want is within your budget.
No, you don’t need to test a mattress in-store. Lying on a floor model for several minutes (and feeling weird about it) isn’t as effective as actually sleeping on the mattress.
With many mattress sleep trials being 100 nights—or 365 nights for brands like Douglas—you don’t need to quickly test out a mattress in-store and still be unsure about your purchase.
Purchasing a good-quality mattress online—one with thousands of five-star reviews, easy shipping, free returns, and a 365-night trial—brings you more peace of mind than an in-store trial ever will.
Do your research and decide which mattress you want before you buy. Consider features and benefits, check out online reviews, and see which mattresses have the highest customer and product ratings for the price.
Once you have picked a mattress, watch and wait for a sale or promotion that helps you get the most for your money.
When it comes to buying a mattress, it really is true that one size doesn’t fit all. There are a number of factors you should consider when purchasing your next mattress, including:
Return policies vary depending on which company you purchase your mattress from. Many companies want you to contact them via email, phone, or chat feature on their website. They’ll ask you some questions about the mattress and possibly ask you to share some photos, especially if you’re claiming a manufacturer’s defect.
Whatever the instructions are, they should be clearly stated on the company’s website.
Our goal is to provide the information you need to find the mattress that’s right for you. Get started with some of our most popular mattress shopping resources:
We use independent, third-party engineering firms (commissioned by us) with the APEGA stamp of approval to conduct mattress testing on our behalf, using publicly available data. We review and test all mattresses on over 40 criteria we think are important to you, including price, country of manufacture, sleep trial, warranty, features, materials used, motion isolation and edge support ratings, customer satisfaction reviews, returns, and refunds.
9 reasons to buy a mattress in-store vs online:
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