Foam and Springs: The Bizarre Economics of Mattress Stores and the Illusion of Retail Choice

Drive through any modern American suburb, and you will notice a bizarre architectural phenomenon: there are mattress stores on seemingly every major intersection, sometimes directly across the street from one another. They are almost always empty. To the casual observer, it looks like an elaborate money-laundering scheme. The financial reality is far more fascinating.

Foam and Springs breaks down the high-margin, ultra-lucrative economics of the mattress industry. Unlike grocery stores that ...