Larry Miller Of ‘you’re Killing Me Larry’ Fame To Visit Showroom Opening
VICTORVILLE The face and voice behind the iconic phrase, Sit ‘n Sleep will beat anyone’s advertised price or your mattress is free! is coming to the High Desert.
Larry Miller, the founder/CEO of Sit n Sleep, will be on hand during the grand opening of the companys new showroom near the Mall of Victor Valley on Saturday.
Considered Southern Californias largest mattress retailer and sleep expert, the companys grand opening will include music, prizes and a meet-and-greet with Miller, who has appeared on countless TV and radio commercials over the years.
Sit n Sleep sells a variety of mattress brands, adjustable and platform beds, pillows, sheets, bedroom furniture, storage foundations, pillow protectors and more. They also carry memory foam, latex and traditional innerspring mattresses.
The company decided to open a store in Victorville after some market research, which found the High Desert was underserved in the area of mattress and bedding options.
We found the High Desert is a growing market with a great population, with many residents doing business with us online, Miller, 67, said. We also found theres been a building boom and economic rebirth of the area. But I think were late to the party.
Miller and his father started the company in 1980 as a futon company, which eventually transitioned to mattresses and now has nearly 40 stores operating in Southern California.
An Interview With Tyler Gallagher
Make sure your mattress is the right firmness level for your sleep position. Generally back sleepers should get a medium-firm mattress, side sleepers should get a medium-soft mattress, and stomach sleepers should go with a firm mattress. Doing so will help assure proper alignment in the spine, neck and hips.
Getting a good nights sleep has so many physical, emotional, and mental benefits. Yet with all of the distractions that demand our attention, going to sleep on time and getting enough rest has become extremely elusive to many of us. Why is sleep so important and how can we make it a priority?
In this interview series called Sleep: Why You Should Make Getting A Good Nights Sleep A Major Priority In Your Life, And How You Can Make That Happen we are talking to medical and wellness professionals, sleep specialists, and business leaders who sell sleep accessories to share insights from their knowledge and experience about how to make getting a good nights sleep a priority in your life.
As part of this interview series, we had the pleasure to interview Drew Miller.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you. Can you tell us a bit about your background and your backstory?
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this particular career path?
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
What Happened On The Eleventh Trip
It was a hot summers day. Ill never forget it. Once again, he got no for an answer. After that, he got packing, as usual. He came back about 30 minutes later, and he was in tears. His clothes were a mess, his tie was askew, and he said, You wont believe it, someone broke into my car and stole my briefcase, they stole everything. I said: Oh my God, you poor son of a b***h.
I asked him to sit down and gave him a glass of cold water. We didnt even have air conditioning back then. Thats how broke we were. It must have been 100 degrees that day. I felt so bad for him, I decided to place a sales order on the Howard Stern Show that day. Well, that was the luckiest order I ever put in.
Read Also: Art Van Pure Sleep Mattresses
Flag This As Inappropriate
Would you like us to review something? Please describe the problem with this and we will look into it.
Your feedback has been sent to the team and we’ll look into it.
Oops!
Glassdoor office photos give you an inside look at employers, such as Sit n Sleep. This is Sit n Sleep office photo was submitted anonymously. Shown in this photo: Our President & CEO, Larry Miller values time with all of his employees.
-
Glassdoor
How Has The Pandemic Re
This week, Mike and Jeff talk strategies, principles, and more with Larry Millerfounder and CEO of Sit n Sleep, the largest mattress retailer in southern California. They also get the inside scoop on the origins of the now-famous retail tagline that has echoed across LAs airwaves for over three decades.
Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and never miss an episode.
Don’t Miss: Sleep Number Bed Store Closest To Me
What Would You Say A Typical Sit N Sleep Customer Looks Like
A lot of people have been listening to my advertising since they were kids. People have grown up seeing our ads so theyve becomes part of Southern California culture. The people know who we are, they trust us because we have a good reputation, and we care about the community. We donate a lot to the community. So, we really try to be more than just a store to buy a mattress. Were a part of their lives and thats what we want to be. Its more than just a mattress store.
Sit ‘n Sleep Alternatives
Something that a lot of folks don’t know: this is one of the most exciting times to buy a mattress. There are hundreds of brands that are coming into the market and selling direct to customers like never before and this means:
Lower prices for better products if you know where to look.
Buying a mattress online direct from the brand is one of the best ways to get high quality for less. If you are willing to take a little extra time reading about the best mattresses for you, it can literally save you $1000s of dollars.If you are ready to learn more about why buying a mattress online direct from the brand is better than visiting a store in person, read our 2021 Mattress Buying Guide!
…or jump right in to reading our reviews for our Top Rated Mattresses.
F is for Fantastic Fred
F is for Fantastic Fred :o)I went in for a good foam mattress and tried about 8 of them. Great selection. Knowledgeable and patient sales rep.
I wouldn’t think that buying a new mattress would be so pleasant
I wouldn’t think that buying a new mattress would be so pleasant . I bought it 5 minutes before they closed the store and I am extremely happy with my purchase . Scott helped to choose one, and he was quick and made sure that I am satisfied with my purchase . I also needed to return the box spring and that was so easy to do . Thank you Scott ! 🙂
Shel Day made my day
We just purchased our new mattress
My boyfriend and I came in to get a mattress
Walked in with my girlfriend to browse
Ask for Benny
Recommended Reading: Sleep Number Vs Personal Comfort Reviews
What Happend To Irwin
Sit ‘n Sleep’s kvetchy bean counter couldn’t bring in enough customers when the economy began to slide. So chain owner Larry Miller began looking at other marketing strategies. In my profile of Sit ‘n Sleep in the August issue of Los Angeles magazine, Miller’s ad man Cary Sacks explains how they decided on the health angle.
That’s why they’re pushing eight years as the expiration date for a mattress. Miller’s story is the classic stuff of Socal entrepreneurism: Guy starts from scratch, gets a few breaks, builds a retail empire. Of course, we are talking about mattresses, not exactly the easiest purchase.
Later Years And Death
In June 2008, Miller suffered a severe heart attack, and was hospitalized for 59 days with complications that included kidney failure and gastrointestinal bleeding, which required a blood transfusion. In October 2008, he developed a bone infection and diabetic ulcers on one foot that required outpatient surgery. On January 23, 2009, Miller underwent surgery to amputate both legs six inches below the knee, a result of complications from type-2 diabetes.
Once he realized his death was imminent, Miller stopped dialysis and returned home. On February 20, 2009, surrounded by family at his home, Miller died of complications from type-2 diabetes.
NBA CommissionerDavid Stern issued a statement on the passing of Miller: “It is with great sadness that I offer condolences to Gail and the Miller family on behalf of the entire NBA family. Larry’s legacy extends beyond the NBA as he touched many lives in the Salt Lake City region through his business ventures and charitable endeavors. The NBA lost a great leader, colleague and friend today. We will miss him.”
Miller’s funeral was held in the Vivint Arena.
You May Like: Sleep Number 360 Queen Bed Price
How Did The Howard Stern Show Pan Out
The Howard Stern Show built our business by 100% that year. At the end of 92 we were a $2,500,000 business. We decided to expand our advertising to TV and sure enough we went on to become a $5,000,000 business. And it was off to the races from then on. We started making money after that. Id say that was the first year I made $100,000 in my life and, you know, Ill never forget that.
It was a pretty good feeling to go from $9,000 a year to $100,000 a year. Over that period of time while I was working with Rich, I met another fella named Steve Dubane. We all became really good friends. They became kind of like my advertising consultants.
Around that time, Steve and Rich had left to start their own advertising agency, Wingman, and Sit n Sleep became their first client. After all that they did for me and my business the least I could do is give em a shot.
That was a fortuitous move, because not only were we friends, which we still are to this day, but they helped my business in a huge way. Shortly after that, I had bought my father out of the business and we opened a second and third store.
Looking Back On Everything What Do You Wish You Would Have Known Before You Started Your Business Is There Anything That You Would Have Done Differently Knowing What You Know Now
I would probably say that I was stupid because I didnt know anything about the industry like I thought I did. I didnt know how hard some things were going to be. Had I known it, I probably would have been a little more open to listening to others rather than trying to do everything on my own. The business has taught me to dream and reach for the stars and, you know, we might as well.
Read Also: Sleep Number Bed Store Arrowhead Mall
Where Do You See The Mattress Industry Going In The Next 5 Years
I think, therell be a lot more motion products and adjustable beds being sold. There should be new services introduced. For example, Tempur-Pedic has just introduced a hybrid called the Flex. Different types of foams are being introduced as well as new types of coil systems. We have foam coils now. Theres going to be many different types of experiments and some of them will work really well and some will not.
So, we have to embrace experimentation and try to introduce new and improved ways of sleeping. I think consumers are becoming more and more aware that sleep is an intrinsic part of health and without a good nights sleep, we cant be healthy. I think that mattresses are becoming more and more important to the consumer.
We really spend a third of our life in bed so its become more and more important. We will sleep on it, walk on it, hop on it, watch TV on it, use our computers on it, make love on it, and sometimes we die in it. Selecting a mattress is a very personal decision.
What Separates Sit N Sleep From Other Mattress Stores Across The Country
Well, mattress stores generally have only three or four brands. Sit n Sleep has every major brand sold in America. Most normal mattress stores do between $600,000 and $800,000 a year. We have 33 stores in Southern California and make roughly $4,000,000 a store. Some small stores do a little bit less and some do as much as $9,000,000. Most mattress stores are under 3,500-square-feet and have 40 or 50 mattresses. Our stores average 10,500-square-feet and we have 150 mattresses on display at each location. Each one of our sales staff sells more than our competitors mattress store does.
We continue to push the boundaries on our creative for TV, radio, and Internet. Were constantly evolving and changing. Were very mindful of investing in our business. We push things to the edge and fail sometimes. But with Steve and Richs help, weve succeeded a lot more times than weve failed.
If you dont make mistakes, youre not running a business.
In marketing and retail youre going to make mistakes. Just dont make the same mistakes twice. We stand by our wins and minimize our loses.
Recommended Reading: Sleep Number Trade In Program
Family And Early Life
Miller was born as Lawrence Horne West to Mary Lorille Horne and Howard Hanley West. His parents divorced in 1946 and in June 1948 his mother married Frank Soren Miller. Larry was legally adopted by his stepfather in September 1949 and his last name was changed to Miller. Miller did not meet his biological father again until he was middle-aged.
Miller earned poor grades in school but was also a National Merit Scholar. He only spent a few weeks in college. Miller graduated from West High School. He spent six weeks attending college.
Miller was employed in construction by his uncle, Reid Horne, on and off until 1964, when he and all the workers were laid off due to lack of business. That same year he spent the summer working for Aarons Coverall and Towel Service as a truck driver. Later in 1964, he went to work for American Auto Parts. He started at $1.10 per hour and worked stocking shelves, making deliveries, and doing cleaning.
After continued broken promises Miller left Main Motors for good in 1970 and went to work with Burt as their Toyota parts manager. After further conflict over compensation and other issues Miller left after giving two-weeks notice. Mistreatment by his employers made Miller realize that treating workers well could be a key competitive advantage.
