How many "Mattress Firm'' stores do you have in your area?

[arwen]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by ichingcarpenter (here)
...which can only mean one thing. Alien invasion.......to be called out in unison when the time is ripe which will put our nation to sleep.

Exactly. And the other question is: where are all the OLD mattresses going? The math suggests there must be many cubic miles of traded-in, barely-used mattresses that are nowhere to be found on Planet Earth.

The Biggest Secret may be that they're going to Mars, in giant Solar Warden craft the size of supertankers to barter with aliens who will give us advanced technology in exchange for a good night's sleep. (Even a regular tiny single mattress would be King Sized for them....)

I just could not resist!

(Anyone who is familiar with Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series (the books, NOT the film) will get this (others not, sorry).

Mattresses are friendly, dim-witted, docile creatures capable of speech. They are all called Zem and live in the swamps of Sqornshellous Zeta. Many of them are slaughtered, dried out, and shipped around the galaxy to be slept on by grateful customers, though they do not appear to mind this, one noting that since they are all called Zem they never know which of them have been killed anyway so their concern and grief - "globbering" - is kept to a minimum.

No one really knows what mattresses are meant to gain from life. They live quiet, private lives where they "flollop and vollue" to amuse themselves.

Mattresses make a variety of noises that are not supposed to be able to be made by other lifeforms throughout the galaxy, such as willomies, globbers, flurs, and glurries. Those being only a few examples. Mattresses are also capable of doing things floopily, meaning in a floopy manner.

[Fellow Aspirant]

Posted by ichingcarpenter (here)
Weird .... I know on the Denver 16th street mall they have a StarBucks on almost every corner to keep you awake and now Sleep Firm stores on every corner want you to sleep. When mattress are replaced on the average 7-10 years something up. Now what's on TV?

I always upvote Bill Hicks. A genius of a social critic. Gone way too early. He came up through the comic ranks with Lewis Black. Every time I see Black perform, I wish Bill was still at it. And I wonder how he would have aged.

B.

[David Trd1]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by ichingcarpenter (here)
...which can only mean one thing. Alien invasion.......to be called out in unison when the time is ripe which will put our nation to sleep.

Exactly. And the other question is: where are all the OLD mattresses going? The math suggests there must be many cubic miles of traded-in, barely-used mattresses that are nowhere to be found on Planet Earth.

The Biggest Secret may be that they're going to Mars, in giant Solar Warden craft the size of supertankers to barter with aliens who will give us advanced technology in exchange for a good night's sleep. (Even a regular tiny single mattress would be King Sized for them....)

**chuckles loudly** And as we all know Bill, Earth is certainly the best place in the galaxy to stay asleep! 😝

[ramus]

I heard that the Alien's digestive tract needs, require mattress be consumed on a 8 hour cycle.... thank god for the turn over in mattress. The second most sought item for the alien's diet is humans, so the government has all these stores to keep us safe for being eaten.

[Hervé]

Posted by arwen (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by ichingcarpenter (here)
...which can only mean one thing. Alien invasion.......to be called out in unison when the time is ripe which will put our nation to sleep.

Exactly. And the other question is: where are all the OLD mattresses going? The math suggests there must be many cubic miles of traded-in, barely-used mattresses that are nowhere to be found on Planet Earth.

The Biggest Secret may be that they're going to Mars, in giant Solar Warden craft the size of supertankers to barter with aliens who will give us advanced technology in exchange for a good night's sleep. (Even a regular tiny single mattress would be King Sized for them....)

I just could not resist!

(Anyone who is familiar with Douglas Adam's Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series (the books, NOT the film) will get this (others not, sorry).
[...]

Fooled me

I thought: "That's it! Avalon started a new Silly Season!"

Cultural inside jokes don't fare well across cultural borders

[pyrangello]

I can finally give an expert opinion on something, I've been a support company for one of largest furniture retailers in the US who also bought a mattress company too, and owned and sold their own mattresses in their stores. The reason why the mattress companies are sprouting up all over is one fundamental reason , HIGH PROFITS on mattresses. Retail mattress prices here in the states can range from $300 US to $3000 just for mattress and box spring. I do some support work for one mattress company and toured their plant, in one plant in 1 day , they make 400 mattresses. Are you adding this up $$$$$$$$. Its a cash cow.

As for the old mattresses, here's your answer Bill due to high costs of fuel to Mars for the shuttle at this one retailer they are selling their mattresses to a company for $1.00 each of the old mattresses and putting new materials on these mattresses and shipping them to the Asian countries for resale and who knows where else. I will tell you many, many times the old mattresses come back to the warehouse and they look and feel brand new. You wouldn't believe how new some of them look. NOt all , but many. This many answer the intrigue and reasons why so many are being built.

[O Donna]

With 'HIGH Profit' margin I'd think there would be competition swooping into the market, sell for less, and still make a profit.

[Kryztian]

I just bought a mattress after doing much searching on line, which, is tracked and then one gets targeted by ads, and I got a lot for Sleep Number Mattress, Purple Mattress, Avocado Green and Nectar Mattress. I was shopping for a lot of other things but the mattress ads seemed to dominate, so yeah, this business has a high markup and can afford either the rent on too many stores or too many internet ads. In my area (densely populated Northern New Jersey) there are a lot of places to buy mattresses, but Mattress Firm seems to be the only one dedicated to mattresses. There are 5 of them within a two mile radius of my house. Two of them are on the same highway, on the same side, within 2000 ft (700 meters) of each other.

And since we are on the topic of mattress, which are subject to high markups, and which many of which are loaded with fire retardant chemicals and fume laden synthetic foams, I want to plug what I just got - a natural latex (i.e. rubber, sap from a tree) Hevea® queen size mattress. I purchased from Overstock.com but I believe Sears also sells this online and it was just over $800. I think this is the same thing as the "Heveya" bring (adds a "y" to the spelling), but they change the spelling when they sell it to a discounter. It was just over $800 from Overstock.com and is non returnable once you opened the bag so you are taking a risk here. Mattress Firm sells natural latex mattresses starting around $2500. Mine is very firm and supportive, yet it is a soft surface at the same time. It had a slight rubber odor when I opened the bag, but now is odorless.

[Cardillac]

@Bill

I would think that aliens having the knowledge to go through time portals they would know how to build effect matresses as if they needed them-

where is the proof aliens have a sleep need?

Larry

[shaberon]

Mattresses and furniture stores in general. Especially furniture, they liquidate a couple months after opening, and open a new place with a different name. At least that's how it looks.

I am not sure a cutthroat could succeed in mattresses, considering the relatively low demand. I personally dislike the modern western style bed and would not use the things. I honestly find them less than worthless. And kind of creepy.

Proliferation of stores may also have to do with brand recognition and suggestion. Kind of like how if a soda or beer doesn't run an ad on tv, their sales drop, although I'd guess the takers mostly know about sodas and beer. If you see "Mattress" frequently, it likely does speed up the repetitive purchasing. It keeps telling you something is wrong with you and they can fix it.

At those prices, they should include a UV lamp so you can inspect how wholesome they are after you've had it a few days. And some Petri dishes for colony samples.

I know I've found a couple of the same mattress stores really close to each other. But I only know that because they're close to the sex store.

[Tyy1907]

What stands out to me is the name of the mattress store I drive by daily
The stores named "Sleep Country". And their commercials they sing "sleep country Canada". Subliminal advertising?

[ramus]

Here is more on mattresses, it appears that it not the aliens after all, eating all the mattresses ..... profit seems to be the motivator, for so many stores, not money laundering.,,

With Mattress Firm reeling, Serta Simmons merges with bed-in-a-box company Tuft & Needle

Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 12:15 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2018 | Updated 12:36 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2018


https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...rm/1050450002/

Mattress maker Serta Simmons Bedding is merging with online bed-in-a-box seller Tuft & Needle as the industry grapples with digital disruption and turmoil at the nation's largest mattress retailer.

Facing concerns that Mattress Firm will file for bankruptcy protection, which could reduce the number of stores where mattresses are sold, Serta Simmons is tying its fate more closely to direct-to-consumer online sales.

Serta Simmons plans to maintain the Tuft & Needle brand and its existing products, including its namesake mattresses and the Beautyrest lineup.

Founded in 2012 by software engineers JT Marino and Daehee Park, Phoenix-based Tuft & Needle is one of the leading sellers of mattresses online.

Like its many online rivals, such as Casper and Leesa, Tuft & Needle delivers mattresses directly to customers with free shipping and free trial periods. The company's namesake mattresses range from $350 for a twin to $750 for a king.

In addition to online sales, the deal will allow Serta Simmons to distribute Tuft & Needle products to select stores.
A Tuft & Needle mattress.

A Tuft & Needle mattress. (Photo: Tuft & Needle)

"It will be a great combination that will really create the company that consumers are looking for," Serta Simmons CEO Michael Traub said in an interview. "We will serve customers wherever they choose to shop."

Tuft & Needle had $170 million in revenue last year and was profitable, Park said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal "immediately unlocks Tuft & Needle to scale much faster," Marino said in an interview. "We are now going to greatly pull ahead of the pack" of digital competitors.
For Serta Simmons, the Tuft & Needle deal could ease the pain coming from the feverish competition in the mattress marketplace, which has taken the form of costly discounts and intense marketing wars.

Following the emergence of dozens of mattress startups in recent years, about 10 percent of mattresses are purchased online today. But industry leaders believe that figure could more than double within a few years. Serta Simmons last year launched its own bed-in-a-box brand called Tomorrow Sleep.

The tie-up comes amid concerns about the impact of Mattress Firm's financial troubles on Serta Simmons, which had pegged growth hopes to its 2017 deal to sell products there after winning the contract away from rival Tempur Sealy International.

Mattress Firm is teetering on the edge of insolvency as a series of expansions left the company with too many stores and amid a financial scandal at its parent company, Steinhoff International. The retailer, which had 3,304 stores nationwide as of March 31, is closing hundreds of locations and could close more if it files for bankruptcy.

With Serta's key client ailing, S&P Global Ratings recently lowered the mattress maker's credit rating from B to B-.

Traub said Serta Simmons has "a very strong relationship with Mattress Firm." He declined to comment on the retailer's future but said Serta Simmons is already planning its 2019 products with Mattress Firm.

"We're very focused on seeing them successful," he said. "The Tuft & Needle merger will add even more good stuff in that relationship."

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.
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