Getting a good price on a dreamy mattress is one of the most nightmarish of consumer challenges. Model names differ from store to store, making comparison shopping all but impossible. Dramatic price swings make it difficult to discern a fair deal from a rip-off.

Nevertheless, if you wake up tired or achy, your mattress looks saggy or lumpy, or you bought your mattress eight or more years ago, you are probably going to have to face the chore of buying a new one. Here is how to do it.


Decide how much you can spend

Although you can't price-shop for mattresses by comparing standard model names or numbers, it's possible to shop within price ranges that are roughly related to underlying cost and quality. According to a required filing for investors by the Sealy Mattress Co., manufacturers generally slice up the mattress world into four segments by price points: $500 or less (promotional); $500 to $999 (premium); $1,000 to $1,999 (luxury); and $2,000 or more (ultraluxury).

Since the bedding industry builds to those list-price specifications, the established prices give shoppers a rough benchmark for comparison. But extensive testing by Consumer Reports has found that all but the cheapest mattresses are fine for most people. The lowest-priced innerspring mattresses tend to be less durable, and their top padding might be so thin that you will feel coils intruding on your comfort. As for the number of coils, the more expensive models boast as many as 1,728, but our testers found that any coil count above 390 in a queen, for example, should be plenty.

A recent national survey of mattress consumers by Furniture/Today, a trade publication, provided more refined price benchmarks by size. For example, the median price paid by consumers for twin-size mattress and box-spring sets was $500 at bedding specialists, but only $300 at furniture stores. For full-size sets, the median price was the same, $500. Queen-size sets were $720 at bedding specialists, but $600 at furniture stores. The median price for king-size sets was about the same at both retailers, $1,250 at specialists and $1,200 at furniture stores.


Push for a lower price

Use the prices above as a rough guide when shopping. The median prices show the "heart of the market" for each size set, says David Perry, bedding editor at Furniture/Today.

You should shoot for a final price at or below the amounts listed-even less if you're buying the mattress only. One easy way to save a bundle without having to haggle is to hold out for a sale. Instead of paying the $960 list price for the Sealy Posturepedic Emerald LE Plush I queen mattress at Sears, you could have picked it up on sale there for $480 last February. If you missed that deal, be patient. Big-discount sales are common in this highly competitive business.


Test it yourself

Once you have narrowed your prospects based on price, give the mattresses a 15- or 20-minute in-store comfort test. Kick off your shoes and lie down on your prospective purchase for 5 minutes on each side and your back, plus another 5 on your stomach if you sleep that way. Check the comfort and determine what you prefer in the firm-to-soft range. That short test proved extremely accurate among Consumer Reports staff members who found mattresses they liked in our lab. They then took them home and slept on them for a month.

If you are interested in a specialty mattress, such as those sold by Duxiana, Select Comfort, and Tempur-Pedic, it's especially important to try it out. They are constructed differently than conventional innerspring mattresses, and our comfort tests showed that they're not for everyone. With prices running to $4,000 and more, these ultraluxury models are not for every pocketbook either.


Cast a wide net

In your hunt for the best price, be sure to check department stores like Macy's, Sears, and JCPenney, which have frequent sales and lots of brands to choose from, as well as bedding specialists like Sleepy's or Dial-A-Mattress, whose sales staff should know their stuffing. Don't forget furniture stores and wholesale price clubs like Costco and Sam's Club. Don't buy a mattress over the Web or by phone unless you've already tried the exact same model in a store.

If you're in the market for a luxury mattress, consider trying one out at a hotel, where you can put the bed through its paces with a nightlong sleepover. Among hotel chains that sell new copies of the commercial-grade beds they use are La Quinta Inns & Suites, and Starwood's Westin and W Hotels. Pricing isn't bad for the luxury segment. For example, last February the Simmons Beautyrest Collector's Edition super pillow-top 825-coil mattress and box spring queen-size set used by La Quinta sold for $1,099 ($999 for the mattress only), with free delivery and no taxes. Go to www.beddingconcierge.com for more information.


Keep down the cost of extras

You can save a few hundred dollars by not buying a new box spring with a new mattress. A new box isn't necessary if the old one doesn't have rips, warps, creaks, or "give." Also look for a comfort guarantee like the 90-day return-exchange policy at Sears. Try to negotiate free pick-up and disposal of your old mattress; some delivery services will only haul it to the curb or charge you extra to cart it away.