Q: What should I look for when buying a mattress?

A: When shopping for a mattress, most consumers make the same mistakes. You don’t want to go on price alone.

A lot of people don’t realize quality mattresses do cost a little bit these days.

You want to lay on them. You want to actually come into the store. We get a lot of customers who buy over the phone.

We always recommend you come into the store and lay on them for at least 10 minutes.

How you sleep is key to what you should buy. If you have serious back problems, the best thing to do is to get a recommendation from your doctor, but (another thing to consider) is how you sleep.

If you’re a back sleeper, then you can go on the firmer side. Stomach sleepers usually want a little bit firmer as well because you don’t want too big of an arch in your back.

(Due to hot temperatures in Tampa), a lot of the mattresses now are air-cooled or have the gel and are temperature regulating.

— Jenifer Fernandez, general manager at Mattress Warehouse of Tampa Bay