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Straight talk wins

David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 27, 2005

East Hartford, Conn. — Why are John and Tom Wholley so insistent that Better Bedding be driven by integrity?

Because their names are so closely associated with the specialty retailer, the brothers say.

They appear in every commercial and have become well known in Connecticut, where they were both born and educated, and where they are heavily involved in various community, business and church activities.

John has been involved with the Better Business Bureau since 1992, an association he's especially proud of.

The two aren't so proud of the way some bedding retailers operate these days. "They play drop-the-price games," Tom said. "They don't hire quality people." "They run all this 50%-off stuff," John added.

Has the image of bedding retailers improved over the years? "I don't think it is improving," John said.

But the Wholleys don't worry about the competition. "My dad said you don't ever want to fear who's on your doorstep," John said. "We're in this for the long haul."

John Wholley Sr. had a saying on his desk that helps keep the Wholleys focused: "Your competition never buys anything from you."

Better Bedding meets its customers' needs with sharply priced products presented by knowledgeable, highly trained salespeople. "It's continuous training," Tom said. "Everyone is on the same team." The average salesperson has been with the company almost 10 years. Together, store managers have almost 100 years of experience.

Salespeople develop trust with consumers by learning about their sleep habits and needs. "We get to know our customers and then we can find the right products for them," Tom said.

It's a formula that has worked well for Better Bedding, which bills itself as "the dominant chain of specialty sleep shops in New England."

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