Rooms To Go, Badcock make 'enemy' part of mattress sale
David Perry, Executive editor -- Furniture Today, March 8, 2010
Would you like a 32-inch TV with your sleep set? That's a question that sales associates at Rooms To Go have been asking as the aggressive retailer moves on with life after no-no-no. As you are probably aware, the government says that no-no-no promotions must go-go-go. But that's no-no-no problem for the creative folks at Rooms To Go.
The company just rolled out a new promotion — “first time ever!” it says — in which consumers buying select sleep sets will get a 32-inch LG LCD TV as part of the package. Rooms To Go is careful not to say that the TV is free, noting that both the TV and the sleep set are included in the sale price.
The featured offer was a King Koil Spine Support Euro-pillowtop sleep set for $999. “Buy the mattress set now and get the TV too!” the ad copy reads. It notes that the King Koil sleep set sells every day for $999 in queen.
RTG also is making the offer on a Sealy Posturepedic, a Serta Perfect Sleeper and a Simmons Beautyrest, all promoted at $1,477. That is “one great price including a 32-inch LG LCD HDTV!” the ad says.
Also trying a TV-with-bedding promotion is Badcock Home Furniture & more. It's offering a 22-inch RCA TV/DVD combo with any of its three Legends Ultra Mattress sets, on sale for $989 to $1,299.
And there may be other retailers making similar offers. These are just two that we've seen.
This is an interesting promotion, one that makes the “enemy” — consumer electronics — part of the mattress purchase equation. I call that category the “enemy” because it is one of the categories that compete with the mattress industry for a share of consumer's disposable dollars. And, let's face it, how many families would not like a new high-definition TV?
It would be nice if consumers were more excited about getting a new mattress than they were about getting a new TV. A new sleep set, after all, can change a consumer's life for the better, while a new TV will help that same consumer waste hours with mostly mindless programs. (Note: Some TV is worth watching, like Fox TV's “24,” mentioned in this space the other week.)
It would be really neat to see the TV industry offering sleep sets with a TV purchase, but we've got a long way to go before we elevate the mattress to that level of appreciation.
Meanwhile, Rooms To Go and Badcock are smart to play up the power of a TV. We'll be interested to see if this becomes a staple in the retail promotional arsenal, and will be watching to see if other stores try a similar approach. Success, as we know, breeds imitation.
Contact David Perry at dperry@reedbusiness.com
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