Where you buy affects more than price: it decides your trial period, return costs, delivery and what happens to your old mattress.
- In-store lets you lie on mattresses first. Store-exclusive model names can make comparison shopping harder, so compare materials and layers.
- Online brands usually ship compressed in a box and offer home trials.
- Warehouse clubs and big retailers have their own return policies, which can be more generous or more limited than the brand's.
- Sale timing. Retailers commonly run mattress sales around US holiday weekends such as Presidents Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Black Friday.
- Disposal. Ask whether old-mattress removal is offered. Some US states run mattress recycling programmes.
Get delivery, removal and return costs in writing before you pay. Keep the law label attached; removing it can complicate warranty claims. To shortlist models first, see mattress brand reviews.