The Water Works Sleep Center is going to give their St. Louis mattress competitors some free publicity in today’s blog. So here you go St. Louis mattress competition, consider it an early Christmas Gift from The Water Works Sleep Center in these rough times, enjoy.

Recently I was challenged on the sales floor by a shopper who said that mattress prices were too high because stores have a lock on mattress pricing. His proof of this was that we were the only guys in town and that there wasn’t enough competition to force mattress prices down. Apparently he was unaware of our local mattress competition because he did not take the time to look for it. If he had really been paying attention he would have noticed that within the last two years, approximately 4 competitors went out of business in my area alone. My question is – If mattress stores were making so much money, why did 4 out of the 6 local mattress dealers go out of business?

I can only assume the man did not consider these St. Louis Mattress stores competition.

Anyone looking to buy a mattress could look under the heading “Mattresses” in the AT&T Yellow Pages Directory and find the following mattress store listings in the order I found them in the phonebook.

1. Ashley Furniture Homestore
2. The Bed Guy
3. The Bedroom Store
4. Campbell Mattress Factory Outlet Showroom
5. Carol House Furniture
6. Craftmatic Adjustable Beds
7. Custom Foam
8. Elite Mattress Manufacturing
9. Ferguson sofa & Sleep Center
10. Goedeker’s
11. Home Décor Liquidators
12. Intelli-Bed
13. The Mattress Firm
14. Mattress & Futon Outlet
15. Mattress Giant
16. Mattress Outlet
17. Mattresses & More
18. Mattresses Wholesale Inc.
19. Meyer Bedding
20. Relax The Back
21. Rothman Furniture Stores
22. Select Comfort
23. Shubert Design Furniture and Bedding
24. Stlmattressdirect.com
25. Tempur-Pedic
26. The Furniture Gallery
27. Value City Furniture
28. Verlo Mattress Factory Stores

Looking through the phone book I was shocked to find that the big 4 department stores
· Macy’s
· Dillard’s
· JC Penny’s
· Sears
the biggest players in the mattress game did not have a listing under the heading Mattresses in the St. Louis AT&T Phone Book. Also there were a number of smaller independent mattress stores that were not listed. I would assume because of the expense to advertise there.
Lastly a person really needs to take into consideration that many of the mattress stores listed above have multiple locations throughout the St. Louis Metro area.  If you were to add the 28 mattress stores listed above to the roughly 44 additional multiple store locations, the total number of mattress store locations in the St. Louis vicinity is in excess of 72 locations.

NOTE:

This quick compilation did not include the 4 big players I mentioned above, Costco, Sam’s Club, Yellow Book, Verizon Super Pages or any of the smaller rural phone books, only the AT&T Yellow pages.

Do giant stores really offer gigantic selection? Lets take a closer look.

Yes it is true that the large furniture and mattress chains including the giant mattress stores in St. Louis and St Charles have plenty of mattresses to select from. Most giant mattress retail stores pride themselves in carrying the 4 major brand names in mattresses.  For example, just think about these 4 brand name mattresses for a moment: Sealy Posturepedic®, Serta Perfect Sleeper® Simmons Beauty Rest® and Spring Air Back Supporter®.

What store wouldn’t shout from the rooftops and sing the praises of such well know mattress brands? It is not unusual for giant retail stores to offer vast choices in brand name mattresses. They often brag about it to their potential customers in ads, boasting about their large showrooms, truckload saving and unbeatable selection. While the sheer number of choices the big stores offer is impressive, they are not up front about how many real different choices in types of mattresses they have to offer. This may just be a difference of ideology but we don’t thinks so.

How come giant mattress stores sometimes display 12 mattresses but often only display 3 choices in comfort?

Most large mattress retailers typically display 15- 20 brand name models for you to choose from. Each competing brand name offers a nearly identical feel and price point to compete with one another; these are called comparisons by the industry. Each brand name mattress will share nearly identical construction, warranty, price and feel while differing in color, quilting pattern, and name.

For example, take the $1200.00 Sealy®, Serta®, Spring Air®, and Simmons® beds.  Each will display a mattress at this price point. In addition each of the brand names may also display a firm top, plush top, and a pillow top mattress. Many sales associates in private say when it comes down to the difference between each brand name mattress; there really isn’t much of a difference. Of course each brand feels theirs is the best and will debate it to the bitter end. Each will tell you that their mattress has a unique feel. Each will claim they have the best prices on their mattresses. The reality is that you are viewing 12 nearly identical models from 4 different brand names.

If you do the math; the dealer is technically showing 12 different mattresses, however they are nearly impossible to tell apart from one another. The fact is that the mattress store is displaying 4 Plush Top Mattress sets, 4 Firm Top Mattress sets, and 4 Pillow Top Mattresses. Each of those 3 choices are then represented by one of the 4 brand names like Sealy®, Serta®, Spring Air®, and Simmons® – giving the appearance of a giant selection with the 12 different beds. But is that a real choice or is that just a bunch of the same thing being offered up as something different?

Do people want the same beds with different brand names on them or do they want real variety in selection when choosing a new bed?

We at The Water Works Sleep Center believe variety is not a bunch of the same stuff disguised to look different.

Here is what we feel real choice and variety in mattresses are:

• An expansive line of mattresses and boxsprings from the cheapest to the very best
• A choice of memory foam mattresses from the most affordable to the Rolls Royce
• A selection of adjustable airbeds to get just that perfect feel
• Organic Mattresses
• All Natural Mattresses
• Hardside and softside waterbeds
• Hybrids or cross breeds of all the above beds

By choosing to support specialty sleep stores like The Water Works Sleep Center, you as the consumer will get REAL choices in comfort and value for a great price.

Check out our series on why small retail furniture and mattress stores beat the big stores every time.
More industry knowledge about bedroom furniture and mattresses makes it worth the drive
There is more mattress variety selection at giant mattress stores so why-buy from a small family owned company

What separates St. Louis Missouri mom and pop mattress stores like The Water Works Sleep Center from the big corporations that sell mattresses and bedroom furniture? This 3-part blog will give you a glimpse at what the attraction is and why people drive from virtually anywhere to support small retail stores.

How can smaller furniture and mattress stores have better prices?

Many consumers say that small retail stores are not privy to the massive wholesale discounts that are usually available to larger retailers who make their purchases in greater volume. That mindset is unfortunate for small stores like The Water Works Sleep Center and other small retailers. This is because for most people the general consensus is that by purchasing larger quanties on items like mattresses and bedroom furniture, that larger stores have more buying power and therefore will save the consumer more money. Consumers have told us that they feel the bigger box stores and furniture and mattress chains leverage better pricing on the things we all buy, saving them more money at the cash register. We are sorry to say that this notion misleads people to believe that stores like The Water Works Sleep Center cannot compete with the big companies on items like mattresses and bedroom furniture, but also that they can not save money unless they make their purchase at a big chain or box store who have more buying power. Really?

What seems more likely?
a.)    A large retail mattress corporation saves money by purchasing in large volume and then passes the saving along to their customers?
b.)    A large retail mattress store takes advantage of the volume discounts by pocketing the savings and maximizing the profits for their owners and stockholders?

I think we all know the answer is (b).
It is true that small stores don’t get those nice volume discounts? However where small retail mattress stores like The Water Works Sleep Center fall short in discount purchasing they more than make up for it in other aspects of doing business like location? Yes it’s location, location, and location. Specialty sleep stores like The Water Works choose not to locate in the high rent districts. Examples high rent districts where monthly rent and mortgages astronomical include areas like Manchester Rd. in West County, Chesterfield Valley, Lindbergh Blvd in South County or even St. Peters & St. Charles.  Large retail stores love to locate in these high dollar settings knowing that a combination of proximity to other successful companies and that these areas are seen by the consumer as shopping Mecca’s. These two things do not necessarily make for cheaper prices at the register for the consumer. These companies have to make up for the prices they pay in rent and mortgages by increasing the cost of their mattresses and bedroom furniture. The consumer is the loser since they are the ones who ultimately have to pay for those higher expenses or overhead.

Advertising dollars

Another way large mattress and furniture companies fail to save you money is with their huge marketing budgets. Furniture and mattress stores spend extremely large amounts on a regular basis toward their advertising budget; this is to establish brand identity. The first brand they want you to identify with is their company name. My guess is that you could probably name at least one furniture or mattress store in the St. Louis Metro area with out having to think about it very long. I would even go so far to say you could name at least one brand name mattress or line of brand name furniture without trying very hard. Why is that?

Here is why. The hope is that by flooding the market with their company name, slogan, or catchy jingle that their company and their brand names will become a household name. Television, radio, newsprint ads, and sponsorships are very expensive and usually fall short of replenishing the advertising dollars these companies spend.  To offset those costs large furniture and mattress stores incorporate higher margins to get back their return on investment.

Who pays for this stuff? You do.

Continue reading about how the small mom pop store beat the big box stores and retail chains.

Check out our series on why small retail furniture and mattress stores beat the big stores every time.
Better prices are the reason why people drive-from-St Charles West County and Fairview Heights to buy from The Water Works Sleep Center/
There is more mattress variety selection at giant mattress stores so why-buy from a small family owned company

Ownership has its privileges.

Mattress and retail store The Water Works Sleep Center located in Arnold MO many years ago made a conscious decision to keep their company small. Owner Dave Belleville continues to utilize his family for a combined 45 years plus of experience and knowledge in the field of bedroom furniture and mattresses. The family has teamed up to give their customers superior information and product selection while demonstrating that you don’t have to be bigger to be better.

Customer referrals lower mattress and furniture prices.

One way Dave believes that his company is better than the large chain stores is in their ability to explain and educate their shoppers which, will result in a happy satisfied loyal customer. The owner and his staff believe this customer will not only be happy and satisfied but will refer friends, family and coworkers who are the ultimate in customer loyalty and Dave understands this.  These loyalist of patrons save his company costly advertising dollars allowing him to compete with the big guys. After all advertising is a major expense for any business and companies like The Water Works realizes this and would like to keep it to a bare minimum.

Small furniture storeowners buy beds and bedrooms that they would buy for themselves.

Owners like Dave Belleville purchase their own merchandise instead of relying on or paying for expensive buyers. Dave purchases the merchandise himself, just like you would. He looks for style, comfort, and the best bargains he can find. It’s also important that he shop for quality and value ultimately knowing that as owner he will fulfill the role of service department as well. It only makes since that small companies like The Water Works Sleep Center wants to be able to dedicate more time to the sales portion of their business to, let face it make money. The fact is that ownership does not have the time to dedicate to fixing inferior poorly built mattresses and furniture and therefore buy better goods. This is why Dave purchases well-built furniture and mattresses, they last and he uses them himself.

Having an owner spend time with you has its advantages.

The hands on approach that positions Dave and his son Doug Belleville among their customers on the showroom floor is a great advantage for the small business and the customers. They are able to teach their customers the difference between good quality and poor quality products. They can share their 45 plus years of furniture and mattress experience helping their customers make more informed decisions about their purchase.

Many companies employ well-trained commissioned sales staff to sell their mattresses and bedroom furniture. Unfortunately most commissioned sales associates are hawk like and waiting to swoop in and meet their own greedy financial well-being not the companies. They associate sales direction by directing customers to the most profitable beds and bedrooms instead of what really meets the consumer’s overall needs.

The tough questions get answered

Customers tell us that the most frustrating experience they have with large mattress stores and furniture stores is their inability to answer even the simplest of questions. Good training, positive and negative customer feedback, along with hands on delivery, service and repair experience makes it worth the drive from anywhere to visit a small retail store like The Water Works.

The little things make the difference

• 45 years of experience on the job training
• Our sales people speak in complete sentences
• We know what the different types of dovetail joints are and can explain them
• The person that buys also sells and does installation and service if needed
• Timed delivery and setup or service by some who cares the owner
• Our sales people can answer your questions

Honesty is the best policy

Doug has told customers on numerous occasions, “I do not mind being asked out to your house. I just don’t want it to be for the reason of having to fix a problem that dad and I could of prevented. I want it to be for beer and BBQ.” How’s that for an honest salesman?

Just a few more reasons why people drive from St. Charles, Fairview Heights, and Baldwin to buy quality furniture and mattresses from The Water Works Sleep Center.

1. Mattresses prices are expensive because much of their raw materials are derived from petroleum.
   Key mattresses components have relied on polyurethane foam for decades for their comfort and padding. In days past foam was cheep and oil costs were low hovering between $10.00 and $20.00 a barrel. Mattresses prices have gone up as the increased cost of goods composed from crude oil have hit record highs. A barrel of crude oil as of 4/2/08 rose to $118.30 tripling its wholesale cost in just the last few years. In addition the industry still has not recovered from the TDI shortage after Hurricane Rita damaged the Lyondell Chemical plant, which permanently closed down production at its Lake Charles, Plant. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is an isocyanate used in the manufacturing of polyurethane’s deigned for flexible foam purposed. The result of the closed facility was foam allotments and increased foam prices to mattress manufactures.
   Shipping the raw materials needed to make a mattress has also become more expensive. Something mattress consumers may of overlooked is that there are several points in time where the mattress will be transported by diesel trucks. Trucks operating on fuel costing at time of this deadline around $4.00 a gallon when just a couple of years ago fuel was 1/3 that price. It’s also important to understand that transporting by truck takes place throughout several different points of mattress production. It starts with the raw materials being shipped to the factory for assembly, from factory to the retailer, and from the retailer to the customer’s bedroom. Some might joke that these mattresses already have a lot of mileage on them.
2. Mattress costs have increased from the implementation of a mandatory mattress regulation. This mattress law is referred to as 16 CFR Part 1633 and was put in place by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
   This new law forced many smaller manufactures to shut their doors when they were unable to comply with the required performance standards. This has resulted in fewer competitors in the mattress manufacturing industry. The governments new mattress standards were designed to limit the heat discharge during a mattress fire and save approximately 350 lives a year. The additional costs forced many of smaller mattress manufacturers out of business.  With less competition giant mattress companies have greater rule over the mattress industry and are able to make more money for their investors.
   Another way the new law has affected mattress prices is the forced expensive of new research and development along with mandatory prototype mattress testing at the manufacturers expense. Our high priced mattress nightmare continues for the mattress engineers. Mattress manufactures must be able to trace each mattress through the assembly process from beginning to end via a required one-mile long paper trail. Most small mattress manufactures were already working on a shoestring budget. Obvious additional work comes from 2 areas; added production complications, administrative paper work. Both necessitate more attention, time, and more maintenance resulting in higher payroll costs. Where will these costs be covered? The answer is really hard to say, because the law itself will do little if anything to generate a growth in retail mattress sales volume.
3. Steel costs have risen between 25 to 45 percent across the industry causing mattress prices to skyrocket.
   With demand running high and supply running low it is no wander we keep seeing steel prices rising so fast.  Most mattresses and box springs consist of approximately 40 percent make up from steel coil spring and border rod construction. Wholesale cost in recent days from steel suppliers has seen a jump of nearly 20%.
4. Three Bonus reasons
   1. Labor costs have risen
   2. The cost to build retail-building space has risen and associated rent payments to make the related mortgage payment of ownership. It takes a lot of square footage to display mattresses.
   3. Associated Insurance Rates have increased.

In Summary:
When you add the highest Oil prices ever …
Plus the highest steel prices ever…
Plus the highest foam prices ever…

You get a high priced mattress.

What do you think about current mattress prices?