“Inside Track With Gerry Borreggine” | Getting Real About Mattress Life

Expectations of how long a mattress should last depend on several factors. Inside Track host Gerry Borreggine and Better Sleep Council spokesperson Terry Cralle identify important ways the retail sales associate can help set proper expectations for their customers.

Transcript

Gerry Borreggine
Welcome to “Inside Track,” sponsored by Therapedic International. I’m Gerry Borreggine here today with Terry Cralle: Terry Cralle, spokesperson for the Better Sleep Council, a registered nurse.

Terry Cralle
I mean, it’s afforded me a great perspective on, you know, having the clinical background and then seeing how it plays out and helping people achieve their goal of a healthy lifestyle with sleep being the very first step.

Gerry Borreggine
Let’s talk about what consumers expect that sleep surface to live last or survive for. When I started the Better Sleep Council, before electricity, we were registering, I think it was 11.6 years.

Terry Cralle
Right.

Gerry Borreggine
That the consumer expected.

Terry Cralle
I did meet someone who had the same mattress for 36 years—one of my. But we have to be. Yeah, we have to be realistic.

Gerry Borreggine
What are we down to? Do you know what that number is today?

Terry Cralle
We’re at about seven or eight years. Because when you think about it, Gerry. Our bodies change. I mean, whether it’s our weight changes, we have aches and pains as we’re not getting older, but other people that are getting on right now, you have different aches and pains. You have just different issues to deal with. So, the expectation has to be realistic.

Terry Cralle
And how comfortable can that same mattress be?

Gerry Borreggine
The problem with the consumers, though, is that they’re getting mixed signals and messages from the mattress industry and that our warranties are 15 years. We tell them the thing’s only going to last eight years. I think one of the things that has to be understood by the consumer is that the term life is not the same as its useful life.

And that’s what has to be explained. The thing that lasts for 15 years, but it’s useful life, even from a health standpoint. A hygiene standpoint is only between six, seven, and eight years at the most. So I think they have to be taught that.

Terry Cralle
Exactly. It’s a great conversation, and I think it will change their expectation and get them into the realistic zone by providing some good education like that.

Gerry Borreggine
And that’s up to the salesperson. I think the salesperson drives that train to help the consumer understand the difference between term life and useful life. And that’s something we need to help salespeople be empowered with tools and facts and figures to communicate that to consumers. This is “Inside Track.” I’m Gerry Boreggine, with guest host Terry Cralle. Thanks for watching.