Have You Ever Played the Mattress Name Game?1

Mattress shopping, in and of itself, is a tedious, difficult and frustrating process for most. Even worse, it is often a blind task for consumers because they just don't realize how complex the process can be nor are they aware of the fact that price is always an indicator of quality. Add all of that to the fact that the mattress industry has a little 'name game' issue and it's no wonder that so many people are fully unsatisfied by their mattress shopping experience.

If you've ever played the name game before, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If, however, you don't know about the name game, you might want to take a seat and prepare yourself for a phenomena that is more intriguing than the ancient Egyptian pyramids, the Bermuda Triangle and the existence of ghosts, all put together.

Sit back and imagine coffee with one of your best friends. They just got a new phone or tablet or handbag or tie. You love it. You ask them what brand or kind it is. They answer, 'It's an iPad' or 'It's Gucci.' Very simple answer for a very simple question. You go to the website or the store where the item is sold, you purchase it, end of story.

But what if things were different. What if an iPad was also named Curiopad, ePad and myPad? What if you couldn't find the iPad that you so desperately wanted and these other names were the only ones listed at the local stores or online? How would you know which ones to purchase? How could you be certain, without a doubt, that you are purchasing the right one? You wouldn't, would you?

This is what the mattress name game is like. Anne found this out after sleeping at a hotel. She loved the mattress at the hotel she stayed at. So much so that she called the hotel afterwards and requested the name and model number of the mattress. Imagine her surprise when she tried to purchase the exact same mattress, only to find that the mattress wasn't sold anywhere.

She turned to a mattress expert who answers questions on a popular mattress review site for help. Unfortunately, not even they could refer her to the exact mode. They could only offer the most frequently used hotel mattress. It's possible that it is the very same mattress, but it's also possible that it's not. And since mattress manufacturers use the name game, there's no way of knowing for sure.

Confusing, elusive, frustrating and, honestly, depressing. Unfortunately, there isn't much that anyone can do about it. But now that you know, at least you can see past the name game confusion and increase your chances of finding that mattress you're searching for.