Competition didn't faze Bloom, however. Along the way, he closed his Pennsylvania stores, most recently the site of his first Home Budget Center in Paoli. He now has five locations, all in New Castle County, and counts some 40 employees. Bloom says that in his experience, people buy bedding when there's a change in their home situation, whether that means the family growing or going their separate ways. Industry figures show that folks are in the market for new bedding only every 11 years, though the mattress they replace often finds continued use.
Bloom notes that bedding is never an impulse buy, though many people shop doggedly for best price.
What they may not factor in is service, he says, and that's what separates his stores from his competition. Just as important, they're able to promise delivery within a two-hour time frame, a feat made possible by the fact that they have three trucks on the road five days a week. My objective is to complete 90 percent of all our commitments. If there are problems, they better not be caused by us. When there are problems, Bloom frequently attends to them personally, a business strategy that he's practiced from the beginning, and one that relates directly to the fact that he writes and reads most of his radio spots.