Author:
Natascha Wouterson
There are all kinds of measurement systems available in the sleep comfort market. Most systems are glorified buying aids for salespeople in the sleep store. These measurements are often not independent. When the result of the measurement rolls out of the computer, it just happens to be in the store. Coincidentally? No way, usually the systems are larded with a semi-scientific sauce. The scientific sauce is usually correct, but often concerns only a small part of the total measurement. So be wary.
BEDMEET CENTER HASSELT
In Hasselt, for example, there is the so-called Bedmeet Center. Those who visit here should set themselves up for a somewhat fussy-looking measurement environment. You are welcomed by a lady who is not too talkative. You have to bare your upper body (in this fussy poorly lit environment) and fill out a little questionnaire beforehand. Think: "do you have any complaints, what do you currently sleep on or how old is your current mattress?" Further, there are several bed setups on which you are randomly laid according to the estimation of the lady taking the measurements. There seems to be little logic here. Pocket springs, a soy mattress, a waterbed, anything and everything. Because of the random nature, independence is also in question here. This is a shame, because the idea behind it is a good one.
The measurements taken are not very transparent. In no way is it made clear to the customer how the measurement is done and what is being measured at all. Even upon inquiry, this remains very vague and unclear. Do you think they have something to hide? So we call this blind trust. Afterwards, you get to see a kind of graph showing the randomly selected mattresses. The higher the number on the graph, the better the mattress. The only spontaneous reaction that surfaces are a lot of question marks.
Then the Bedmeet Center works out a quote based on this mattress with a matching slatted base or box spring. If you then buy the bed there, the measurement is "free." If the two partners have a different outcome in terms of measurement, then it is not entirely clear how to put together a matched bed. After all, mattresses have different thicknesses. So it may be that, based on the measurement, the woman needs a thicker mattress than the man or vice versa. How to solve this aesthetically is a mystery. According to the Bedmeet Center, it's not a problem. They just adjust the legs a little and that's it. A box spring in two different heights cannot really be called beautiful in the bedroom.
The Bedmeet Center in Hasselt is a good initiative. Only the way it is implemented can be much improved. Whether customers actually sleep better is difficult to verify. According to the Center, of course they do.
A few simple tips for the Bedmeet Center from Hasselt:
- provide better lighting
- make the measurement system transparent
- make sure mattresses and fitted sheets are clean
- put customers more at ease