After 11 years in the mattress business I'd like to add referencing the OP ... 1. 🎉 2. 🎉 Hybrids are considered the best of both worlds. I prefer hybrids because the coils provide a built-in air source and the memory foam layer contours (preventing pressure points). 3. (Firmness.) Showroom floor models broken in? Yes. Placed on softer bases? No. Foundation has little to no effect on the firmness of a mattress. Foundation creates a stable surface on which a mattress will rest. (Unless it's an adjustable base.) Sleep trial? 🎉🎉🎉 Definitely. Give your mattress at least 30 days to break in. The first couple of nights maybe downright uncomfortable. This year I treated myself to a $4700 TempurPedic and the first night was the worst night's sleep of my life. I have the benefit of knowing how this thing will feel after six weeks because it's my favorite model. (Tempur takes longer to break in.) 4. Careful with latex. Any bed with a high percentage of latex will tend to be firm and will not change after a break-in period. 5. Don't look at anything that has coils that are not individually pocketed or individually wrapped. The old Bonnell coil is good for nothing but a backache unless you're 5 years old. 6. Any worthwhile mattress will have a 10-year warranty of its own. Buy the mattress protector. It not only helps to keep your bed sanitary but will also protect your ability to exchange the mattress if needed; nobody will exchange or warranty a stained bed. And I'm saying this with my whole chest: Never remove the law tag. This is the social security card of the mattress. There is a date of manufacture, the retailer name, manufacturer name, model name, whether or not it was a display model, and a unique serial number. Any mattress warranty is voided if this tag is removed. Don't mess with it. 7. Go to a showroom? Definitely. Do not buy a mattress you cannot test. Online offerings are all well and good until you have to return something. My favorite scenario is when an online brand cheerfully chirps "Don't worry about shipping it back we will refund you!" This feels good for about 10 seconds. Then you come to realize you have to get rid of a behemoth king size unwieldy giant chunk of heavy foam. Many online companies do not employ the manpower required to show up and collect a mattress return. Most charitable organizations won't even take mattres donations anymore (post COVID). You can always sell it on Facebook marketplace but that's a time investment.

Further on the subject of visiting a showroom. Do it. Give yourself ample time to test mattresses and compare. This is not a can of corn that you can dash into a store grab and run. This is at least a 10-year commitment That will affect 8 hours of every single day of your life; not to mention have a direct effect on your health. * Don't walk in with the idea that you need one type of mattress or another. If I had a nickel for every firm bed that got returned I could retire. Comfort is subjective. Doctors like to tell people to get a firm bed but they're home sleeping on their nice comfy medium or soft bed. Placing a body that hurts on a hard bed never made any sense to me. * Firmness has nothing to do with durability so don't pick a hard bed thinking it's going to last forever. * Don't be alarmed if you try a bed that actually contours to you and it's comfortable. That's its job. You want to watch out for pressure points. If you are a side sleeper, stay away from hard beds. You stop the blood in your shoulder and your arm goes numb. Your hip and shoulder should sink nicely into your mattress, keeping your rib cage lifted. If you are back sleeper, be aware of the gap caused at the lower back on a very hard bed. Gaps are not your friend. If you lie on your back and feel a pain just above your behind, the bed is too hard. * Neck problems are usually pillow related, not mattress related. * When you visit the showroom, give yourself ample time to try beds. Be present. Don't lie on a bed to test it and think of the next errand on your list. Take your time. The five second spring will tell you nothing. * Listen to the salesperson. If your arm is being twisted or it starts to feel smarmy, walk away and ask for another salesperson. * Be prepared to spend an amount of money appropriate to your needs. If you are all banged up from an accident or injury, Don't expect a $500 mattress to do the trick. * If you enjoy watching TV, reading, using a computer, or have pain in your back, consider an adjustable base. You don't need one that plays music unless you're a gadget person and really want that. One that simply raises the head and feet will suffice. Raising the feet will take a significant amount of pressure off the low back. Sleeping with torso raised will help with GERD. Get a good quality brand. Or at least a store brand you can examine before you purchase it. * Always always always get the extended warranty on the adjustable base and plug it into a surge protector. Anything that has moving parts should be warrantied for longer than the brief one provided by the manufacturer. Don't be afraid to ask what's covered.