Mattress sets are one of those odd consumer items that do not come with the ability for the consumer to peek under the hood. Traditionally, the mattress is sewn up tight so you must rely upon one ore more consumer cues to judge a mattress. Many people opt for a brand name that they have heard of. Some people rely upon the word of a sales person. Most people try the mattress out to see how it feels. Many people judge a mattress, literally by the mattress cover and even the cover color means a lot to some. There are preferences for pillow top mattresses. Some people go by what is on sale. There are those few people that will buy the most expensive. If it costs more, it has too be better, right?

Well, in many cases, too bad so sad. The dirty little secret in the mattress industry is that the mattress manufacturer is hard pressed to add enough extra goodies to a mattress set to make it cost much more then $4000 retail. And the extra goodies they add, like silk thread, gold plated handles, a registration number and so many other little quirks, really do not add to the sleep better factor. I hate to blow the whistle but the folks paying for the $8000 mattresses are probably over paying and making a manufacturer, a store owner and a salesperson very happy.

The unfortunate fact is that some people over pay for a mattress set to be secure that they are buying the best, to brag about their purchase or because they just have way too much dough and want to spread it around..

Here are some tips to be sure that you do not overpay. If you are paying more than $4000 you are probably over paying. If the mattress set you are considering is not a super-premium brand or at least a Sealy, Serta or Simmons brand, and you are paying in the $4000 range, you are probably over paying. If the mattress does not have some heavy physical weight to it, then there probably is not much more than air inside and you may be overpaying.

Here is what you want to look for when buying a new premium mattress set. If you are willing to spend the money, go for a national brand. True, the national brands have very high overhead and you get to help pay for executives living big, but the national brands also have something to lose by not putting out a good product. So a national brand will cost more, but you have a much better chance of actually buying a better mattress. Try to stay away from department stores when mattress shopping. Department stores work off of larger mark ups then mattress stores do because of higher overhead. Beware of half off sales as they are full of crud. Beware of sales people that push you to buy today as the sale or product will be gone tomorrow. Beware of pushy sales people period. A sales person needs to helpful and know his product. He should not be there to snare you but to educate you to his stores offerings. If you feel like prey, move on.

Try the mattress in the store. Take your coat off and even your shoes and hop on the mattress and lay back. Adjust your body to your sleeping style. Lay down on your back or side that you usually rest on. Hang out for a while. Some of the new mattresses have temperature sensitive foam that adjusts and sinks in to your body heat and you should give this feature a chance to work.

If you choose a mattress set, write down all of the particulars that the label says. Write the name down, manufacturer and all details that seem unique to your mattress. I say this because you probably noticed that most of the mattresses for sale are either white or cream colored. You might take a long time choosing a mattress, but a warehouse worker will only take thirty seconds to pull your mattress for delivery. Mistakes do happen and you could wind up with a lot lower cost model that you paid for.