Selective Utilization Calibration Calculation Model (SUCC)

Every bed salesman will tell you that you need to test the bed because it is a matter personal preference. Well, the Selective Utilization Calibration Calculation model (or, SUCC) is developed to rank consumer preferences and make the perfect calibrating bed selection for the consumer. Step 1: Weighting the Criteria
We begin with putting some weights on the importance on key marketing descriptions used in bed sales. The sum of the "Personal Importance" criteria need to add up to 100%.

Criteria Brand Reputation Firmness Coil Count/Wire Gauge/Pocketed Pillowtop Thickness Box Springs Ticking and Quilting No-Flip Price

Personal Importance 10% 40% 5% 5% 5% 5% 2.5% 2.5% 25% 100%

Step 2: Brand Reputation

The big 3-S (+ S&F which is made by Simmons) are all long-standing marketing brands; hard to differentiate and can't find one retailer who sells all 3 who can really tell you convincingly that one brand is better than the other. I could either give 0 to all brands or 5 -- the effect of the calculation will be the same; therefore, in the spirit of generosity, all get a 5. (This also gives you some room to add some other unknown brand which may be less than 5 ...)

Brand Reputation Simmons Sterns foster Serta Sealy

(Scale of (1-5); 5 Best)

Personal Scale 5 5 5 5

Step 3: Mattress Firmness

Very difficult to say which is best -- very firm or very soft? Stomach sleepers tend to want a firmer mattress, side sleepers softer. Some mattress companies have endorsements from the Chiropracters of Eastern Nicaragua or similarly influential authorities ... but, if you follow the money, you may also see that some of these organizations may be receiving contributions from the bed manufacturers themselves. If you sleep in multiple positions, probably best to go for something down the middle. Mattress salesmen will tell you to try it out but you are not going to sleep in the store -- will you be happy the next morning? Hard to tell. Therefore, it is impossible to give max points here but, for sake of simplicity, I gave 4 to the medium and 2 each to the extremes

Firmness: Very firm Medium Soft

(Scale of (1-5); 5 Best)

Personal Scale 2 4 2

Step 4: Coiled confusion

Maybe the most advertised selling point but also the one that no one seems to know how to explain. Presumably, the more coils, the better -- but are these coils made with thinner (inferior) wire which may break over time? What is the right amount of coils? the gauge of the wire? What does pocketing the coil in a polyester bag do? Who makes the coils? [Actually, this last question is known -- Leggett and Pratt has a virtual monopoly on all coils; they sell the same coils to all manufacturers.

So what do you do with all of this useful or useless information? Let's apply the following formula: *(#coils x (1/wire gauge))x(1+(Pocketed Coils x 20%))/25]x(1+NotLeggetPratt x -5%). Assume that a pocketed coil gives you 20% more strength and durability. Also, assume that if they don't use the brand name coil (Leggett and Pratt), there is an inferiority of material deduction of 5%; remember, though, that all manufacturers use these ... but, you should ask the salesman anyway to see if he knows. Next, need to scale this calculation against some base case. Assume that the base is 350 coils for a queen with a 14 gauge wire, no pocketed coils,Leggett and Pratt). Results in a calculation of 25 as the base. This might be low/ might be high who knows? And who knows the true effect of the coils to begin with? Anyway, take the raw result and multiply it by the Personal Importance weight to get a final result. Finally, check your final result against the Maximum importance you want to give to this criteria --this avoids overweighting this criteria. Here is an example: Suppose you are evaluating a mattress with: # of coils Wire Gauge Pocketed Coils (1=Yes, 0=No) Not Leggett and Pratt? (1=Yes, 0=No) --> Resulting Formula: Raw Result: 1.71 Assume that your personal calculation weight for Coils is 10% Multiply your personal importance weight by the raw result Final Point Total 9% Is the Max final result greater than the Final Result?

500 14 1 0

(coils x (1/wire gauge)x(1+(Pocketed x 20%)))/25x(1+notLeggetPrattx-5%)

(assuming you set the Max to 10% )

Yes

Therefore, the whole bunch of talk about coils translates to 9points under this example Personal Importance: 5% Max Importance: 10% Step 5: Pillowtop
For about $200, you can buy enough foam to duplicate any pillow top out there. The question is one of preference. Do you like the big pillowtop? Setting the Max Importance depends on your preference. My preference is that there needs to be some Pillowtop but not a lot ... to me this has at most a 10% impact on my personal decision to purchase a mattress. The calculation is fairly simple: how many layers of pillow topping does the mattress have, multiplied by the thickness (in inches) of the pillow topping; the product, then, multipled by the Personal Importance weight, subject to the Max Importance. It may be difficult to get some of this information ... when in doubt, estimate or ask your mattress salesman.

Personal Importance Max Importance

5% 10%

Step 6: The incidentals

This seems to be a big deal mattresses have become thicker and thicker over the years. But, why? Mattress salesmen seem to suggest that there is more comfort. But, they never say that you will need new linens to fit over the mattress; or that you will be uncomfortable as your linens roll off the edges ...

Less than 10" Thick Between 10-15 Over 15 inches thick

0 1 0

While mattresses have grown, the manufactures have cut back on the size of the box spring. Box springs provide little value with a big spring-loaded mattress on top, what value will the stiff springs at the bottom have? My preference is for a standard, regular box spring so that it will fit standard bed skirts and the quilts will hang at the proper heights ...

Box Springs Regular sized Low profile None

1 0 0

Ticking is the fabric cover of the mattress much is said in mattress advertising about the satin, silky ticking with embroidered flowers who cares? I don't know too many people who sleep without bed linens. Not a big factor to me but some people must want it.

Ticking: Decent enough to put bed linen over Not decent enough to put bed linen over

1 0

Flip or no flip. Somehow, it sounds great that you don't need to flip your mattress. But, what if you want to even out the wear, or want to cover up a tear can't do that with a no-flip. My preference is for a FLIP mattress ..

Flip mattress No Flip Mattress Step 6: Price

1 0

We are told by the salesman that price should not be the deciding factor. If not price, what is? The 2 seconds of comfort that we are afforded when we are told to lie down on a mattress in a store with the saleman, drenched in cheap cologne, starring down at you ... Price matters. Not all of us have the resources of a mattress salesman so we all have to work within a budget. So, in setting my personal importance rankings, I am cognizant of my own budget for a mattress.

Price for a mattress set (Queen) < $500 > $500 but less than $750 > $750 but less than $1000 >$ 1000 but less than $1500 >$1500 but less than 2000 Over $2000 Now Let's go shopping!

(Scale 1-5; 5 best) 5 5 4 2 1 0

Go to your favorite mattress retailers and arm yourself with the attached check list.

Retailer:

Salesman:

Mattress Name: Brand Value Firmness Coil Count Gauge Pocketed Layers of Pillow Top Inches of Pillowtop Thickness Box Spring Profile ticking Flip Mattress?

Example: Sealy XYZ Comfort 5 4 456 13 No 2 1 1 1 1 1

Inputs Layers of Pillow Top Inches of Pillowtop Box Spring Profile

Brand Value

Coil Count

Thickness

Pocketed

Firmness

ticking

Gauge

no flip 0 0 1

Name Sealy XYZ SERTA Adreana Simmons Black Sonja Gel Pillow Top

Retailer Macy Macy Macy

5 5 5

4 504 14 4 504 15 4 600 16

0 0 1

3 1 4

2 1 3

1 0 0

1 1 1

1 1 1

Price 4 5 0

Outputs

Brand Value

Point Total

Box Spring

Pillow Top

Thickness

Firmness

Coil/etc.

No Flip

Ticking

50.00 50.00 50.00

160.00 160.00 160.00

7.20 6.83 8.86

10.00 5.00 10.00

5.00 -

5.00 5.00 5.00

2.50 2.50 2.50

2.50 2.50 -

100.00 125.00 -

342.20 356.83 $ 627 236.36 $ 4,407

$ Price

Price