I'm looking right now and struggling. Using the internet to shop for a gym membership is really really tough. Gyms don't seem to want to advertise their membership fees on their websites. And this always makes me nervous. I am alone here? For some reason, I don't want to go from gym to gym and investigate if they aren't willing to advertise their prices up front. Is there a better way to find a great gym membership than surfing online? Help.
Hey I think the best way to find one is to get out there and try them out. Most gyms will give you a trail membership for this very reason. After you try a few and see who has the best to offer you can pick one. You can even try negotiation with the gym you like the most, siting a cheaper offer. Good luck I hope this will be of some help.
I joined a gym for the first time this year and learned a few things. The most obvious is to ask people you know that have experience with the local gyms what they recommend. It's important to ask about the amount of equipment available, as you really don't want to be waiting on certain machines. If there are a few gyms close by for you to choose from, you can likely pay a daily rate to see what they're like. More importantly, the reason gyms don't advertise their prices up front is that those prices are 100% negotiable. Say you go into a gym, ask their rates for different sized packages (One year, bi-annual...etc.) but don't agree to anything. If the employee has the authority and senses that they might lose a sale, they'll usually offer you a discount of 10-20% right there. When I was particularly irritated with a particular gym, I informed them I would be cancelling my membership. I was immediately offered a rate roughly 50% less than what I had been paying, as well as the option to pay 3 months at a time. I still left, but it really opened my eyes to how you could really haggle a price down depending on how you approach these places.
I totally agree with other posts. When we move to a new town, the first thing we do is shop for gyms, much like shopping for a house or preschool. We go in during a typical busy gym time, take a tour, get a free pass for a day or a week, and stick with each until we find the one we like. Then, we price compare and make our favorite gym match the best price of another in town. We've always gotten exactly what we wanted this way. Gyms are a lot like cable companies, they want numbers on the books and they don't necessarily care about upkeep after that. I'll be honest though, I'm noticing gym memberships showing up more and more on Groupon and Living Social deals. It seems that every business is struggling, and the deal is in the hand of the consumer right now. You can definitely negotiate, and you can probably find something convenient and quality for the price you want.
Gyms don't advertise their prices because they want you in their building. They think if we get them here and show them what we have to offer, people are more likely going to join. I agree with the above posts. Many times you can negotiate a membership price. Be upfront of what you are willing to pay. Also, try not to join a gym in the after holiday/New Year's resolution time. That's when the gyms are the most crowded. Try joining one during April or May because that is when the gyms are hurting for business.
I would start out by checking their website to see what type of machines they have. Do they offer other things like a sauna, hot tub, basketball area, and a workout room? It really depends on what your needs are in order to find out if you want to join the gym or not. I would suggest making a list of the things that you like to see in the gym. After you have done this, go ahead and visit some of the gems in your area to see which one is best for you. This is how I found my gym.
