I actually had this idea while shopping for mattresses a couple of months ago.
It's nuts. I started thinking about the economics of a new mattress and couldn't get it to work out, financially. The biggest thing the big stores (like Mattress Firm, etc.) have is distribution and floor space.
You need to try out a new mattress. There's nothing around that. After trying over 50+ mattresses, I realized that. There are so many different kinds and not a lot in common. You'd be tough pressed to find 10 people like like the same mattress. It'd be like buying a car without test driving it. That never happens.
Then there's the economics of it:
- Retail Price: ~$1,000
- Price of Materials: I'd estimate to be around $100. Labor, probably close to $25.
- Modern Mattresses Companies put a TON into research/development/marketing. I'd estimate that to be about another $100 (on the low end) of the cost of the mattress.
- Shipping, even freight, for something this size has got to cost at least $25.
Right now, we're at $300 for a $1,000 item.
- This is the (fairly) hard cost of making the item. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sealy's of the world sell it to the Mattress Firms for $500 and make a $200 profit (reasonable, to me).
Then, to pay for even more marketing, floor space, employees and delivery service - you better believe that Mattress Firm demands a 50% margin.
If we could somehow fix the distribution/store front option, we could get the price down - but that's the tough part.
It was, honestly, the best money I've ever spent. A great bed makes all the difference.
I'm not very sure of the legality of this, but one possible option is to have "If you like the Sealy Optimum Radiance, you'll like (insert new brand here)." That would drive people to the Mattress Firms of the world to try them out, but online to purchase (what happens with most products today anyway).
It's nuts. I started thinking about the economics of a new mattress and couldn't get it to work out, financially. The biggest thing the big stores (like Mattress Firm, etc.) have is distribution and floor space.
You need to try out a new mattress. There's nothing around that. After trying over 50+ mattresses, I realized that. There are so many different kinds and not a lot in common. You'd be tough pressed to find 10 people like like the same mattress. It'd be like buying a car without test driving it. That never happens.
Then there's the economics of it: - Retail Price: ~$1,000 - Price of Materials: I'd estimate to be around $100. Labor, probably close to $25. - Modern Mattresses Companies put a TON into research/development/marketing. I'd estimate that to be about another $100 (on the low end) of the cost of the mattress. - Shipping, even freight, for something this size has got to cost at least $25. Right now, we're at $300 for a $1,000 item. - This is the (fairly) hard cost of making the item. I wouldn't be surprised if the Sealy's of the world sell it to the Mattress Firms for $500 and make a $200 profit (reasonable, to me).
Then, to pay for even more marketing, floor space, employees and delivery service - you better believe that Mattress Firm demands a 50% margin.
If we could somehow fix the distribution/store front option, we could get the price down - but that's the tough part.
In case you were wondering, after all of my research, this is what I ended up buying: http://chip-hanna.com/how-to-find-the-perfect-mattress-for-y...
It was, honestly, the best money I've ever spent. A great bed makes all the difference.
I'm not very sure of the legality of this, but one possible option is to have "If you like the Sealy Optimum Radiance, you'll like (insert new brand here)." That would drive people to the Mattress Firms of the world to try them out, but online to purchase (what happens with most products today anyway).