Mattress Firm gets a Groupon rush

Mattress Firm, a nationwide chain, has started offering a $200-off Groupon coupon for $50. On Monday, Mattress Firm was overwhelmed with web traffic and phone calls.

The power of Groupon manifested itself again Monday with an attention-getting deal for mattresses.

Several cities, including Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Atlanta, got the deal: $50 for a $200 off coupon at Mattress Firm, a Houston-based mattress chain with more than 600 stores nationwide.

Given Mattress Firm’s already low prices, the coupon created a surge of attention March 7. It was a top search term on Google. The company’s website was so overwhelmed with traffic that it took several minutes to load onto computers. Mattress Firm’s customer service number was so tied up that calls were being routed to a recording, asking customers to leave their name and number.

“Groupon has been very positive,” says Cole Mark, a communications specialist with the company. “It’s been a great addition to our marketing.”

This is the first time the chain has tried Groupon. It started offering the $200 off coupon two weeks ago in some of its markets and will roll it for all its markets in the coming weeks.

How much the surge in attention translates into sales isn't entirely clear. Just after 2 p.m. Eastern Time Monday, the Mattress Firm had sold 200 coupons in Phoenix, 297 in Indianapolis, and 480 in Atlanta.

Customers have to wait until the Groupon deal shows up in their city. The coupon is only valid for in-store purchases, not on the company’s website.