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| - What a wonderfully heartening experience! So often, a reverse of fortunes means being treated by businesses as a 2nd class citizen as soon as they realize you cannot afford their top of the line products.
Both the manager, Thomas, and Kayla, the lady who helped me on my second visit were not only respectful, but kindly, caring and helpful - willing to find ways even I could afford my dream mattress on my terribly limited budget.
After visiting a nearby competitor, I had resigned myself to the idea I could only afford the mattresses that were clearly manufactured for sole purpose of convincing people with money to buy something more expensive.
Mattress Firm's lowest priced mattresses were actually sleepable. However, I have an injury to my back, and was going to go for the next grade up -the highest I could afford with tax and delivery - or so I thought!
While waiting, I lay down on a wayyy too expensive one, just to imagine myself on a vacation, to some cushy resort (although, ironically, my actual dream vacation would involve a trek through jungles, with no mattress at all in a 1,500 mile radius, and a back rehabbed into a lean, mean, bumpy-ground-tolerating machine, but right then, I imagined settling for a luxury cruise to someplace with intriguing history and comfortable mattresses).
I fell sound asleep as soon as I lay down on it. Apparently with a smile on my face. When I woke up, Thomas tried to sell it to me, but I explained I could never afford it.
He noted that particular one - that floor model would be reduced to 50% off in two months. If I brought in canned goods for their food drive, he would throw in delivery for free.
It was within reach! If I was careful, I could save $50/month for two months and a little more for tax. It felt so empowering!
I'm no control freak, but so much of my life right now is beyond my control, with everything I work towards constantly yanked out from under me at the last second, that going back, and finding that 50% off sign just like he said, and being able to pay for it, and have it be mine, felt even better than a vacation. After all, I get to keep the mattress as a tourist trophy!
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