The Black Friday Bed Buying Guide | 10 Mistakes to Avoid Before You Buy

Black Friday can be a good time to invest in a new bed or mattress, but a significant saving doesn’t necessarily make something the right choice.

A mattress is one of the most considered purchases you’ll make. You’ll spend thousands of hours sleeping on it, and the right choice is truly personal. Your body, sleeping position, partner, existing bed and even how warm you sleep can all influence what feels right.

So, before looking at the saving, look at what you’re investing.

Here are ten of the most common mistakes to avoid when choosing a bed or mattress this Black Friday.

1. Starting with the discount, rather than the mattress

It’s easy to begin with the biggest saving. But when it comes to a mattress, price alone tells you very little about whether it will be comfortable or supportive for you.

Start instead by understanding what you need from your new bed. Consider how you sleep, what you like about your current mattress and, importantly, what you would like to change.

Dr Lindsay Browning advises looking beyond the discount and thinking about your individual sleep needs, whether that's a particular level of support, staying cool at night or reducing disturbances from a partner moving during the night.

“Don’t just buy a mattress because it’s heavily discounted. Make sure that it’s the right one for you.”

A Black Friday offer should help you buy the right bed at a better price, rather than persuade you to buy the wrong one simply because the saving looks good.

2. Assuming firmer automatically means more supportive

One of the most common misconceptions when mattress shopping is that a firm mattress is inherently better for your back.

Firmness and support aren't the same thing.

The right mattress should allow your body to feel comfortably supported in your natural sleeping position. Your body weight, build, sleeping position and personal preference can all affect which tension and construction feels right for you.

Rather than automatically reaching for the firmest mattress, try different tensions and pay attention to what feels comfortable and supportive to you.

3. Not spending enough time trying it

A mattress can feel comfortable for a few moments without necessarily being right for an entire night.

Allow at least 15 minutes when trying a mattress in a showroom, and longer if you can. Lie down properly, take your shoes off and settle into the positions you naturally sleep in.

Dr Lindsay Browning explains why this matters:

“Often, people may lie flat on their backs in the showroom on the mattress, whereas they usually sleep on their fronts or in the foetal position.”

Trying a mattress in a position you don't normally sleep in can give you a misleading impression of how comfortable it will be at home.

If you share a bed, Dr Browning also recommends testing it together. Move around on your respective sides to see whether your partner's movements disturb you and consider how easy it is to get in and out of the bed.

If you tend to overheat at night, this is also an opportunity to ask about the mattress materials and breathability. Remember that your duvet, bedding and sleepwear can also influence how warm you feel.

There is no need to rush. At And So To Bed, our teams are happy to leave you to experience a mattress for as long as you need. Choosing a bed should feel considered, not pressured.

4. Forgetting about the base beneath it

You aren't only experiencing the mattress when you try a bed. The base beneath it plays a part in how the bed feels.

A solid platform base, for example, will give a mattress a firmer feel. A sprung divan provides a different response.

Vispring recommends pairing its mattresses with a sprung divan to create a complete support system, allowing the mattress and base to work together to provide support around areas such as the shoulders and hips.

If you're buying a mattress to use on an existing bedframe, ask what base you're trying it on in the showroom and consider how that compares with the bed you have at home.

The same applies to your pillow. If possible, try the mattress with a pillow similar in height and feel to the one you normally sleep on.

 

5. Choosing for two people when only one of you has tried it

Comfort is personal. If two people share a bed, what feels right for one may not feel right for the other.

Where possible, try a new mattress together. Lie in your usual positions and consider how the bed feels when you're both on it.

Different preferences don't necessarily mean compromising. Some mattresses, including Vispring, are available with different tensions on either side, allowing each person to have the support that suits them within the same bed.

It's also worth considering space. Choosing the largest bed that comfortably works within your room can give each person more room to move without disturbing the other.


6. Not thinking about what's wrong with your current mattress

Before deciding what you want next, think about what isn't working now.

Perhaps you wake feeling uncomfortable. Maybe you're too warm at night, notice your partner moving, feel that you're rolling towards the centre of the bed or simply never quite get comfortable.

You don't need to diagnose the problem yourself. Instead, notice what's happening.

Those observations can be much more useful than arriving in a showroom knowing only that you want a medium or firm mattress. They give the showroom somewhere to start and help them guide you towards options worth trying.

7. Choosing a mattress without considering how you sleep

There is no single perfect mattress.

Side sleepers, back sleepers and front sleepers can experience the same mattress very differently. Body weight, temperature and how much you move during the night can influence what feels comfortable too.

Dr Lindsay Browning explains that your sleeping position and body weight influence where pressure is placed on the mattress. Side sleepers, for example, may experience greater pressure around their shoulders and hips, while back sleepers distribute their weight differently.

“A suitable mattress should support your body so that your spine and neck remain in a neutral position as you sleep.”

A mattress that's too firm or too soft may create uncomfortable pressure points, making it harder to fall asleep or causing you to wake during the night.

That's why specifications can only tell you so much. Two beautifully made mattresses can have completely different constructions and feels, and the more expensive one isn't automatically going to be the better mattress for you.

Think about how you naturally sleep, rather than how you think you're supposed to sleep, and use that as part of the conversation when choosing your bed.


8. Forgetting the practicalities

The perfect bed must make it into your bedroom.

Before ordering, consider access through your home, particularly narrow staircases, tight corners, doorways or lifts. Bed and mattress dimensions are worth checking against the route they'll need to travel, not simply the space they'll occupy once they're there.

It's also important to understand delivery times, particularly if you're hoping to have your new bed in place before Christmas.

At And So To Bed, our showroom teams can guide you through the practicalities before you order and work with you to arrange a suitable delivery time.

A few measurements now can prevent an unwelcome surprise on delivery day.

9. Waiting until Black Friday weekend to start looking

A considered purchase doesn't need to become a rushed one simply because it's Black Friday.

Start researching early. Visit a showroom, try different mattresses and understand what suits you. You can then make your decision knowing what you're looking for rather than trying to compare unfamiliar mattresses against a deadline.

As Dr Lindsay Browning advises, Black Friday offers can create pressure to make a quick decision, but buying a mattress isn't something you should rush if you're unsure. Researching and trying different options ahead of the sale can help you make a more confident choice when the offers arrive.

The aim isn't to find a mattress quickly. It's to find the one you'll still be pleased you chose long after Black Friday has passed.


10. Thinking only about the day you buy it

Before making your final decision, understand what owning your new mattress will involve.

Does it need turning or rotating? How often? Is it something you'll comfortably be able to do yourself, or will it require two people? What guarantee is included? What happens at delivery? And what care does the mattress require over time?

These details might not be the most exciting part of choosing a new bed, but they're worth understanding before it arrives in your home.

A beautifully made mattress is a long-term purchase. Knowing how to look after it properly will help you get the best from it for years to come.

Would you buy it if it wasn't on offer?

Black Friday can present an opportunity to invest in something you've already been considering for some time.

But the saving should never be the reason a mattress is right for you.

Take your time. Try it properly. Ask questions. Think about the way you sleep and, if you share your bed, make the decision together.

The right mattress isn't necessarily the firmest, the most expensive or the one with the biggest Black Friday saving.

It's the one that's right for you.

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27th October 2026

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