Best Time to Buy a Mattress
- May is the prime month for mattress shopping as companies clear old inventory before releasing new products, while end-of-winter, long weekends, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, New Year’s, and store closures offer additional opportunities for significant discounts.
- Online shopping provides convenience, lower prices, and longer warranties, while in-store shopping allows physical testing but often comes with higher costs and limited selection.
- Set a budget, define mattress preferences, focus on actual prices, consider referral programs, negotiate in physical stores, and be aware of signs indicating when to replace a mattress, using sale seasons for cost-effective purchases.
A lot goes into buying a new mattress—choosing the right size, firmness, and type of bed. Something you might not have considered is when to buy a mattress. Most people buy mattresses on an as-needed basis, but you may benefit from waiting a couple of months.
Mattress companies host sales and deals during specific parts of the year. During sale seasons, you can get steep discounts on great beds. The types of sales you can find during mattress sales include a percentage or set dollar amount off, buy one get one, and bundling options.
Whether you’re on a tight budget or not, waiting for mattress sales is a great way to score a high-end mattress. After all, most people use the same bed for nearly a decade, so it’s best to maximize your investment by shopping during a sale.
Let’s go over the best times to buy a mattress and how to score the best deals possible.
May
May is arguably the best times of the year to buy a mattress. Summer is when most mattress companies roll out new products. Mattress retailers will host a variety of sales near the end of spring—namely the month of May to clear up old inventory and make space for new beds.
Now, just because most companies are selling out-of-season products doesn’t mean they’re bad. Mattresses don’t change much from year to year and the beds on sale aren’t used. So long as the mattress on sale is the correct material and firmness that you need, it should be just fine.
The End of Winter or Start of Spring
Between winter and spring are other great times to buy mattresses. Just like during May, lots of companies are clearing out inventory between February and April. Companies are in a time crunch to make space on their shelves for new models, so they’ll offer steep discounts, bundling options, and more to pique your interest.
Sleep Week mattress deals are a prime example, as the week uses Daylight Saving Time changes as a jumping off point to raise awareness about good sleep hygiene.
Black Friday
Black Friday is the biggest time of year for sales, both online and in-stores. It occurs every year on the last Friday of November—the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is the time where all types of mattress sellers offer their best sales, discounts, and bundles, and is easily one of the best times to score a bed.
While lots of sales happen in retail stores, you can score Black Friday deals online to avoid crowds and long lines in stores.
Cyber Monday
After Black Friday, the, biggest sales you can find are on Cyber Monday, a sale season the Monday following Black Friday. Unlike Black Friday, Cyber Monday is exclusive to online companies.
Mattress brands offer massive sales on not only their mattresses but accessories as well. You may be able to bundle and save on accessories or get certain items entirely for free with a mattress.
Long Weekends
Another common time for mattress brands to host sales is during long weekends, such as
Many people are home from work during these weekends and it’s a great time to find a deal on a bed. Plus, many long weekends are around the end of a season, doubling the number of deals you can find.
Lots of the deals corresponding with long weekends actually begin the week before the weekend. So, you have a week or so to browse all types of deals and bundles, both online and in stores.
New Year’s
One of the best times of the year to shop for a mattress is around New Year’s. Like the end of a season, at the end of the year, many companies are trying to get rid of old stock for the coming year. Before and after New Year’s, you can find a variety of discounts and bundles on mattresses.
Store Closures
While not an annual event, you might come across furniture or mattress stores that are shutting down and having clear-out sales. They’re hurrying to push out their inventory to make back as much money as possible.
While these stores may not have been successful for a variety of reasons, they can still offer high-quality, reliable mattresses. Since stores going out of business are rushing to sell their products, they’re more likely to haggle with shoppers as well.
However, since companies are shutting down, they likely won’t be able to offer the same services as other brands. You may not receive a sleep trial or be able to return your product, and manufacturer warranties aren’t guaranteed.
Which Has Better Deals: Online or In-Store?
Now that you know when to get the best deals, it’s time to know where to get the best deals. You have two options when it comes to the best places to buy a mattress: shopping online or in-store.
Online
Online shopping is the most convenient way to shop, even for mattresses. You have an endless selection of beds to choose from, can shop from home, and the mattress ships straight to your door (often for free)! Online beds are often called mattresses in a box.
Compared to shopping in a retail store, online retailers have much better prices. Online stores don’t have the overhead costs of maintaining a retail location, so they can keep prices low. Plus, most online stores offer long warranties between 10 years to life and sleep trials.
Although you can’t feel a mattress before you buy it when online shopping, sleep trials mean you can test your bed out at home. If you decide you dislike the mattress within the trial period—which is usually between 30 to 365 days—brands let you return the bed for a full refund.
Lots of online stores offer frequent sales and bundles, even outside of popular sale seasons. So if you decide to replace your bed randomly throughout the year, you can still score a good deal on a mattress when shopping online.
In-Store
One of the main reasons people choose to go to mattress showrooms is so they can touch and lay on beds they’re interested in. You can talk with salespeople about any questions you have and easily compare products. Another added benefit is that many mattress stores offer fast and free shipping.
While brick-and-mortar stores don’t always offer extended warranties and sleep trials the way online stores do, they often have 10-year warranties and 30-day returns. However, standard return policies mean you can’t trial your bed.
The problem with shopping in mattress stores is that the beds almost always cost more compared to online stores. Retail stores have overhead costs due to maintaining the physical store and paying employees. Plus, salespeople tend to upsell you to make more commission, costing you more money.
How to Find the Best Mattress Deals
Beyond knowing the best times and places to shop for a mattress, there are other ways to maximize your budget and get the best mattress within your means.
Here are a few bonus ways to save money on a mattress!
Set a Budget
When you’re looking to save money, figure out your budget before you start browsing beds. This way, you don’t accidentally spend more than you can afford or waste time looking at overpriced beds.
You can find a comfortable, durable mattress for roughly $500 to $2500. However, the price varies based on the mattress size you need. Still, knowing this makes it easier to avoid being overcharged on a major investment.
Mattress type also determines your likely expenses. For example, latex and hybrid mattresses cost more than traditional innerspring and memory foam mattresses due to production costs.
Know What You Want
Before diving into the world of mattress shopping, figure out what type of mattress you want. This makes it easier to narrow down your options and not get overwhelmed by all the mattresses on the market.
When it comes to choosing a mattress, it’s important to know what mattress type, size, and firmness you want. Knowing these details will help your comfort, alignment of the spine, and your overall sleep quality.
Several common mattress types are:
The type of mattress determines its materials, such as whether it’s all foam or has a foam layer on top of coils. Most mattress brands offer bed sizes from twin to California king to suit most bedrooms and budgets.
When it comes to mattress firmness, consider your sleeping position. Side sleepers need soft or medium mattresses, back sleepers need medium to firm beds, and stomach sleepers need medium-firm or firm mattresses. If you switch positions constantly, we suggest using a medium mattress.
Look at Prices, Not Percentages
Don’t let high percentage discounts get you too excited. For instance, if a luxury hybrid mattress may be 40-percent off and a gel memory foam bed is only 15-percent off, the hybrid mattress may still cost more than the gel memory foam one.
If you’ve already set a budget, don’t accidentally overspend by getting excited about big discounts. Focus on the price you’ve set yourself and remember that just because a deal looks good, doesn’t mean you need it.
Consider Referral Programs
Some, but not all, mattress companies have referral programs. This means if you purchase a mattress from that company based on a referral from someone else who’s bought a mattress there, you receive a discount. Discounts can be as little as 10-percent off, but when you’re making thousand-dollar purchases, it makes a difference.
So, if you’re interested in a mattress from a brand a friend or a family member has shopped from, check to see if that company offers referral discounts!
Negotiate
While becoming less common, it’s possible to negotiate prices when shopping in stores. Lots of retail stores upcharge their mattresses, but you can bargain with salespeople to get a little bit of money off of the price. Even if that specific store won’t negotiate on the mattress, they might offer to toss in free pillows, bedding, or a mattress foundation.
FAQs
What is the best month to buy a mattress?
May is the best month of the year to buy a mattress. Most mattress companies release new products between June to September, but they need to get rid of old stock to do so. During May, many brands host clearance sales to free up inventory, scoring you great prices on beds.
Just because the mattresses sold during May are often clearance pieces doesn’t mean they’re bad. Instead, they’re just last season’s items. Mattress technology doesn’t drastically change from year to year, so you can find many supportive, comfy beds on sale.
How much should a good mattress cost?
A reliable, high-quality mattress can cost anywhere from $500 to $2500 depending on the size and type of bed. With this, a higher price doesn’t always mean higher quality. Mattresses can only get so comfortable, and beds costing thousands of dollars often feature fancy materials over sleep-enhancing technologies.
When choosing a mattress, consider your sleeping position and whether or not you share a bed. This helps you determine mattress firmness and size, which directly affects the price. From there, look for brands that offer the best value, come with trial periods, and warranties that are 10 years or longer. This way, you get the most bang for your buck.
Is it okay to buy a used mattress?
Used mattresses are never a good idea. While used mattresses are almost always cheaper than new beds, they’re a bad investment.
With a used mattress, there’s no quality control. Many secondhand sellers don’t know much about the mattress they’re selling, including firmness, materials, the mattress age, and the brand itself. As a buyer, you won’t know what the previous owner did with the mattress nor how clean it is. Used beds can contain dust mites, bed bugs, and other allergens.
Although you can save money with a secondhand bed, you don’t receive a sleep trial or warranty like with a new bed. It’s worth waiting to save up money for a new bed.
When should I buy a new bed?
You should replace your mattress every 7 to 10 years. Most mattresses sag, grow indents, and become unsupportive with age. The foam layers may separate and may not cushion your body well. Also, mattresses yellow and trap bed bugs, dust, and other bacteria over the years, which can cause allergic reactions.
If you aren’t certain how old your mattress is, look for physical signs such as discoloration and indents. Another good indicator you need a new bed is that you struggle to sleep well and you constantly feel stiff or in pain after sleeping.
What happens if you don’t replace your mattress?
If you don’t replace your aging mattress, it’ll grow saggier, lumpier, and less supportive. Using an old, sagging mattress leads to:
- Difficulty getting comfortable at night
- Pain, stiffness, or soreness
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Waking up feeling tired
- Aggravated allergies
- Daytime fatigue
- Headaches or migraines
If you consistently experience these symptoms, it’s a sign you should replace your mattress. While a new bed can be expensive, taking advantage of sale seasons and looking for budget beds online can help save you money.
Conclusion
The best times of year to buy a mattress are during the spring, end of winter, around long weekends, and sale seasons such as Cyber Monday or Black Friday.
If your current mattress has a little more life in it, wait until one of the many sale seasons start. This way, you can score a great deal and save hundreds of dollars on a great mattress. Also, you may be able to buy a great mattress on sale compared to buying a so-so mattress for full price.
Whenever you buy a discounted mattress, make sure the company offers the same policies as with a non-discounted mattress. Some companies may exclude sleep trials, free shipping, and warranties for new beds, but it’s best to avoid this. Otherwise, if your bed starts sagging or ends up being uncomfortable for you, you’re stuck with it.
