That's a really good example of the sort of exploitative thinking I'm talking about. They clearly knew what they were doing. As do all the companies who let you

That's a really good example of the sort of exploitative thinking I'm talking about. They clearly knew what they were doing. As do all the companies who let you sign up easily, but where cancellation requires filing a form "in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'" and then spending 30 minutes on the phone with an obtuse and obstreperous call center rep. And it's all just such a waste for everybody. The first gym I joined was run by a very dedicated muscle-head who was at his gym a fair bit. You signed up for a fixed period, like a week or a month or a quarter. At the end of the period, you could renew if you wanted. And if you weren't coming to the gym often enough, he'd ask why you weren't coming. He believed in his product and wanted people to be successful at his gym. But I'd guess part of the reason that doesn't dominate is that awful gym companies sucker people in, do everything they can to become credit card parasites, and then spend a lot of the extra money on marketing and on giving people good-looking deals that they know they won't use.