The deepest mattress sales land on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with the three-day holiday weekends — Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day — close behind, plus a quieter clearance window from late December through January. Outside those dates, most online brands run a standing promotion anyway, so the real question isn’t “is it on sale?” but “is this sale better than the everyday price?” Below is the calendar, the fine print that quietly eats your savings, and a five-minute check that tells you if a discount is genuine.

The 2026–2027 mattress sale calendar

Retailers work on a predictable rhythm: clear old stock before new models arrive, then lean hard on holiday weekends when people are home and shopping. Here’s what’s left this year and what’s coming.

Window	Dates	What it’s good for
Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples’ Day	Oct 12, 2026	A warm-up sale. Decent on floor models, rarely the year’s best price.
Veterans Day	Nov 11, 2026	Military and first-responder discounts often stack with the sitewide offer.
Black Friday / Cyber Monday	Nov 27 & Nov 30, 2026	The biggest discounts of the year, plus bundled pillows, sheets and protectors.
End-of-year clearance	Late December 2026	Quiet but strong. Showrooms want inventory gone before the new tax year.
January clearance	January 2027	Last year’s models get marked down as new lineups ship.
Presidents’ Day	Feb 15, 2027	First big spring sale; often matches Memorial Day pricing.
Memorial Day	May 31, 2027	Broad selection, strong bundles, less crowded than November.
Fourth of July	July 4, 2027	Mid-year reset. Good for cooling hybrids as summer hits.
Labor Day	Sept 6, 2027	Fall model changeover, so outgoing versions get cut hard.

One pattern worth knowing: when a brand launches a new generation of a bed, the outgoing model often drops in price even though the build barely changed. Ask a salesperson — or a brand’s chat agent — “is this model being replaced?” You’ll sometimes get a straight answer and a better number. For a deeper look at the seasonal cycle, see our breakdown of the best time of year to buy a mattress.

Should you wait for a sale, or buy now?

Wait if your current mattress is fine and the next big sale is within about six weeks. Don’t wait if you’re waking up sore, sleeping on a visible dip, or camping on a guest bed — three months of bad sleep costs more than the 10% you might save.

Two quick math checks before you stall:

• The gap has to be real. If a bed is $1,299 today and the holiday promo usually knocks it to $1,099, you’re waiting six weeks for $200. Fine. If the everyday promo is already $1,149, you’re waiting for $50.
• Cost per year beats sticker price. A $1,600 mattress you keep eight years runs $200 a year. A $900 one you replace in four runs $225. Our guide on how often you should replace a mattress covers the wear signs that end that clock early.

January clearance, explained

Showrooms don’t want to pay to store or count last season’s inventory, so January is when discontinued and floor-model beds get their steepest cuts. The trade-off is selection: sizes sell out fast and a discontinued model may come with a shorter comfort-exchange window. Always ask whether a clearance bed is final sale.

How to tell a real mattress sale from a fake one

The “$2,499, now $999” framing only means something if anyone ever paid $2,499. Federal guidance is clear on this: a former price used for comparison should be a price the item was openly and actively offered for a reasonably substantial period, not a number invented to make the markdown look bigger. Plenty of listings bend that rule, so verify it yourself.

A four-step check that takes about five minutes:

1. Pull up the price history. For Amazon listings, CamelCamelCamel charts months of pricing. For a brand’s own site, drop the product URL into the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine and click back through a few dates — you’ll see whether “30% off” has been running since spring.
2. Price the exact same size and version. Discounts are often calculated on the king. The queen deal may be far smaller, and “Luxe” versus standard changes everything.
3. Compare delivered totals, not sticker prices. Add delivery, old-mattress removal, tax and any required foundation before you compare two offers.
4. Check the sale end date twice. If the countdown timer resets when you reload the page, the urgency is decoration.

Watch for “free” gifts priced into the bed

Bundles of pillows, sheets and a protector are genuinely useful, but a $400 “value” of accessories usually isn’t worth $400. Ask what the mattress alone costs without the bundle. If the answer is “same price,” the gift is real. If the bed drops $250 on its own, decide whether you actually want the pillows.

Local showroom vs online: which gets you the better deal?

Different strengths, and the smart move is usually to use both.

	Local store	Online brand
Trying before buying	You lie on it. Nothing replaces that.	Sleep trial at home, which is a better test but a slower one.
Price flexibility	Often negotiable, especially on floor models	Fixed, but coupon codes stack more often than you’d think
Delivery	Frequently next-day; white-glove setup available	Compressed in a box, usually 2–7 days
Returns	Comfort exchange, often with a restocking fee	Free pickup is common, but not universal
Old mattress removal	Usually offered, sometimes free with white-glove	Rare — you arrange disposal yourself

In a showroom, ask three questions that actually move the price: Can you include delivery and haul-away? Is there a floor model of this in my size? If I find it cheaper elsewhere this week, will you match it? Salespeople on commission have more room on bundles than on the bed itself.

Online, the honest advantage is the trial. Consumer Reports notes that direct-to-consumer brands give you anywhere from 30 days to a year to return a mattress, though some charge a transportation or restocking fee — which is exactly the line to read before you celebrate a “risk-free” trial.

The fees that shrink your discount

Savings disappear at checkout more often than at the sticker. Before you pay, price out:

• Delivery and setup. Threshold drop-off is often free; in-room setup with removal of the old bed is usually an upgrade.
• State recycling fees. California, Connecticut, Oregon and Rhode Island collect a per-unit mattress recycling fee at the register. California’s moved to $18 per mattress or foundation in April 2026, and the other three sit in a similar range. It applies to foundations too, so a mattress-plus-box-spring order gets charged twice.
• Return or restocking fees. Some trials deduct a pickup charge. Some require you to keep the bed 21–30 nights before a return is allowed.
• Foundation requirements. Many warranties are void if the mattress sits on a slatted base with gaps wider than the spec (commonly around 3 inches). A new base can add real money to a “deal.”
• Financing. A 0% promo is genuinely free money if you clear the balance in time. Deferred-interest plans can back-charge the whole period if you don’t. Get the APR and end date in writing.

Make sure the deal fits how you sleep

A discount on the wrong feel is just a cheaper bad night. Match the bed to your main sleeping position first, then shop the price.

Type, in one line each

• Memory foam — deep contouring and quiet motion isolation; best for side sleepers and light-sleeping couples. Runs warmer unless it’s gel-infused or open-cell.
• Hybrid — coils plus a foam or latex comfort layer. Better airflow and edge support; the safest pick for couples with different preferences.
• Innerspring — bouncy, breathable, usually cheapest. Thin comfort layers can mean pressure points at the hip and shoulder.
• Latex — springy, durable, naturally cooler. Heavier and pricier, and it rarely gets slashed as hard in sales.

Firmness, roughly

• Soft (3–5/10): side sleepers, lighter builds under about 130 lb
• Medium to medium-firm (5.5–7): combination sleepers and most couples
• Firm (7.5+): stomach and back sleepers, and anyone over roughly 230 lb who sinks through softer foam

If those numbers feel vague, our mattress firmness scale guide explains how brands rate feel and where the labels mislead. Hot sleepers should weigh coils and breathable covers over thick all-foam builds — see how to pick a cooling mattress. Shopping tight? Mattresses in a box under $1,000 covers what holds up at that price.

What to check in the showroom, in 15 minutes

• Lie in your actual sleeping position for a full 10 minutes. Two minutes tells you nothing.
• Slide a hand under your lower back. It should slip in with light resistance — easy means too firm, stuck means too soft.
• Sit on the edge for 30 seconds. If you roll off or the side collapses, edge support is weak, which matters on a queen shared by two people.
• Have your partner roll over while you lie still. Feel the transfer.
• Bring your own pillow. Showroom pillows change the whole alignment.

Common questions about mattress sales

Do prices really drop on Black Friday?

Generally yes — it’s the one week most brands go past their standing promo and add bundles. Verify with price history rather than trusting the banner.

Can you negotiate at a mattress store?

Often, yes. Floor models, delivery, haul-away and accessories are the flexible parts. Walking out politely and leaving your number works more often than haggling at the counter.

Is a floor model worth it?

It can be 30–50% off, but it’s been sat on for months and usually comes with a short or nonexistent return window. Fine for a guest room, riskier for your main bed.

How long should the trial be?

100 nights is the common baseline. Anything under 30 nights barely covers the adjustment period — bodies usually need a few weeks to adapt, which our guide to breaking in a new mattress walks through.

What if the price drops right after I buy?

Ask for an adjustment. Many retailers honor a price drop within 7–30 days of purchase if you call with the order number. Keep the receipt and the sale page screenshot.

Updated September 2026.