Has anyone heard about The Original Mattress Factory?
Jun 6, 2008 11:28 PM
Joined: Mar 8, 2008
Points: 6
Hello all.
I don't know if you remember me, but I have been in the mattress industry for the past 14 years on the retail sales end.  I have recently decided to get away from selling the Sealy, Serta, Simmons national brand concept as I just don't believe they are giving my customers an acceptable value.  I have researched many other mattress companies and found that all of the retail stores are the same when it comes to philosophy.  They all believe cash is king and sell your customer at all costs.  I am a Christian, so I have a problem with selling products I don't believe in and I have an even bigger problem trying to push a person into making a decision they aren't ready to make.  For 14 years I have been questioned every time I allowed a customer to "walk" without buying anything and I simply can't take it any more. 
After looking into The Original Mattress Factory, it seems to be a company that holds the same values I do.  Good quality products.  Exceptional value.  No, and I mean NO, pressure.  Above all, honesty to the customer.  (Apparently, they never have "sales" which is a good thing as in 14 years of retail sales I have yet to see a "sale" with any real savings).  They actually have the statement "We will not compromise our integrity for any reason" in their philosophy!  Do any of you realize how casually the word "integrity" is thrown around in this industry by people who have absolutely no idea what "integrity" really is?  I actually had one boss tell me, "Don't drop the price too much or we will lose integrity"! 
So, all SEEMS well, on the surface.  I am writing this to ask about your opinions of this company.  Have any of you dealt with them?  Had any problems with them?  If you had a problem, how was it taken care of?  What do you think about their product?
Basically, as I have been lied to and tricked WAY too many times, I am trying to cover all the bases before I accept a position with this company. 
I LONG for a product I can stand behind again!  I am tired of the nationals taking out more and more components to save money and make better margins!  Did you know that Sealy trains their salespeople to sell the name before the product?  They actually tell you, "75% of people would pay more money for a Sealy brand mattress than another name of the same quality".  They brag about how high their margins are! 
The "new" no-flip mattresses today are a complete JOKE!  They say they have been re-designed but, as someone who sold the "old" two-sided mattresses, I can't see how they re-designed a thing!  they added a foam that looks like styrofoam to the underside of the mattress and now it's "no-flip"!  What about when Sealy was making fun of Simmons and their One-sided efforts?  Sealy said they had tried to make a 1-sided mattress in their R&D lab and IT COULDN'T BE DONE!  When Sealy saw Simmons wasn't losing money but MAKING MONEY, Sealy jumped on the band wagon as well!  It all boils down to, "How can we make our mattresses look better, feel better, cost less, and offer better margins?"  THEY ARE OWNED BY A CAPITAL FINANCE GROUP!  WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?
Anyway, sorry I got off on a tangent but I am a bit bitter.  If I can't find a company who makes QUALITY before MONEY, I am going to have to change careers in the middle of a career. 
So, any feedback you may have on The Original Mattress Factory would be appreciated!

Moderators, if you find this is too inflammatory, I understand your editing or deleting it.

Thank you all for your time!
Re: Has anyone heard about The Original Mattress Factory?
Reply #7 Jun 13, 2008 6:57 AM
Joined: Sep 1, 2007
Points: 862
I don't know anything about OMF but I welcome any attempt to make the industry better. I certainly welcome your efforts and reasons. I always forget how to link to the old site, but there was information about OMF there.

Best Wishes,

Ian