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I've had two past experiences with joining gyms. The first time, I canceled before even visiting, thanks to a state law allowing no-questions-asked cancellation

I've had two past experiences with joining gyms. The first time, I canceled before even visiting, thanks to a state law allowing no-questions-asked cancellations within a certain period. The second time, I didn't proceed with signing up due to high-pressure sales tactics and an uncomfortable environment that included shaming and mocking. These experiences left a bitter taste. However, since changing jobs, I've been working out at my workplace gym. It's a much better environment with friendly trainers, no pressure sales, no shaming, and no long-term contracts. I'm much happier and find myself working out more frequently than ever before.

Dr_Birdbrain 3y ago
Yeah the signup can be rough. I remember they insist on offering you a “free session” with a trainer—it’s a trap, one must adamantly decline it, insist on just wanting a basic subscription. They’ll want to ask you lots of questions to “try to understand your goals”, one must insist on just a basic subscription. It’s quite obnoxious :P but, that’s the only time one interacts with sales staff or even trainers. After that it’s pretty smooth sailing.
- Leherenn 3y ago
  What's the trap exactly? Some upsell I presume? The gym I go to (part of a national chain where I live) also do it, but it sounds well meant. There's only one subscription anyway (a yearly one) and no extra (unless you want to buy a towel or something).
  - unsignedint 3y ago
    In my experiences with two major gyms, rather than local ones, I was met with extremely aggressive upselling. I was looking for a simple gym subscription, but was bombarded with pitches for additional services like special programs and weight loss plans, despite repeatedly stating that I only wanted gym access. What's more, on at least one occasion, I visited with a day pass trial, only to be told that trying the gym out didn't make sense and that I should just sign up immediately. This kind of pressure, especially when I was there to test the facilities, felt quite deceptive and left a negative impression.

Dr_Birdbrain 3y ago

Yeah the signup can be rough. I remember they insist on offering you a “free session” with a trainer—it’s a trap, one must adamantly decline it, insist on just wanting a basic subscription. They’ll want to ask you lots of questions to “try to understand your goals”, one must insist on just a basic subscription. It’s quite obnoxious :P but, that’s the only time one interacts with sales staff or even trainers. After that it’s pretty smooth sailing.

Leherenn 3y ago
What's the trap exactly? Some upsell I presume? The gym I go to (part of a national chain where I live) also do it, but it sounds well meant. There's only one subscription anyway (a yearly one) and no extra (unless you want to buy a towel or something).
- unsignedint 3y ago
  In my experiences with two major gyms, rather than local ones, I was met with extremely aggressive upselling. I was looking for a simple gym subscription, but was bombarded with pitches for additional services like special programs and weight loss plans, despite repeatedly stating that I only wanted gym access. What's more, on at least one occasion, I visited with a day pass trial, only to be told that trying the gym out didn't make sense and that I should just sign up immediately. This kind of pressure, especially when I was there to test the facilities, felt quite deceptive and left a negative impression.