June 30, 2022
Click here to get Sleep Retailer eNews delivered straight to your inbox.
Is There A Wave Of Retail Bankruptcies On The Horizon?
Earlier this week, news broke of Corsicana Mattress’ Chapter 11 filing—but that is not the only bankruptcy story on our radar. After a quiet few years, experts are now predicting that, unless market conditions don’t recalibrate, we will soon be seeing a wave of retail bankruptcies in the near future. Between inflationary pressures, inventory shake-ups and an ever volatile financial market, there are a lot of different factors at play right now that are making experts worried. What does this mean for the bedding retail landscape? We take a closer look.
Exploring Some Of The Biggest Critiques Of The Mattress Industry
What can we learn from that New Yorker article about how to buy a new mattress.
A recent article from the June 27th issue of the New Yorker, Patricia Marx posed a somewhat tongue-in-cheek proposal: “How To Buy A New Mattress Without A Ph.D in Chemistry.” Part explainer, part first-hand reporting (and, of course, all classic New Yorker wit), the piece follows Marx on her personal exploration of the mattress shopping experience. Along the way, she takes a few narrative detours to outline the history of the mattress, explain the different types of mattresses and materials available in the market today—and occasionally share morsels of wisdom from a variety of different industry players. The result is, as you can probably guess from the title, a far from flattering portrait of the mattress retail industry. In fact, in many ways, it could be considered a scathing critique. In it, she highlights hypocrisies, debunks myths and shares personal frustrations. But, for those of us working inside the mattress industry, it is also an invaluable read. Because while one stand-alone article in the New Yorker is hardly the word of the people, Marx’s words have resonated with consumers. And not only does she deftly pinpoint the parts of the mattress buying process most in need of improvement, she also underscores a difficult reality that both manufacturers and retailers must contend with—that the efforts to rehab the mattress industry’s reputation have come up lacking.
Understanding Revenge Bedtime Procrastination
Imagine this: you’ve had a long busy day at work and you’re tired. The clock strikes 9pm and you’re looking forward to getting in bed early so you can wake up feeling refreshed. But before you turn out the light, you find yourself scrolling on your phone. Or queuing up the next episode of the TV show you’re binging. Before you know it, it’s two in the morning and you’re still awake and now there’s no way for you to get enough sleep! Does this sound familiar to you? If so, you may be suffering from “revenge bedtime procrastination.” This colloquial term has gained popularity during the pandemic. But why do people do it? And is there any way to stop?
Click here to get Sleep Retailer eNews delivered straight to your inbox.
