Better Bedding builds on tradition
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 26, 2006
East Hartford, Conn. — John T. Wholley set the example, at home and in business.
The former sales representative, who sold bedding to furniture and department stores, embodied integrity in his business relationships. And he inculcated that quality in his sons, John and Tom, at an early age.
The senior Wholley entered the retail bedding arena in 1976 when he launched Better Bedding. His honest, straightforward approach was a foundation stone of the company, and continues to anchor the business today.
John T. Wholley died in 1984, but his legacy lives on in the company he founded. John and Tom Wholley, who grew up in South Windsor, a town in the greater Hartford marketplace, are the face of the company today. They are proud to note that the business is being run just the way their father ran it.
"We haven't changed anything about the way we do business today," said John Wholley, president, who has been with the company since its inception in 1976. "We look at some of the things that our competitors are doing. It is embarrassing."
Better Bedding continues to operate on the same values established by John T. Wholley Sr. "Incomparable customer service and product value" were core values that Wholley infused in the business.
John and Tom keep integrity at the very heart of Better Bedding, which operates 19 stores throughout Connecticut and western Massachusetts.
The Wholley brothers run a very different kind of company than the bait-and-switch and high-pressure operators who give the industry a bad name. Better Bedding puts honesty right in its slogan: "Honest advice. Low price." That's not just talk; the Wholley brothers live that philosophy.
"The standards for honesty and integrity haven't changed," John Wholley noted. "Our goal of pleasing the customer hasn't changed."
Educating the consumer
Better Bedding embraces a truthful approach to the business. "Truth Exposed" is the name of a content-rich department at www.betterbedding.com that gives consumers a wealth of advice.
That department goes a long way in explaining the success enjoyed by Better Bedding. The Wholleys say product education is the key to meeting consumers' needs, and they tackle several misconceptions about mattresses on their Web site.
Many consumers think firmer bedding is better, but that's not necessarily so, the company says. "It is important to buy a mattress set that is going to give you support and spinal alignment," it says on its Web site under the headline, How to shop and test mattresses. "You don't have to buy a very firm mattress to get these benefits. You can buy a mattress that is plush and still get the very best support and spinal alignment."
Under the "Buyer Beware" section of its Truth Exposed department, the Wholleys tackle the topics of bait-and-switch practices, buying a generic mattress, and purchasing over the Internet and telephone.
"Beware of operations that will step you down a model without you knowing it," the company says. "This makes you think their price is better than the store's price, but when you get delivery of the mattress it isn't the product you thought it was."
Consumers who are thinking about buying a bed without trying it out first should think again, according to Better Bedding. "You are taking a pretty big risk buying a mattress without making sure it is comfortable for you," the company says. "Do you buy a car without taking it on a test drive? Then why would you buy a mattress without laying on it?"
The company carries a broad range of brand-name mattresses and futons. The lineup includes King Koil, Sealy, Gold Bond, Simmons, Stearns & Foster, Natural Response, Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort. The company also carries its own brand, the Better Bedding Private Collection.
The newest vendor is Select Comfort, the airbed producer and retailer, which is partnering with key retailers. The Select Comfort line "is doing well," said Tom Wholley, the company's vice president. "It gives us the opportunity to say that we have everything" — from innerspring to visco to air.
Partnering pays off
He notes that Better Bedding benefits from "some real sweet deals with our vendors." He explains: "This is a byproduct of the relationship we enjoy with our vendors. It's not an adversarial relationship. I'm a firm believer that what goes around comes around."
"The way we do business has enhanced the relationships we have with our vendors," John added.
The Wholleys are sticklers for integrity since their own names are so closely associated with the company. The two appear in every commercial and have become well-known figures in Connecticut, where they are heavily involved in community and church activities.
John also has been actively involved with the Better Business Bureau since 1992, an association of which he is especially proud.
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Conn. chain puts accent on honesty
Apr 10, 2005
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