How to negotiate cost of a gym membership?
September 22, 2015 4:41 PM Subscribe
There's a gym near my house that I fully intend to join, but the hard sell and the bullshit fees really just irritate me and make me feel like a sucker. Specifically, I am under the impression that these initiation fees are arbitrary and fake, and they don't really need them. How can I get out of it? More details below.
If it helps, this is a 24 Hour Fitness location. They list an initiation fee of something like $120 for the no-contract plan, but it's always discounted. Their website says $85 right now. I went to the club for a free trial and the guy told me it is down to $70 "just today." And yet, they have a friends and family promotion right now where if members refer someone, they pay no initiation fee. I don't want to pay an initiation fee, but I'm also new in town and don't know anyone. I'll pay $35 a month to avoid a contract, but I feel like I need to draw a line on the sign-up fees. It's an absurd amount of money you end up paying up front when you include first and last month dues with it. How can I play hardball here?
When I did my free trial, the sales guy really applied the hard sell right away after my tour, throwing out the line, "What's the reason for your hesitation to sign up now?" Ugh. I hate feeling like a person is trying to use me as a means to an end. That said, I am under the impression these sales people want to make a sale, so maybe I can use that to my advantage. Has anyone who worked at a 24 Hour Fitness want to give me the inside scoop on sales?
Worth noting: There is another gym close by, LA Fitness, but I do think I would prefer the 24 Hour Fitness just because it's a bit closer. I haven't done a trial of LA Fitness (although I am willing to), but 24 Hour Fitness had the machines I want and is generally fine.
If it helps, this is a 24 Hour Fitness location. They list an initiation fee of something like $120 for the no-contract plan, but it's always discounted. Their website says $85 right now. I went to the club for a free trial and the guy told me it is down to $70 "just today." And yet, they have a friends and family promotion right now where if members refer someone, they pay no initiation fee. I don't want to pay an initiation fee, but I'm also new in town and don't know anyone. I'll pay $35 a month to avoid a contract, but I feel like I need to draw a line on the sign-up fees. It's an absurd amount of money you end up paying up front when you include first and last month dues with it. How can I play hardball here?
When I did my free trial, the sales guy really applied the hard sell right away after my tour, throwing out the line, "What's the reason for your hesitation to sign up now?" Ugh. I hate feeling like a person is trying to use me as a means to an end. That said, I am under the impression these sales people want to make a sale, so maybe I can use that to my advantage. Has anyone who worked at a 24 Hour Fitness want to give me the inside scoop on sales?
Worth noting: There is another gym close by, LA Fitness, but I do think I would prefer the 24 Hour Fitness just because it's a bit closer. I haven't done a trial of LA Fitness (although I am willing to), but 24 Hour Fitness had the machines I want and is generally fine.
I think it is highly likely that both LA Fitness and 24 Hour have the same types of machines. You should go in to both and compare the two.
Then, simply negotiate. Go in to each, ask for a lower price, tell one gym that the other gym has a better deal, and so on. Be ready to walk away.
For what it's worth, at an LA Fitness in LA, I had heard about a common deal they never advertised but did offer -- a $200 initiation fee (very high) and a $20/month monthly fee (very low). Because I knew I wanted to go to that gym for at the very least a year, that was a deal that worked out to be less than $40/month for 12 months, and then only $20 after that, which no other gym could compare with.
If instead what is most important to you is waiving the initiation fee, World Famous's script sounds perfect.
posted by lewedswiver at 4:50 PM on September 22, 2015
Then, simply negotiate. Go in to each, ask for a lower price, tell one gym that the other gym has a better deal, and so on. Be ready to walk away.
For what it's worth, at an LA Fitness in LA, I had heard about a common deal they never advertised but did offer -- a $200 initiation fee (very high) and a $20/month monthly fee (very low). Because I knew I wanted to go to that gym for at the very least a year, that was a deal that worked out to be less than $40/month for 12 months, and then only $20 after that, which no other gym could compare with.
If instead what is most important to you is waiving the initiation fee, World Famous's script sounds perfect.
posted by lewedswiver at 4:50 PM on September 22, 2015
Response by poster: To clarify: I don't know how long I will be here and I am also just generally wary of locking myself into long-term costs. I will be doing month-to-month. If I knew I'd be in the area for at least a year, sure, maybe there are better options, but for my situation I prefer to pay the very least amount up front whilst still being at a gym I will actually use everyday.
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:53 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by AppleTurnover at 4:53 PM on September 22, 2015
Here is how an old roommate did it:
[Walks into LA Fitness]
Hi, I would like a gym membership.
[some salesy bullshit] Gym memberships cost $X.
Yeah, I'm not paying that.
Uh, sorry, but gym memberships cost $X. [some more salesy bullshit]
Yeah, still not paying that. I'll pay you $Y.
Excuse me?
This is worth $Y to me. If you want to give me a gym membership for $Y we have a deal.
I can't do that, gym memberships are $X for everyone.
I really don't give a fuck what other people here pay, I'll pay $Y or I'll go somewhere else...
But we have [fancy machines]!
...or I'll just go to no gym at all and run outside, I really don't care.
Uh, I'll see what I can do.
She walked away paying $Y.
posted by phunniemee at 4:57 PM on September 22, 2015 [15 favorites]
[Walks into LA Fitness]
Hi, I would like a gym membership.
[some salesy bullshit] Gym memberships cost $X.
Yeah, I'm not paying that.
Uh, sorry, but gym memberships cost $X. [some more salesy bullshit]
Yeah, still not paying that. I'll pay you $Y.
Excuse me?
This is worth $Y to me. If you want to give me a gym membership for $Y we have a deal.
I can't do that, gym memberships are $X for everyone.
I really don't give a fuck what other people here pay, I'll pay $Y or I'll go somewhere else...
But we have [fancy machines]!
...or I'll just go to no gym at all and run outside, I really don't care.
Uh, I'll see what I can do.
She walked away paying $Y.
posted by phunniemee at 4:57 PM on September 22, 2015 [15 favorites]
Do you have another free day at the gym? Can you just find someone friendly-looking member and ask them to refer you for the friends and family promo?
Otherwise, if the salesperson opens the door with "What's your hesitation?" you could just say " I'd need you to waive the initiation fees before I could feel good about signing up" or "I think I'll wait until you have a promo that waives the signup fee, unless you can just do that for me now."
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:46 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Otherwise, if the salesperson opens the door with "What's your hesitation?" you could just say " I'd need you to waive the initiation fees before I could feel good about signing up" or "I think I'll wait until you have a promo that waives the signup fee, unless you can just do that for me now."
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 5:46 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
Do you have another free day at the gym? Can you just find someone friendly-looking member and ask them to refer you for the friends and family promo?
Gyms often give the referring member some sort of bonus for this, too, so it might actually be a nice thing to do for an existing member. (When I joined my gym I said that an acquaintance had referred me just so that he'd get a $10 credit on his membership.)
posted by jaguar at 6:39 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Gyms often give the referring member some sort of bonus for this, too, so it might actually be a nice thing to do for an existing member. (When I joined my gym I said that an acquaintance had referred me just so that he'd get a $10 credit on his membership.)
posted by jaguar at 6:39 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm sure you could easily find someone to refer you on your local Reddit or Craigslist.
posted by grouse at 6:59 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by grouse at 6:59 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
When I joined LA Fitness I told them I was deciding between them and 24 Hour Fitness, and they lowered the initiation fee to something like $90 (from $150). I told them I didn't want to pay any, and then they offered to waive it but downgraded my membership so I could only use it at that one club, rather than nationwide. That was no problem for me, and I accepted. Then, when I moved, the front desk at the closest club noticed my account "wasn't set up right" and fixed it so that I had nationwide access, for free. :)
posted by Bella Sebastian at 7:04 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Bella Sebastian at 7:04 PM on September 22, 2015 [4 favorites]
You can try Kijiji or Craigslist. Often people try to sell off the rest of the contract there. If you go this route, make sure to meet the seller at the gym to change the membership.
posted by Coffeetyme at 7:23 PM on September 22, 2015
posted by Coffeetyme at 7:23 PM on September 22, 2015
Decide what you want to pay and how you want to pay it and then offer that to the sales manager. Do not go through anyone other than the manager. The manager has to have a certain number of contracts signed every month with or without the extras whereas the sales person's commission is based on the extras.
posted by myselfasme at 8:30 PM on September 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by myselfasme at 8:30 PM on September 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Alternatively, for 24 hour fitness, if you're a Costco member, you can buy a 2 year membership for $370, which works out to $15.42 a month.
posted by Comrade_robot at 3:28 AM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Comrade_robot at 3:28 AM on September 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Keep in mind that 24-hour is likely open all the time, and LA Fitness is not. In case that matters to you.
I am at LA Fitness in Edina MN, and it is $35/month for nationwide. Paid no initiation fee.
posted by dwbrant at 7:47 AM on September 30, 2015
I am at LA Fitness in Edina MN, and it is $35/month for nationwide. Paid no initiation fee.
posted by dwbrant at 7:47 AM on September 30, 2015
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I don't recall exactly how it went when I joined 24 Hr, but I would never pay an initiation fee, so I must not have. I think I pay $60/month no contract.
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:46 PM on September 22, 2015