Verlo Mattress recently reopened its corporate-owned stores after closing them two months ago because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Milwaukee-based direct-to-consumer mattress manufacturer has made several changes to its store operations to protect customers and employees from spreading the novel coronavirus and has recommended its franchise stores adopt these changes as well.
Verlo is now scheduling private appointments for guests and limiting the number of people in the showroom to five or a single-family unit at any one time to enforce social distancing.
“We examined every touchpoint we have with customers during the weeks we were closed in order to protect our employees and guests to help slow or prevent the spread of the coronavirus,” said Dirk Stallmann, Verlo’s executive vice president. “As a family-owned, local business, we’re implementing several common sense actions that allow us to safely resume operations, serve the community and get back to a new normal of everyday life.”
Those common sense actions include:
- Providing masks and gloves for all team members and guests
- Requiring masks be worn inside the store at all times
- Hand sanitizer placed in the guest hospitality area and customer service counter
- Using medical grade single-use mattress protectors in our mattress testing process, replacing them with new mattress protectors and disposing of the used protectors at the end of each appointment
- Using single-use pillow protectors during our pillow testing process, replacing them with new pillow protectors and disposing of the used protectors at the end of each appointment
- Thoroughly cleaning the store after each guest appointment
- Rigorously sanitizing all surfaces in the store at close of business each day
- Increasing the replacement of all in-store air filters to once per month from twice each year
- Still providing free delivery to customers’ front porch, garage, or driveway. Verlo delivery team members wear masks and gloves to ensure their safety and that of customers. Guests can also opt for contactless pick-up from Verlo’s W. Layton Ave. store in Greenfield.
Stallmann noted that Verlo had updated its website, https://verlo.com, just prior to the stay-at-home order. Visitors to the website can view the entire collection of mattresses with multiple options for every model that are custom-built for each guest. Guests also can call Verlo’s national service line at (800) 224-8375 on weekdays with questions.
“The website has a ‘live chat’ feature available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time,” added Stallmann. “Providing tremendous value and personalized attention have been hallmarks of our company for more than 60 years. We continue to provide the correct sleep solution people are seeking at a direct-to-consumer price because we manufacture our mattresses to each guests’ needs and deliver it to their homes.”
Besides its company-owned stores, Verlo’s home office in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward also is open. The company is limiting the number of employees working in the office to only three at any time to maintain social distancing and limit the spread of the virus. The rest of the staff continues to work from home and telecommute as it has done since mid-March. 
Visit verlomattress.com
About Verlo Mattress: Founded in 1958 by two men who named the company for their wives (Verna and Lois), Verlo Mattress has 21 locations in Wisconsin and 13 more in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Verlo is passionate about helping people find the right sleep products – at the best prices – because so much depends on a good night’s rest. Verlo mattresses are built in local Verlo factories, sold at consumer-direct prices and serviced locally with a Lifetime Comfort Guarantee.
