Mattresses
Mattress pricing follows a well-documented sale calendar distinct from general furniture.
Buying guides in Mattresses
When Is the Best Time to Buy a Box Spring or Foundation?
Box springs and foundations are cheapest on the same four weekends as mattresses — Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday — because most of the real discount comes through mattress-and-base bundles. But before timing the purchase, check whether your mattress should sit on a box spring at all: most modern foam and hybrid models want a solid or slatted foundation instead, and the wrong base can void the mattress warranty.
- January: Typical price
- February: Best month
- March: Typical price
- April: Typical price
- May: Best month
- June: Typical price
- July: Typical price
- August: Typical price
- September: Best month
- October: Typical price
- November: Best month
- December: Avoid
Mattress Online vs. In-Store: Which Is the Better Deal?
Online mattresses run roughly 15% cheaper on average than the same tier bought in a store, but in-store shoppers can often negotiate that gap smaller, and the two channels differ more in trial length, return fees, and delivery than in price alone.
- January: Typical price
- February: Best month
- March: Typical price
- April: Typical price
- May: Best month
- June: Typical price
- July: Typical price
- August: Typical price
- September: Best month
- October: Typical price
- November: Best month
- December: Avoid
When Is the Best Time to Buy a Mattress?
Mattresses go on their deepest discount around four recurring sale events: Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Black Friday. Outside those windows, prices sit close to full retail.
- January: Typical price
- February: Best month
- March: Typical price
- April: Typical price
- May: Best month
- June: Typical price
- July: Typical price
- August: Typical price
- September: Best month
- October: Typical price
- November: Best month
- December: Avoid
When do mattress prices actually drop?
Mattress prices don't drift through the year. They sit close to full retail and then fall on four recurring weekends: Presidents' Day in February, Memorial Day in May, Labor Day in September, and Black Friday in November. December is the weakest month of the year to buy one.
Why four weekends instead of a season?
Mattress retail is built around three-day-weekend sale events more than almost any other home category. Manufacturers set a suggested list price high enough that a holiday promotion can look dramatic on the tag, which is why the size of the discount matters less than the number you actually pay.
Does a bigger percentage off mean a better deal?
Not on its own. Because list prices are inflated relative to what people typically pay, a headline percentage can still leave you above the usual street price of the same model. Compare the final price across two or three retailers instead of comparing the discounts.
What matters as much as the price?
The trial period. A mattress usually comes with 90 to 365 nights to change your mind, and the terms vary sharply between brands and between channels: return fees, who collects the mattress, whether the trial requires a minimum break-in period. A cheaper mattress with a short trial and a collection fee can cost more in the end than a dearer one you can send back free.
Which guide should you read next?
Start with the best time to buy a mattress for the month-by-month calendar and what each of the four sale weekends is worth. If you're deciding where to buy rather than when, online versus in-store covers the roughly 15% average price gap and the trial and delivery terms that can close it. Buying a base at the same time is covered in box springs and foundations, which follow the same four weekends because most of the real discount comes through bundles. Bedroom furniture runs on its own calendar — see furniture.