| Now, this review is only about fifteen years great, | | | | Lastly, and this is certainly the most important aspect |
| but it's never too late to talk about a good shopping | | | | of the shopping experience, the salesperson was |
| experience. Especially in the arena of mattress | | | | actually helpful. He didn't constantly push me to look |
| shopping, which is sort of notorious for the opposite. | | | | at higher priced models, and he allowed me some |
| When I lived in the bay area in the 90s, I was just | | | | time to myself to examine each mattress and its |
| out of college, and shopping to furnish one of my | | | | specifications. I don't know about you, but I would |
| first apartments. Jobless, and with nothing really to | | | | have felt very uncomfortable having a salesman |
| speak of in terms of possessions, I set out to outfit | | | | watch me stretch out on numerous mattresses to |
| my new pad with some cool items... on a serious | | | | test them out. This guy backed off a bit and let me |
| budget. Back then, Craigslist and the like didn't exist. | | | | explore the merchandise. Common sense when you |
| For that matter, the internet didn't really exist. I tried | | | | think about it, but I've certainly had some bad |
| checking out the newspaper classifieds, but was very | | | | experiences in more recent years. |
| quickly discouraged, very discouraged in fact. I went | | | | I didn't end up buying a mattress that day, as I felt |
| to see a couple of used mattresses from the paper | | | | like I had to do some more thinking on the matter. |
| and was so thoroughly disgusted that I determined | | | | Whenever I'm not certain I should make a purchase, |
| there and then that I would need a new mattress, | | | | I take a night to sleep on it. But, as I was sleeping on |
| regardless of how much more I would have to | | | | my floor at the time, it's possible that a hastier |
| spend. | | | | decision would have been acceptable in this case. In |
| My neighborhood (near Chinatown) was noisy, and I | | | | any event, I ended up going back the next day to |
| knew that if I was going to sleep in the city each | | | | make the purchase. I can't even remember what kind |
| night, with everything that goes along with that, I'd | | | | of mattress I bought all those years ago, but frankly |
| need to at least have a surface to sleep on that | | | | it was good enough. I had a 22-year old back, and |
| didn't keep me up at night just wondering what | | | | probably could have slept on anything. What I do still |
| might be festering beneath me. I must say that I got | | | | remember is the Sleep City sleep experience I got |
| very lucky. The first store that I went to came | | | | that first night, fully satisfied with having had a great |
| about on a whim. I was on the way home from | | | | customer experience. Often times, I have found |
| visiting some family friends in Napa when I decided to | | | | since, it is often these interactions you have |
| stop in at a local store called Sleep City. You probably | | | | pre-purchase that end up mattering far more than |
| guessed that I might discuss the store at some | | | | the product itself. I may be in the minority here, but I |
| point, no? | | | | hold this in very high esteem. |
| Anyway, I was amazed at my experience. I had | | | | And that's not to discount the quality of the |
| heard countless stories from every one of my | | | | mattress in any way. I slept on that bed for a good |
| friends recounting their awful times shopping for and | | | | ten years after buying it, and felt like I had gotten |
| purchasing a new mattress. "Used car salesman" was | | | | more than my money's worth when I took it on it's |
| a term that was thrown out liberally. To say that I | | | | farewell voyage to the dump. Those first few nights |
| was anticipating the worst is a bit of an | | | | were divine though, and that may have a lot to do |
| understatement. The Sleep City lights were oddly | | | | with the the preceding few weeks I had spent |
| inviting. And that might sounds weird, but I was | | | | sleeping on the floor. Frankly though, I was just |
| expecting blinding fluorescent lights designed to make | | | | happy that I was able to sleep soundly right along |
| me feel uncomfortable and anxious. The Sleep City | | | | with the sleeping city. In short, I would still strongly |
| furniture was another telltale that the store I was | | | | recommend Sleep City as a store you should |
| visiting might be a little different. There were nice | | | | consider in the bay area before you buy your next |
| chairs to sit down in and take notes, and other items | | | | mattress. Best of luck, and check back often for |
| that gave the place a relaxed feel. | | | | more helpful advice. |