3 reasons to buy a mattress in this weekend's sales — don't wait for Black Friday

A man in a blue shirt goes mattress shopping during the biggest sales event of the year, Black Friday

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Black Friday is an excellent time to buy one of the best mattresses of the year at the cheapest price, as brands and retailers drive down prices and increase discounts in a bid to earn your custom.

But if you’re waiting for Black Friday itself (which lands on Friday 24th November this year) to snap up a superb Black Friday mattress deal, we have news for you: don't wait, shop now. Why? Because the best deals are already live and unlikely to be improved next week.

Many of the best mattresses in a box are on sale right now for up to 50% off in some cases, and there are generous savings on cheap and luxury beds alike. For example, you can save $400 on Saatva's most sought-after hybrid bed the Classic (read our Saatva Classic mattress review for more), while the best-selling Nectar mattress is down to just $359 – the lowest price we've seen since late summer.

Black Friday mattress sales — Quick links

1. Black Friday's biggest mattress deals are live

As a team, we've been covering the Black Friday sales for years and have a lot of knowledge to draw upon when it comes to mattress deals. We know from the past few years alone that sleep brands and retailers are pushing their Black Friday deals live earlier and earlier, with some, like Nectar Sleep and DreamCloud, running huge flash sales in late October.

This year, for example, there was a DreamCloud early access Black Friday Flash Sale at the end of October that offered a whopping 50% off all DreamCloud mattresses, reducing the cost of a queen size Luxury Hybrid to just $665 (was $1,332) – the lowest price we've seen since last Black Friday.

Image shows the Nectar Memory Foam Mattress on a yellow bed frame placed in a yellow bedroom — Nectar's best Black Friday saving is already live – no need to wait for Black Friday itself (Image credit: Nectar Sleep)

We've analyzed this year's sales and, in our expert opinion, the majority of the best offers are available now. Therefore there's little reason to wait until Friday 24th if you need a new mattress urgently, as we doubt there will be any dramatic increases in the discounts we're seeing today.

Here are our favorite early deals that you can shop this weekend:

Nectar Sleep: flash sale — just $359 for a Nectar
Saatva (Exclusive): $400 off $1,000 or more + free old mattress removal
Tempur-Pedic: up to $700 off adjustable mattress sets for zero gravity sleep
Helix Sleep: 25% off top side and stomach sleeper beds + 2 free pillows
Avocado: 10% off certified natural mattresses for toxin-free sleep
Awara: up to $400 off organic beds including natural latex
Bear: 35% off cooling beds and motion-isolating hybrids
Casper: 20% off pressure-relieving mattresses for hot sleepers
Cocoon by Sealy: 35% off budget cooling mattresses + $199 of free bedding
DreamCloud: 40% off all luxury hybrids for back pain support
Emma: up to 50% off body-hugging memory foam beds
Nolah: 35% off sitewide + 2 free pillows + lifetime warranty

2. Buying now avoids potential shipping delays

For the past two years we've seen shipping delays ramp up on orders placed during Black Friday and Cyber Monday itself, likely caused by a huge flood of new orders placed on Cyber Weekend. Shipping issues on mattress materials compounded this during the pandemic years, but that's unlikely to have an impact this year.

However we are already seeing changes to the normal shipping estimates for some brands too, with five to ten days shipping instead of the usual one to five days. Brands like Saatva, Helix Sleep and Tempur-Pedic in particular are ones to shop early, as these are custom, handcrafted luxury mattresses that can take anywhere from one to six weeks to make and ship. Add on a huge slew of Black Friday orders to that timeline, and you risk not getting your new mattress until after Christmas.

If you want a mattress that's guaranteed to reach you in three to five business days, we recommend looking at the following brands behind this year's best hybrid mattresses and memory foam mattresses:

Nectar Sleep – usually ships within 1-3 business days
DreamCloud – usually ships within 1-3 business days
Layla Sleep – usually ships within 1-5 business days
Cocoon by Sealy – usually ships within 3 business days

3. The best deals are already running out of stock

Black Friday is a huge sale event, with scores of mattresses flying off the (figurative) shelves. If you know what bed you want, it’s in stock, and it's already on sale for the best price, our advice is to buy now to avoid potential disappointment.

Image shows low stock level alert on the Layla Memory Foam Mattress ahead of Black Friday — (Image credit: Layla Sleep)

As with increases to shipping times, we're seeing some mattress brands post updates about low stock levels of popular mattresses. Layla Sleep, for example, has low stock on the Layla Memory Foam Mattress (currently $200 off with two free pillows at Layla Sleep), and Casper Sleep is selling out of the Snug Mattress, so only three sizes remain with a queen Casper Snug down to just $297 (was $495).

Closeout Black Friday sales are where we'd strongly advise to buy this weekend and not to wait, as these are super-popular thanks to massive discounts of up to 70%. New Tempur-Pedic mattress deals are offering a saving of up to $2,399 on the brand's previous gen Tempur-Breeze cooling bed. It's final sale only (no returns or sleep trial) but it comes with a 10-year warranty. We predict this will sell out fast or that Tempur-Pedic will pull it early and definitely ahead of Black Friday.

Black Friday mattress shopping tips

Buying a mattress isn’t a purchase you should ever rush into, so don't feel swayed by the big discounts flying around online and in store. While Black Friday is undoubtedly the best time to buy a new mattress, you need to feel confident in your purchasing decision. If you don't feel confident, or you think you're buying a bed that's not quite right for you just because it's on sale for a very low price, think twice.

Here are our top shopping tips to help you navigate the holiday mattress sales, whether you're buying this weekend, on Black Friday itself, or closer to Christmas. And don't forget to check out our our guide on how to return a mattress bought in the Black Friday sales). Generally, if your mattress is clean, undamaged, and still within its trial period, you can return it.

Always buy a mattress that has a sleep trial of at least 30 nights (the minimum amount of time it takes your body to get used to a new bed)
Read the returns policy and make sure it's an easy process if you do need to return
Pick a mattress that suits your body – read our guide on how to choose a mattress for more guidance
If buying with a partner, discuss both of your sleep needs first
Choose a mattress that has at least a 10-year full (not limited) warranty to get good coverage for the lifespan of your new bed

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Nicola is the Sleep Editor at Tom’s Guide, where she helps steer the mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide, including our Best Mattress for Back Pain buying guide. With a career in journalism spanning the best part of two decades, Nicola brings experience to the team and the knowledge of what makes a great article, whether that’s a how-to mattress cleaning feature, a deep dive into melatonin gummies, or an in-depth mattress review. As a sleep editor, few better understand how important a decent mattress is to the overall quality of our sleep, and precisely how our sleep impacts our physical and mental health. As well as tackling the vast topic of sleep, Nicola joins the raft of expert mattress specialists at Tom’s Guide, who test and compare a wide range of mattresses in order to guide readers towards the very best options on the market.

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