How Did We Get Here? Lesson 4
The mattress industry is designed around taking relatively low cost materials, and marketing them in such a way as to confuse the consumer. Making them think that it is worthwhile to pay a bunch of money for something that should really be quite affordable.
Additionally, they have designed them in such a way as to get the consumer back in the market as fast as they’re willing to tolerate. The life expectancy of mattresses has dropped from 12-15 years in the 1980s down to 5-7 years*. Source: Good Housekeeping and Consumer reports. We find that the average age of one sided takeaway mattresses is right around 4 years (you should see what yours are).
If you have the choice of buying a dubious quality mattress in a store, where you feel like a piece of meat, or buying a dubious quality mattress online, where you can feel empowered, which one would you choose?
The issue with buying online is that these mattresses might have an even shorter lifespan. Why? Well the Cliff’s Notes version is that the lighter the mattress, the less there is to it. Which most often translates to a mattress that breaks down much faster. If you’re looking to UPS a mattress to someone, it needs to be roll packed. And light enough, even in a king size, to fit within the size and weight requirements.