1800Mattress.com

1800Mattress.com
Private
Industry Retail
Founded 1976
Founder Napoleon and Kay Barragan
Headquarters Hicksville, New York, USA
Products Bedding
Website 1800mattress.com

1800Mattress.com (formerly known as 1-800-Mattress, Dial-a-Mattress and Dial-a-Mattress Operating Corps) is an American bedding retailer headquartered in Hicksville, New York and famous for its ads that used the slogan "leave off the last S for savings" (since the word "mattress" has 8 letters and only 7 are necessary for a phone number).[1][2][2]

History

1800mattress.com was founded as Dial-A-Mattress in 1976 by Napoleon Barragan who got the idea as he saw an ad for Dial-A-Steak, a business that sold meat over the telephone while working in a furniture store.[2][3] [4] From its beginnings as a basement operation, 1979 saw the first Dial-A-Mattress ads on television[2] and in October 1988, Dial-A-Mattress started promoting their toll-free 800 number in broadcast ads. Having quickly eclipsed the furniture store where Barragan originally worked,[5] the company went national in 1994 and later the name was changed to 1-800-Mattress corresponding with the familiar "1-800-Mattress" jingle written by Andy Vallario, the President and chief creative officer of Media Results, Inc. Part of the company's growth was spurred by referrals and a familiarity with the brand, largely due to the catchy jingle and brand awareness.[6]

In 2005, near the company's peak when it was the leading bedding telemarketing company in the US, 1800mattress had more than 300 employees with annual sales in excess of $100 million. It had nearly 50 showrooms and 250 distributors nationwide.[2] On March 23, 2009, 1-800-Mattress filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection pending a proposed merger with former rival, Sleepy's[7] and later that year the merger was completed and 1-800-Mattress officially became 1800Mattress.com.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "1-800 Mattress". New York Magazine. 1996-01-01. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 How 1-800-Mattress Turned zzzz's into $$$$!. The New York Enterprise Report. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  3. ↑ Because a Guy from Ecuador Can Sell Soda Off the Back of a Donkey, Then Come Here and Build a $120 Million Business—All It Takes Is a Few Mattresses and an 800 Number New York Magazine. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  4. ↑ Sleep on it: an Ecuadoran finds a novel way to sell mattresses, and builds on empire along the way. BNET, The CBS Interactive Business Network. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  5. ↑ Lebhar-Friedman (1999). "Chain Store Age". Chain Store Age. Retrieved 2012-06-10.
  6. ↑ Floor, Ko (2006). Branding a Store: How to Build Successful Retail Brands in a Changing Marketplace. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 184.
  7. ↑ Bankrupt 1-800-Mattress plans merger with Sleepy’s. Crain’s NY Report. Retrieved 2011-08-11.

External links

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