Shiho Amster Blog #14: Memory Foam Mattresses

Memory Foam Mattresses

https://www.ebay.com/itm/274525855177

Memory Foam Mattresses. Do we all have them in our homes? I do not have the luxury of sleeping on one, but I do remember over a decade ago when my parents decided to go out and buy a memory foam mattress for themselves. 

As a toddler, it was inevitable for me to be dragged along their expedition of hopping from mattress store to mattress store trying to find the style they liked at the best deal. We went to every store whose catchy slogans you probably know by heart through commercials and advertisements on television and Youtube videos.

From this expedition, I remember one store in particular that had a very good deal; however, my parents found the salesperson who was trying to pitch us their beds incredibly annoying and we decided against buying from them. 

I know that this salesperson’s behavior is entailed in their job description, but what annoyed my family was that he was really adamant that we needed to buy the mattress that second or else the price would magically skyrocket. 

My parents were very much turned off by this offer because this salesman was overly pushy and honestly nothing other than the stereotypical salesman. We decided that we would not buy the bed as this guy made us literally want to puke, so we went with another company who had a slightly worse deal but a nice, less pushy salesperson who was willing to accommodate our requests and ideal timeline of buying a mattress. 

I know that sometimes the tactics of the first salesperson work, but in this case it didn't. It is crazy how sometimes the language and attitude a person uses can be a better determinant of why someone buys their item rather than the actual monetary value of the item. Anyways, I just wanted to share this memory about memory foam mattresses. What kind of person are you? Are you easily swayed by salespeople who try to make it seem as though they are giving you this crazy deal if you act now? 

Comments

  1. Hey Shiho, my parents bought a Tempur-pedic California King mattress two years ago during the labor day sale, and I too, felt the presence of pushy salespeople. All over the store, the company had signs saying “50% off,” and the sales reps talked about why that weekend was the best time to buy. I feel I was initially hooked on the sales pitch until I saw that the mattress cost $4.000! At that point, you are basically sleeping on cash. My parent went to a couple of stores and just bought the mattress with the best deal. The best way to approach sales is to build a connection, which I try to implement when my volunteers and I go fundraising. When I do door-to-door fundraising for my nonprofit, I first focus on our credibility, that we are high schoolers at American High, and then shift to an emotional appeal. Anyways, I enjoyed reading your interesting twist on this week’s blog topic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Shiho! As I was reading your blog post, I was thinking of how many mattresses that sales person can even sell in day, considering the fact that he just lost a customer due to his unpleasant attitude. I certainly do act on feeling rather than judgement and I am often swayed by people's attitudes and behaviours, but I am not sure if that is exactly for the best. If I really do not want to buy what they have to offer, no matter how they package the item, it will just be a waste of time for the both of us. Also I just wanted to add that I have a memory foam mattress and I really cannot feel the difference.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your experiences with salesmen reminds me a lot of the tactics that many shopping websites utilize. They’ll put timers and make up various holidays to prompt shoppers to buy something quickly under threat of the prIces shooting up again the next day. It’s just that when these manipulative and clever twctics are used online, shoppers are more inclined to fall for it, and they usualy do. It seems that when people are shopping in person, they will feel mich more annoyed when a salesperson is being extra pushy. It just stressed the importance of how often less is more. I personallu uave always finded those salespeople who are willing to admit weaknesses in our product because then everything they say subconsciously becomes more genuine.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Shiho,
    I know a handful of people who would find themselves in a frenzy over buying that mattress immediately to get the best price. Honestly, the salesperson probably decided that he would either sell the mattress for the normal expensive price if the customer wanted to wait a little bit on the purchase, but to potentially make more sales that day and earn more money, he decided time was worth more than money and taunting reduced the price to push the sale. If the timeline was simply too rushed for me and the sale price was not valid if I were to wait any longer, I think I would simply look at whether the mattress is still worth the regular price. If not, then going to another mattress store, no matter how long it takes, is always a smarter choice. Your blog was a very interesting read. I will definitely remember it when it comes my time to purchase a mattress.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Shiho! I truly love your take on the word "memory." What usually comes to mind when you think about that word is the memory a person has, but you took it to another place which I feel made your blog so much more pleasant to read. I don't sleep with memory foam mattresses either, but if I'm being honest, who can even tell the difference. Whenever I've gone to a mattress store to try mattresses, I've always waited for the salesmen to leave to turn to my parents and ask "whats the difference?" As for your story, I felt it when you said that the attitude of the salesperson matters. Even if there is an offer you won't be able to find anywhere else, if they are arrogant and pushy about it, constantly putting pressure on you, it ends up being a pain to have the motivation to buy it from them. If I had to deal with a pushy salesman like you, I would have done the same thing and walked out.

    ReplyDelete

  6. Hi Shiho! While annoying, I can see why these salespeople often resort to overly pushy behavior. When they place customers in rushed situations, they would probably be more likely to make impulsive decisions like. But it can also work against them such as how it ended for you and your family.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Shiho, I’m definitely going to keep all of this in mind when I go out to buy a mattress. It is much nicer to meet salespeople who look like they honestly just want to help, than to meet pushy salespeople who only want to sell as many products as possible. My brother and I have also gone on lots of similar excursions with our parents, and the memories do stay with me as I grow up. Sometimes, it feels like a waste of our time, but ultimately we did learn a life skill, and the memory is especially nice if we did something fun afterward like get some ice cream or go to a bookstore.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Shiho, it's interesting to see why this memory in particular stood out to you. It may have been the convoluted experience of mattress shopping but I think it is the scene of the overly pushy salesperson. We tend to remember when people treat us really badly or really well but not when people treat us normally. Memory works in mysterious ways.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Shiho, I love how you interpreted the word "memory!" I totally have experienced terrible experiences with pushy salespeople. Although I see why certain techniques would work, the extravagance and attitude that some have just distance me from buying from them. I personally prefer and would buy from those who are nice and seem to want to work with me rather than pushing their own deal onto me. It is so interesting that memories like the one you mentioned really stick with you and determine who you are as a person, and experiences, whether bad or good, stay in you mind and determine you actions in the future.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rishi, Week 16: Horrible Memory and Human Society

Riddhika Parmar, Week 16: Memory and the Five Senses

Carolin Pan Week 16 How Memory Ties in with Murder