Plethora of mattress retailers?

Question

Mattress retailers (in particular, self-proclaimed "discount" mattress retailers) are seemingly on every street corner. Given that people tend to keep their mattresses for many years, it's not apparent to me how so many of these retailers can remain in business.

Is the mark-up THAT huge, the overhead THAT low, is there some other aspect to the business model that I'm not understanding, or is one of my assumptions (like how long a mattress lasts) faulty?

A silly question, I know, but I've always been curious about this.

Answer 1

The markup *is* that huge.

Also, keep in mind that every divorce generates the need for at least one member of the couple to go out and buy a new mattress.