White glove delivery is in-home delivery with setup, typically performed by a two-person crew rather than a parcel courier. It is the standard method for mattresses that cannot be compressed and rolled — traditional innersprings, many latex beds, heavy hybrids and most furniture-grade foundations — and an optional upgrade on many boxed beds. Details vary by retailer, so treat what follows as the common shape of the service and confirm the specifics of yours at checkout.
BEFORE THE DAY. You will normally be contacted to schedule a delivery window rather than being given a single time. Expect a call or text on the day itself with a narrower window. This is the point to flag anything unusual: no lift, a long carry from the road, restricted parking, a difficult stairwell, or a gate code.
WHAT THE CREW TYPICALLY DOES. They bring the mattress into your home and to the room you choose rather than leaving it at the door. They unpack it, place it on your base or on the foundation they also delivered, and where a foundation or frame is part of the order, assemble it. They take all the packaging away with them. Where you have purchased old-mattress removal, they take the old mattress and base at the same time. Crews normally protect floors and use shoe covers, which is where the name comes from.
WHAT IT USUALLY DOES NOT INCLUDE. Removal of your old mattress is generally a separate, pre-booked item and not automatic — and it is often refused on the day if the old mattress is soiled or infested, for health reasons. Crews typically will not move your other furniture, do electrical or plumbing work, hoist a mattress through a window, or install an adjustable base's electrical connection beyond plugging it in. They also will not usually take away anything you did not buy from that retailer.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE THEY ARRIVE. Clear the route and the room, strip the old bed, secure pets, and confirm access and parking. Have the room decided in advance — deciding while two people hold a king in your hallway wastes their time and yours.
INSPECT BEFORE YOU SIGN. This is the part people skip. Before the crew leaves, look at the mattress from all sides for tears, stains, crushed corners and a correct law tag, and check the model and size match your order. Test an adjustable base through its full range while they are still there. If something is wrong, note it on the delivery paperwork before signing — a defect recorded at delivery is a straightforward exchange, while the same defect reported a week later becomes a debate about whether it happened in your home.
IS IT WORTH THE MONEY? Yes when the mattress cannot be boxed, when stairs or tight turns are involved, when nobody at home should be lifting heavy items, or when you need the old bed gone. For a boxed foam mattress going into an accessible room with two able people to carry it, the free curbside option is usually enough.