If you’ve ever been mattress shopping, you know it can be frustrating. There are different brands and different beds all in different stores. But the so-called bed-in-a-box is also gaining popularity.
A bed-in-a-box is usually a compressed foam mattress rolled into a package and delivered to your doorstep. You can order online, with no sales pressure, and your mattress comes in about a week.
And if you do want to try before you buy, some popular manufacturers have teamed up with retail stores so you can go in and lie down. For example, Leesa mattresses can be found at West Elm and Casper mattresses are found in some Indigo stores.
So what are they like to sleep on? To find out, Consumer Reports put 41 bed-in- a-boxes through its rigorous tests, checking wear, support for different body types, firmness and bounciness, and pressure points.
“Many of these foam mattresses perform really well and hold top spots in our ratings, which include traditional mattresses,” said Chris Regan a Consumer Reports mattress expert.
Both Casper and Lull mattresses are Consumer Reports Best Buys.
But if you find you and your mattress aren’t a love match, most bed-in- a-box makers offer friendly return policies. Some even accept returns after more than 100 days.
And no, you don’t have to smush it back in that box. Some companies will send someone to pick it up for you, while others work with junk removal companies and donate the mattress to charity.
