Our nationwide epidemic of insomnia has caused Americans to become obsessed with buying the "right" mattress. It's faulty logic, though; most cures for insomnia involve lifestyle choices -- drinking less caffeine, not watching TV before bed, not working up until the moment you go to bed.

The October 2009 issue of Consumer Reports has taken a look at both mattresses and mattress retailers. The highest mattress rating of all goes to the Tempur-Pedic (average price $2,408). Yet even with the highest rating, only 60 percent of customers say they'd buy a Tempur-Pedic again.

The real story here is the No. 2 mattress, which comes from the Original Mattress Factory (average price $891). Yes, that's right -- the second highest rated product at one-third the cost of the industry leader! Now that's a Clark Smart buy!

It's important to remember that price does not necessarily equate to satisfaction with mattresses. A more expensive mattress may not make for a better product.

When it comes to retailers, Consumer Reports ranked the Original Mattress Factory stores as the top choice for customer satisfaction. Costco Wholesale was a close second.

The high placement for Costco may reflect their return policy on mattresses: A full money back refund without penalty and no time limit. That really makes Costco stand apart!

William Shatner has the right idea as the Priceline Negotiator. How good of a negotiator are you?

Consumer Reports reveals that you can get a better rate on hotels 83% of the time just for the asking. Remember Clark's mantra: "Wow, that much? You don't have anything better?"

Turns out it's not just hotels where you can reap the benefits of negotiation. You can get a lower cell phone bill and better prices on clothing and jewelry about 80% of the time. Ditto for new cars and air fares.

Then you have a 75% of negotiating a lower rate when buying an appliance, and a 71% chance when you purchase electronics and furniture.

Credit card fees can be lowered about 60% of the time through deft negotiation. Of course, that particular figure may drop radically in the near future when you consider today's anemic credit market conditions.

One area where people try to negotiate but usually fail is with medical bills. Yet even so, Consumer Reports says it will still work more than half the time.

Polite persistence is the key to taking advantage of negotiating power. As Consumer Reports says, "Be patient and be nice. Demanding a discount rarely works." Here are a few additional tips from the magazine:

• Learn how to read the inventory tag on items. This will let you know the date when an item went on the shelf. Stores will be more likely to negotiate on items that have been sitting around.
• Offer to pay cash on the spot and to take the item with you.
• Be willing to walk if you don't get the deal you want.

Have you seen the TV and newspaper ads pushing Amish heaters? You supposedly get the heater for free -- once you pay the $298-$587 in shipping and handling charges for the Amish-built mantle that encases the heater.

But wait, that's not all! The heater contained within the beautifully handcrafted casing is actually a low-cost Chinese model that's probably worth $15 or $20. Not exactly ultra energy efficient as promised in the ads, eh?

Meanwhile, Clark has seen at least one report of shoddy customer service. One person claimed it took 7 weeks to get a refund -- even though the product promises an easy money-back guarantee -- according to a report out of York County, Pennsylvania.

So if the goal is to stay warm, the consumer champ recommends just buying a $20 space heater.

Finally, it's important to know that this rip-off is not being perpetrated by the Amish, nor are they the ones paying to run the ads.

This is the best time in recent memory to find amazing deals on furniture. That's partly because there's too much supply; the furniture biz follows housing and the industry is experiencing its own major slump. Many of the best deals are on "scratch and dent" merchandise or floor models. Other people love to seek out deals at the famous furniture outlets around High Point, N.C.

If you're on a tight budget, you might also try Craigslist. You will see every type of taste, quality and condition of furniture for sale. The savings can be up to 70% or 85% below the original retail price. Too pricey even for you? Try FreeCycle.org, where people give things away instead of sending them off to a landfill.

One word of caution when buying furniture: Beware of "going out of business" sales. Clark addressed this topic at length several days ago.

Businesses that follow the housing market -- such as furniture, appliance and mattress retailers -- are on the ropes as the market continues to reel. The Washington Post now reports that a regional mattress company called Mattress Discounters has filed for bankruptcy -- for the second time!

Clark recalls when Mattress Discounters first went bankrupt about 6 years ago. At that time, they were able to re-organize and got a second shot at life. Now they're looking to close some stores with the intention of re-organizing again for a third life!

The latest collapse of Mattress Discounters highlights an important point about buying furniture, mattresses or appliances. If you're going to pay a deposit up-front and take delivery later, you never want to pay by cash or check. Why? If the retailer collapses before delivering your goods, you'll be an unsecured creditor in a bankruptcy filing and you'll probably never see a penny of your deposit back.

You should only pay by credit card -- not a fake piece of trash Visa or MasterCard debit card -- so you can dispute the charge within 60 days if you don't get your merchandise. But beware, go one day over the 60-day limit and you'll lose your rights to dispute. Clark advises you start your dispute around the 55th day. You can always release the dispute if the goods show up.

In his TV work, Clark has done at least 10 stories standing in front of vacant furniture stores with the camera panning from empty wall to empty wall. It's always the same story: He interviews some poor soul who talks about how much money they lost on deposit. Don't be Clark's next interviewee; make sure you pay by credit card!

The furniture business has been hurt greatly by the housing slump. As a result, great opportunity exists at going out of business (GOB) sales and also among some high-end furniture retailers.

But there is a hazard here. GOB sales are often run by third party operators that come in and the pay the owner for inventory. The GOB operator then brings in a wide assortment of junk furniture for the sale. So you have to know a retailer's typical inventory before you buy anything thinking it's a deal.

Be sure to pay with a real credit card if you plan on taking delivery later. Do not use cash and do not use a fake piece of trash Visa or MasterCard debit card. With a credit card, you have 60 days from the transaction to enter a dispute if you never get your furniture.

In related news, summer is moving season -- beware of scam movers! The moving industry has been a haven for mob-backed businesses that may hold your possessions hostage and demand a ransom!

Be safe and find a legitimately certified mover at Moving.org. Also, be sure to get a "binding estimate," which means that you won't be hit with more fees down the road. It's not enough if your contract just says "estimate;" it must say "binding estimate."

Because of outdated laws, your possessions will only be insured at a rate of 60 cents per pound. So you should think about buying replacement value coverage in the event your belongings become lost, stolen or broken.

Planning on renting a truck and making a move yourself? There are huge price differences throughout the month. If possible, don't rent at the end or beginning of a month and avoid the weekends.

Years ago, Clark recalls getting a unique call from a man who explained how he haggled at Wal-Mart. Haggling at a chain store that's already turbo cheap? It turns out that idea is now in vogue. America's Research Group reports that two-thirds of Americans say they've haggled in a store during the last 90 days. The Los Angeles Times reports that some chain stores have now given floor employees the authority to accept lower prices, especially on electronics. Many retailers also have matching policies where you can show them a competitor's ad and get the lower price. Clark's not sure if he thinks of that as bargaining. Do you have a great haggling story? Let us know with our new commenting feature!

RIP-OFF ALERT: Presidents' Day weekend is the biggest sales time for mattresses. But beware because the bedding business has historically been filled with snakes. When you're looking at their colorful inserts and TV ads, know that they are listing promotional price bedding. Manufacturers make a tiny percent of their production runs to be used for this purpose. When you lay down on a promo mattress in a store, you'll probably think the floor would be more comfortable. This is done on purpose so the salesperson can then steer you to a more expensive mattress. It's the old bait-and-switch. They also make comparison shopping difficult because they never use the same model number. You can look at the same mattress at several stores, but you'll never know it because it's been given a different model number each time.

ConsumerAffairs.com recently reported on the worst places around the country to do your mattress shopping. But Clark wants you to know there are people in the business who play it straight and aren't rodents. You can tell when they don't start with the bait-and-switch and instead actually offer a comfortable bed for a good price. Even still, take a picture of the tag on the mattress to show the model number of what you're buying. This prevents them from later trying a reverse switch and delivering something other than what you purchased. And always remember to pay with a credit card so you're protected from delivery problems or phony additional charges.

Clark also recommends mattresses from the warehouse clubs because they have little markup. He wants to commend Sam's Club for having pullout mattresses available for you to check out. That way you don't have to pull a mattress off the wall. When you do try a mattress out, get a book and chill for a while to thoroughly vet it before buying.

There are spin-off problems in the home improvement and furniture retail industries anytime we move into a housing recession. It's important to remember that all furniture is local. There are very few true national retailers, save perhaps for Ethan Allen. Levitz is liquidating, and another big regional player -- Wickes Furniture -- is up for auction in bankruptcy. For every regional chain that fails, there will be hundreds of ma-and-pa furniture stores that don't make it.

So why does this matter to you? A lot of people pay deposits for furniture that they haven't taken delivery of yet. If you pay with cash, check or debit card, your money is gone if the retailer fails. In his TV work, Clark has done at least 10 stories standing in front of vacant furniture stores with the camera panning from empty wall to empty wall. It's always the same story: Clark interviews some poor soul who talks about how much money they lost on deposit.

There are only two ways to buy furniture. The first is by seeing it, buying it and taking it home. The other way is to pay via your credit card. Beware if you get past the 6-week mark and the furniture still has not been received. Make sure you file a dispute with your credit card company by the 55th day. A credit card is no better than cash if you go past 60 days without filing a dispute. The dispute will take months to process and really just helps you preserve your rights under the law. You can later release a dispute if your furniture arrives. Some people opt for in-store financing, which is a third gray area. You should have the same rights, in theory, as with a major credit card, but the in-store financing creditors are a hassle to deal with if a furniture store goes bust.

What a year it's been for Boston! The Red Sox swept the World Series, the New England Patriots are the best team in pro football right now and Boston College's football team is doing very well. A Boston-area store called Jordan's Furniture ran a promotion back in late winter/early spring promising free furniture if the Sox won the World Series. Some 30,000 people took them up on their offer, and now they'll be receiving a rebate for their purchase price! Retailers can make these kinds of promises (and honor them) because they buy insurance from risk management firms. Some firms even specialize in sports promotions. Speaking of the World Series, Clark caught some of game four and he was floored by how much noise the Denver fans were making even as their team lost!

When can you really justify making an expensive luxury purchase? Phyllis Furman, a business writer for The New York Daily News, recently wrote on an article on this topic and Clark has taken issues with some of her picks. For example, Furman thinks premium men's watches priced at $900 and up are worth it. Clark disagrees. He has an inexpensive Casio that has lasted him very well. He can't believe that The Financial Times -- a very upscale newspaper -- sometimes has ads for watches that cost $100,000. Furman also feels designer handbags priced at $800 and up are worth it -- something Clark just doesn't understand. On the subject of men's wool suits, the two once again have diverging feelings. Furman thinks suits priced at $300 are worth it, yet Clark has both a grey and a blue suit he got at J.C. Penney on sale for $149 each. There are, however, some areas where the two see eye to eye. Clark and Furman both agree that expensive built-in refrigerators, costly mattresses and designer jeans are not worth the price. When it comes to jeans, for example, it's the fit that matters, not the brand name. It's perfectly acceptable to pick up a pair for as little as $15.

There's a new recall of children's cribs that parents need to know about. One million cribs sold under the Graco and Simplicity brands between 1998 and this past May pose a structural danger to babies. Following is a list of the affected cribs. There's more information available online or by calling 1-888-593-9274. The recalled Simplicity crib models include: Aspen 3 in 1, Aspen 4 in 1, Nursery in a Box, Crib N Changer Combo, Pooh 4 in 1, Chelsea and the following cribs with the Graco logo: Aspen 3 in 1, Ultra 3 in 1, Ultra 4 in 1, Ultra 5 in 1, Trio and Whitney. The model numbers are: 4600, 4605, 4705, 5000, 8000, 8324, 8800, 8740, 8910, 8994, 8050, 8750, 8760 and 8996.

Sometimes a recall is not what you think -- you may not just simply return the item and get your money back. In the instance of this recall, you'll be sent a kit to make repairs yourself to bring the product up to code. Clark says there needs to be laws in place to make sure our kids are safe. Libertarians will argue that the market will punish those who make unsafe products, but how do you replace a vulnerable child who is injured or killed because of a manufacturer's negligence?? The Chicago Tribune recently reported how the feds sometimes look the other way when it comes to recalls. One retailer that's handling recalls the right way is Target, which has recalled its Cool Toyz play-set. Target is offering a full refund for the roughly 200,000 play-sets out there with lead paint. But how many have been returned so far? The Washington Post reports only 766, even though the paint in the play-set has 15 times the lead allowed by law. Meanwhile, the recent Thomas the Train recall must have received more media attention because the return rate there is about 40 percent. The responsibility must not fall on just the government, the media, the retailers or the manufacturers; it's one that should be shared jointly with parents. The safety of your children is important and you must protect it.

Spain used to be known as the country of insomniacs. The Spaniards have long had their own unique schedule. Dinner doesn't usually start until 10 p.m., and people may not go to bed until 3 a.m. Then they'll get up at 7 in the morning and historically took midday siestas for several hours. But as Spain got more Europeanized, businesses began to stay open all day. People, however, still went to bed late, hence the insomniac part. We Americans are right on the Spaniards' heels in terms of sleep deprivation. With longer commutes and more responsibilities, our sleep has become increasingly scarce. Clark's YMCA now opens at 5:30 in the morning and people are lined up because it's the only time during their day that they can exercise.

This whole trend has led people to look for the magic answer to better sleep in better (and more expensive) mattresses. There's a huge market for premium mattresses -- those that cost $2,500 or more. Smart Money magazine reports that one in four mattresses bought is now a premium one, and the market has doubled over the last five years. There's not a lot of scientific evidence to suggest these beds will get you better sleep. So Clark suggests some other low-tech ways to get your rest. Try turning the TV off at an earlier time and not sitting on the Internet past 9 p.m. You might even try removing TVs and computers from your bedroom entirely. Just a thought before you go plunking $2,500 down on a premium mattress. Meanwhile, be sure to vote in Clark's polls and tell us what you think about this issue.

Now is the best time of the year to buy furniture! People are busy paying off their bills from Christmas and other end-of-the-year purchases, so they’re not buying furniture. Prices are way down, and the best places to go are Costco Wholesale, which has annual furniture sales, and BJs Wholesale. You may also want to work with Mom & Pop furniture shops on a better price because they need to make money too. So, try haggling a bit. You may be surprised with your success.

More than 1 million customers a day go to IKEA furniture stores. It is truly to new hip retailer for furniture. People may not know it but IKEA was actually started in the ‘40s, and the company has been working on its business model ever since. The job of every employee is to make and sell furniture for less. A lot of the furniture is sold “KD” or knocked down and it comes in flat boxes that must be assembled. People are willing to do it though because it’s cheap and stylish. IKEA actually has to limit the number of stores they open each year because the company can’t manufacture the merchandise at the rate it is being purchased. It’s a great success story because the company is doing well in every country in which it exists. That is unheard of. In addition, IKEA treats its employees well and gives real value to its customers. Industries seem to be moving to the extremes - high-end and deeply discounted. It's happening in the car, airline and furniture industry. What a sign of the times.

Furniture retailers have been closing left and right because the industry is in complete turmoil. At the same time, two furniture retailers are going great guns in the industry. They are so successful because they have such big stores. They are IKEA and Nebraska Furniture Mart. These companies sell unbelievable amounts of furniture. The Nebraska Furniture Mart has up to 14,000 people inside at one time, and is growing to be the size of a mall. The whole idea is to “sell cheap and tell the truth,” which is the motto of Nebraska Furniture Mart. People drive thousands of miles to visit these places and buy the furniture. IKEA also ships its goods cheap by sending them disassembled. So, when it arrives you have to put it together. Costco Wholesale is also doing well selling furniture because the mark-up on the merchandise is so small. Consider these companies when buying furniture these days, and you’ll pay much less.

Retail prices are up quite a bit over the past year. Gas, for example, is out of control. Medical costs, hotel rates and dairy are all up quite a bit. Small businesses are also expecting to raise prices this year. It means that the value of our paycheck shrinks. You may notice that a dollar just doesn’t pay for what it used to. As a result, we change what we buy and how we buy it. If we notice something has gone way up in price, we may switch to the store brand. The quality of store brands is going to get better too. Just because something is the latest greatest brand of something doesn’t mean it is not a great quality product. Use your money wisely as prices go up. And think about reducing prices cumulatively.

The furniture company IKEA has slowly been gaining support in the U.S., with stores in the Northeast, the Mid Atlantic states and in parts of California. And where people know IKEA, there is a huge following. So much so that hotel chains have started sprouting up near IKEA stores. People stay over night near the store, load up on goods and drive home. IKEA is popular because it’s not expensive, yet it looks modern and somewhat high end. Prices are so low because most of the items are sold “KD” or “knock down,” so the merchandise re much less expensive to ship. That savings is passed on to you. Also, assembly of items is not very difficult at all. In the beginning, IKEA had trouble selling items in America. For instance, they tried to sell wardrobes that are big in Europe, but not so much here. Well, IKEA is finally getting it down. They plan to open stores all around America soon, so you’ll have access no matter where you live.

Furniture retailing is a very hard market in which to succeed. The housing market has been really strong and people want to fill their big homes with all kinds of furniture. But in spite of that, furniture retailers still are struggling. Huffman Koos, a popular furniture retailer in the Northeast, is liquidating because the company couldn’t find a buyer to take over its ailing business. Sometimes furniture stores just shut down one day, and people who have paid for furniture ahead of time are left holding the bag. When you order custom furniture and there is a deposit you must put down, make sure you pay with a credit card. Do not use a debit card, cash or a check. Once you pay, you should start the clock. If the retailer said the furniture should arrive in four to six weeks, and that time passes with no furniture, you should start to wonder. The furniture may be just a little late. But the company could be in financial trouble, meaning your furniture was never ordered. At seven weeks, call and ask what’s going on. If they stall you some more, get ready to file a dispute with your credit card. At eight weeks, you are in danger. When it reaches 55 days, file the dispute. You only have 60 days to file a dispute, so make sure you get it in a few days early. If it turns out that you eventually get your furniture, you can always remove that dispute claim and release the money to the company. But make sure you are protected regardless.