Five Strategies Gyms Use to Hook You and How to Avoid Them
From year to year, one of the most common New Year’s promises is to lose weight. Going to the gym is a great way to stay active during the colder months of the year, but going to the gym in January means you may be faced with aggressive sales tactics. This is a busy season for gyms and fitness companies will gladly take your money during the post-holiday gold rush.
This post was originally published on DealNews .
Gyms will use a variety of strategies to try and grow your business and then keep you as a member for as long as possible. If you don’t want to overpay for a gym membership , keep these five tricks in mind and plan how to fight back.
Free (or fancy) food
It’s easy to be seduced by the free meal gym or the well-stocked snack bar. Many gyms offer a monthly pizza night or bagel buffet. When it comes to free meals, chances are it is about high-carb foods that can get you back on track. If you eat junk food, you just have to work twice as hard to lose weight … which means the gym gets your membership dues for another month.
Other gyms offer upmarket smoothie bars or other trendy snacks. These snacks may be healthier than pizza, but they will still have a huge impact on your wallet. All those $ 8 kale cocktails really start to pile up over time.
Don’t fall for it: don’t go to the gym where there is food. Grab a pre-workout snack if needed and bring a healthy post-workout snack from home. It’s not only better for post-workout recovery, but also better for your wallet and waistline.
Long, complex contracts
Gym contracts can be pages long and are almost entirely in small print. If you don’t read them carefully, you could be wasting money. Some gyms require a minimum one year contract. If you wish to cancel your subscription, you may have to pay an early termination fee. In some cases, you cannot cancel your subscription, which becomes a problem when you move to another state or if the gym is sold to another company.
Don’t fall for it: sign up for gyms with only a monthly contract or those that allow you to pay per visit . This gives you a lot more flexibility and can save you from the one-off payments that can occur at an auto-renewing gym.
Promising improvements
Another tactic that gyms use to make money is discussing planned future improvements. A gym employee might be trying to win your business by promising access to planned features such as a new sauna, state-of-the-art equipment, or additional studio space for exercise. You can buy a 1-year membership based on the gym’s promise to have a new yoga studio, heated pool and new elliptical trainer bay installed by mid-March. But if these improvements are delayed or canceled altogether, you will feel like a sucker.
Don’t give in: only sign the gym you like. You could also try adding a clause to your contract that provides you with a refund or the option to terminate early if the gym renovation is behind schedule. Of course, most gyms don’t want to change their standard contracts.
One tactic you can try is to negotiate cost savings by asking the gym to waive any entry fees or start-up costs associated with your new membership. Claim that you’re not willing to pay full price for a gym membership that doesn’t meet all of your needs … yet.
Multi-club access
Access to multiple clubs is a great deal, especially for those who travel frequently for business. You get access to your “home” gym, as well as others on the same network. However, depending on your membership level, you may not have full access to all points in the chain. And you may have to pay a hefty amount to get a real full access pass.
Don’t fall for it: read the fine print and make sure you pay for access to multiclub you can actually use. If access to multiple clubs is available in locations convenient for you, please confirm that it is also available.
Rewards for inviting a friend
Many gyms offer a Refer a Friend program. If a friend you invite signs up for an annual membership, you often get a month for free. It’s not really the worst deal, but chances are you don’t have an unlimited number of friends you can use for your countless free months at your local gym.
Don’t fall for it: if you need to save money, try using your student ID, place of work, or even your health insurance provider to get a discount . Some gyms offer cheaper membership options for students or people who work for certain companies. And some health insurance companies offer reimbursement for gym memberships. Simply collect your enrollment or monthly payment receipts until they are at least your maximum benefit, then send them to your provider.
Readers, how much do you pay for a gym membership? Share your tips on how to stay fit on a tight budget in the comments below!
5 Strategies Gyms Use To Get You Hooked (And How Not To Fall In Love With Them) | DealNews