
Ken Mazda understands that, for most people, buying a mattress is not as “sexy” a purchase as, say, a new sports car or motorcycle. Yet it could very well be the most important purchase they make considering the fact that the quality of one’s sleep can influence—either positively or negatively—so many factors in a person’s life.
“Most people won’t buy a bed till the day they wake up and their back is killing them,” says Mazda, owner of five (soon to be six) America’s Mattress locations in the Philadelphia area. “If you drill down, it should probably be the No. 1 item you spend your money on. Let’s face it: Most people don’t get the sleep they need—six or seven hours a night, if they are lucky. But if they get a good night’s sleep, with REM sleep for a couple of hours, they will have a better outlook and will be able to be more productive. If you’re tossing and turning all night, you’re probably not going to be as productive or as happy as you might want.”
America’s Mattress, which consists of a 400-store network of independent owner-operators such as Mazda, carries top-selling mattresses, decorative beds, futons and accessories from some of the industry’s most reputable brands. Each of Mazda’s locations carries items from Serta, Tempur-Pedic, Trump iSeries and iComfort, with the guaranteed lowest prices. This includes highly popular adjustable beds, also known as motion beds or ergo beds.
“I would say 80 percent of the adjustable beds we sell are not for medical reasons—purely for lifestyle,” Mazda says. “People spend so much time in their beds now. You go to bed at 10 and don’t turn off the TV till midnight, so you want to be as comfortable as you can. … No matter what someone’s needs are, from a basic extra bed for a guest room to the best mattress on the market for a master bedroom, they’re going to find the right solution here for anything they need.”
Mazda has a rich history in the mattress business. He formerly owned Nationwide Sleep Centers, a brand he helped grow from 17 to 63 stores before selling it to a competitor. He’s now growing again, building off the strength of the America’s Mattress brand, while utilizing the same values that prompted his earlier success—namely, great products delivered with exceptional customer service, with customer satisfaction 100 percent guaranteed.
At his five locations, customers will receive expert assistance from some of the most skilled professionals in the industry. Through a series of qualifying questions and tests to determine customer preferences—king or queen, firm or pillow top, memory foam or innerspring—the sales professionals at his stores work with customers to determine the ideal bed for optimized, individualized comfort. In addition, because they don’t work on commission, salespeople never work outside of a customer’s specific budget.
“We offer a no-hype, no-pressure experience,” he says. “We’re not about high pressure and selling the mattress at the highest price. Instead, we’re very knowledgeable about the products in the stores and help the customer find the right bed for them. … I like to hire people who have been in business for quite some time. I’d say 80 percent of the people who work for me now are the same ones who worked for me at Nationwide. I knew they would treat the customer right, and that they knew the industry. They’re also very interested in continuing education; once a month we have sales training from Serta or Tempur-Pedic.”
America’s Mattress offers free delivery to anywhere in the Delaware Valley, as well as complimentary setup and removal of the old mattress for customer convenience. If, for some reason, a customer decides after having slept on it for a period of time that a mattress is not the best fit, an in-home Comfort Warranty ensures that they can have the mattress returned for a different model.
“We have some of the best delivery personnel in the business,” he says. “They are extremely courteous and absolutely excellent. That’s so important, because that delivery man is the last person from America’s Mattress that the customer sees. He treats the customer’s house and belongings with respect.”
Mazda currently has five locations in the Philadelphia area—King of Prussia, Montgomeryville, Oxford Valley, Prospect Park and Vineland, N.J.—with a sixth location due to open later this month in Cherry Hill, N.J.
“I’m a local businessman, so shopping at one of my stores keeps your money local,” he says. “We also have factory-direct pricing, and we can afford to pass those savings along to the consumer. You’re never going to feel pressured at one of our stores. We tell customers all the time to try it, take the weekend to think about it—basically, it’s about building a relationship with the customer.
“Buying a mattress is an important purchase, so we take our time with every customer. If they’re buying for a master bedroom, the average amount of time we spend with them the first time they come in is an hour and a half, because the customer needs to have time to spend with the mattress. If they’re by themselves, we tell them to come back and bring your husband or bring your wife, because you really should both try it. In the long run they’ll be happier because of it.”
Jennifer Updike is a freelance writer based in New Hope.
Call 888-ZZZ-SLEEP or visit www.americasmattressphiladelphia.com for details on Ken Mazda’s five America’s Mattress locations in King of Prussia, Montgomeryville, Oxford Valley, Prospect Park, and Vineland, N.J., and a sixth location opening soon in Cherry Hill, N.J.