the princess and the pea

this is the story of how i went shopping for a salad spinner yet ended up with a whole new bed.
eight days ago, Christopher and i walked into Metrotown in search of a salad spinner so i could wash leafy greens without wanting to tear out my hair. after eliminating the $40 and $50 versions available at the specialty kitchen store, Chris suggested we look in The Bay. i immediately reasoned that there would be no lower-priced spinners there, but hey, he’s the boy, so i let him have his way. especially as i was quickly proven correct.
while in the bay, nature called and i had to hurry off to use the ladies’ room. by the way, if you’re experiencing a bathroom emergency at the Maul, use the Bay’s loo — they’re definitely above-average public washrooms. as the bed section is directly adjacent to the washrooms, and i’ve been talking about getting a new mattress for at least two years, i dragged the boy over to lay down on floor models.
that’s when it happened. i found the perfect mattress. it was firm, yet giving. it didn’t poke me with springs or jiggle when i moved. hell, even the fabric — you know, the stuff you cover up and never see again — was luxurious. and the price? only $750 on sale until Sunday. suddenly, i was seriously considering emptying my bank account to rid myself of sagging springs and waking with numb arms. after getting the information from the very sweet sales lady, i walked out of the store crunching numbers in my head and loathing the thought of going to bed that night on my wholly inferior second-hand mattress.
the next day, i whipped out the financial recovery spreadsheets and sussed out what was what. i tried to figure out a tactful way of letting people know i didn’t want gifts for my upcoming natal anniversary, just cash for the mattress, but quickly doused that idea as i didn’t want to seem greedy or uncouth. by the end of the day, i’d decided that, yes, i needed a new mattress and i could afford just a little less than what the final cost would be at The Bay. therefore, i reasoned i should go to Sleep Country to see if they had something comparable for a reasonable price (they won’t be beat!).
off to the bed store i went. Rod, my sales guy, walked me around the store a couple times with me sitting on mattresses declaring “too soft” or “too hard” or “almost, but not quite” at least fourteen times until we got down to the final two contenders. in this corner, the Sealy. in that corner, the Kingsdown. the Sealy was almost $100 less than the awesome Bay mattress; the Kingsdown was a mere $0.50 cheaper. the Kingsdown felt better than the Sealy; not by much, but definitely by some. that’s when i decided my plan of action.
i called Rod the sales guy over and asked him my deal-breaking question: “so, if i buy the awesome mattress at the Bay, they’ll give me 10% off if i apply for their credit card. will you do the same?” he definitely didn’t see that coming. it was cheeky as hell. the Kingsdown sale price was already almost $400 off, but i was going for broke. he choked a little, then said he’d have to go ask his boss. he came back rather quickly, asking if i’d like the $80 protection package in lieu of the discount — i said no. he left again, probably calculating the hit to his commission, only to return even more quickly with the discount code from his boss. WIN!
not only was i getting a better mattress for the same price as the Bay, i wouldn’t have to pay delivery, they’d take my old mattress away for free (hopefully to ritually burn it) AND i was getting my precious 10% off! i had won the retail battle of the bargaining!
then, i promptly spent all my “savings” on a fancy new latex pillow, new duvet and all new sheets. oops.
i spent the rest of the week waiting for Saturday, and, of course, mine was the very last mattress they delivered that day. but, by 6pm i had a brand new shiny supercomfy tall firm soft luxury Kingsdown Hush mattress of my very own. and i was WAY too excited to sleep on it. irony!
oh, and i even found a salad spinner from Zellers which totally spins salad right round, baby.